Lady Warriors Basketball
Freshman Irey Sandholdt goes in for a layup in a non-league encounter with Highland of Bakersfield.
The Lady Warriors won the game, 59-50, as Sandholdt scored a game high 22 points. (Photo by The Tehachapi News.)
Posted by John Nelson, The Tehachapi News, on January 15, 2017 Injuries Collar Warrior Girls As Young Stars Emerge
Injuries and the emergence of a potential young star or two went hand-in-hand as the Warriors girls moved from preseason to league play this basketball season.
Freshman Irey Sandholdt scored 22 points and helped lead the Warriors to a 59-50 victory over Highland on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at Tehachapi.
Coach Jacques Vachon called it “a true coming out” for Sandholdt, especially key with both Keily Corpus and Emily Williams on the bench with injuries.
Williams was healthy three days later when, on Friday the 13th, the Warriors opened their South Yosemite League season at Independence. This time, however, Sandholdt was hurt and couldn't play.
“We went into the Independence game short on players again,” Vachon said, “and it clearly effected our chemistry.”
The Warriors fell behind early and were never able to catch up as Independence won its 13th straight game, 76-36.
“They controlled both the tempo and rhythm,” Vachon said.
It was a stark contrast to the Highland game. Tehachapi scored the game's first 17 points, many of them off steals and fast breaks by Sandholdt.
It was never as close as the final 9-point victory margin indicated, with the Warriors leading by as many as 20 points on several occasions.
Fiona Ferry, Sandholdt and Mady Cotta “put on an exhibition on how to press,” Vachon said, holding the Scots to just 3 points in the first quarter.
“We dominated the first quarter,” Vachon said, “but we couldn't maintain the pace for all four quarters.”
In addition to her 22 points, Sandholdt had five steals. Teagan Thurman, another frosh phenom, had six rebounds, and the sophomore Cotta and Alicia Johnson had four apiece.
It was a totally different story against Independence, with Williams back and Sandholdt missing this time.
“We started very slow and allowed them to build a lead that proved insurmountable,” Vachon said.
Thurman led scoring this time with 14 points, and Cotta and Thurman had eight rebounds apiece. Johnson had seven rebounds.
The Warriors, however, shot just 22 percent from the field and never really got into it, as they saw a three-game winning streak come to an end and their overall record fall to 11-8. The Falcons, meanwhile, were 16-2.
“We had a bad loss, but it was one that will allow us to build and prepare for the next time we play them at home,” Vachon said.
This week, the Warriors had a pair of home games scheduled, one against East on Wednesday, Jan. 18, and another on Friday, Jan. 20, against Golden Valley.