Marchand gains 200th coaching win
The Washington girls basketball team had to overcome multiple issues to complete a milestone night Friday.
A 57-49 home victory over respected Mid-Illini Conference foe Canton gave Lady Panther head coach Randy Marchand his 200th career varsity win at the school.
Two Washington players were out and another was limited with injuries and the Lady Giants sliced a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to three.
Still, the Lady Panthers found their stride at Torry Gymnasium to move within a half-game of Canton in the league standings.
“I felt like I played,” said Marchand, who noted he was sweating on the sideline as the Lady Giants made a surge behind Mallory Moser, who led all scorers with 25 points.
Lexi Grayer had 16 of her 21 points in the second half to pace Washington (12-8, 5-4). She also led the team with seven rebounds.
“We have four-five seniors who have been through this,” Marchand said. “They started to step up and make plays when we needed them.”
Moriah Peterson and Boyer provided 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Lady Panthers. They scored seven apiece in the first half.
Boyer and Moser combined for all the points initially as Canton led 5-4 in the opening 3:30.
A Taylor Lester basket and two Brooke Bambrick free throws gave Washington a 13-11 edge in a first quarter with four lead changes.
The Lady Panthers streaked to a 20-11 advantage with seven straight points in the second period.
Peterson and Grayer hit shots in the first minute before a Peterson three-point play.
The Lady Giants tried to chip away, but Boyer, Dani Frye and Katie Megyesi all supplied field goals to keep the Washington surplus at eight points each time.
Grayer lit up Canton for 12 points in the third quarter to increase the Lady Panther margin from 27-21 to 42-27 with eight minutes remaining.
She started and ended the salvo with three-pointers on an evening when she canned four attempts from beyond the arc.
By playing even with the Lady Giants for the first three minutes of the fourth stanza, Washington appeared to have the game in hand.
But Canton, which still held conference title hopes coming in, had other ideas.
A 13-1 run in just 3:11 got the Lady Giants as close as 49-46 when the guests called a timeout at the 1:20 mark.
The Lady Panthers hit a home run on the inbounds play following the stoppage.
Boyer threw a baseball pass to Peterson, who caught it after a high bounce and converted a lay-up.
Moser finished off a 10-point period with a make at 1:02 before a Washington turnover.
Grayer then collected a steal with 48 seconds left, and Peterson drained a pair of free throws at :39.5 for a 53-48 lead.
Another steal by Grayer ended with her going all the way to the bucket for a seven-point cushion in the final 30 seconds.
Lester’s two foul shots at :10.3 assured the Lady Panthers of their ninth victory in the last 12 outings. She was a spark with eight points off the bench.
Jennica Hipes is out probably eight months with what Marchand said is an anterior-cruciate ligament tear. That injury will wipe out the junior’s spring softball and summer basketball schedules.
Teammate Paige Marchini also was in street clothes with a knee injury. Frye was slowed by a sprained ankle.
“I didn’t know what to expect with all the injuries we’ve had,” said Marchand. “It was a total team effort.”
Both teams were plagued by turnovers. Canton was particularly generous, surrendering possession 26 times, 17 coming in the first half.
Washington split the season series with the Lady Giants.
Washington, Ill. —
