Princeton sophomore Rayleigh Williams, pictured in previous action, scored 16 points in a 51-37 road win over Plano East on Friday. Photo by Jerry Winfrey / C&S Media
By David Wolman
PLANO — The Princeton girls basketball team started fast before using a dominant third quarter to. pull away from Plano West to earn a 51-37 road win on Friday afternoon.
After Plano West junior Faith Hyland sank a 3-pointer to trim Princeton’s lead to 4-3 just 51 seconds into the contest, the Lady Panthers put the clamps on the Lady Wolves’ offense. Heavy defensive pressure applied by Princeton’s guards forced Plano West into 12 turnovers in the first quarter, many of which resulted in steals and layups at the other end of the court.
Evans, who finished with 12 points, was the offensive catalyst during a 14-0 Lady Panthers run that ensued. She did the bulk of her damage with her passing. The senior guard found junior Reyna Martin open under the basket, and Martin converted a layup for an 18-3 lead with 2:52 left in the first quarter.
“The girls showed high energy from the get-go,” head coach Six Smith said. “We have some good athletes. They are still young and still growing, but when you can force turnovers and get points off turnovers, that’s huge.”
Princeton was held to five points in the second quarter, but Evans took matters into her own hands after Plano West mounted a rally. Evans hit two jump shots over the final 3:28, the second restoring a double-digit lead for the Lady Panthers at 26-15 after the Lady Wolves cut the deficit to nine.
In the second half, Princeton showed better offensive continuity.
A 3-point barrage by Williams helped the Lady Panthers maintain a double-digit cushion. Her third 3-pointer of the half gave Princeton (7-13 overall, 2-4 District 6-6A) a 43-24 lead with 6:26 remaining. Williams finished with 16 points.