Unfortunately for Manheim Twp., the first three possessions of their matchup with Cumberland Valley proved to be a sign of things to come.
The Eagles’ defense forced three straight turnovers to open the fifth place game. They swarmed ball handlers all evening long en route to a 40-28 victory over the Blue Streaks.
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CV was especially strong defending 6-foot-2 Alexandra Leslie, who scored 32 points in Manheim’s loss against Central Dauphin on February 22. Coach Bill Wolf’s defense collapsed on Leslie; limiting the big forward to just eleven points and three field goals.
“We were very pleased with the defensive effort. Leslie was kind of our focal point in terms of our approach. We wanted to get a lot of defensive pressure out on the perimeter and go ahead and front her. We gave good supporting weak side help and when she did get it we wanted everybody to close down on her,” Wolf said.
The Eagles forced 20 turnovers in the win, including eight in a dominant second stanza. Wolf’s defense was so stifling during the stretch that they held the Blue Streaks off of the scoreboard for the first six minutes of the period.
While the defense did the dirty work, the Eagles manufactured enough offense to keep Manheim at an arm’s length.
Maddie Torresin led the attack with 16 points, 11 of which came in the first half. Jackie Falconer also picked up eight in the Cumberland Valley win.
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