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WEIRTON -- Catholic Central relied on the long distance shot to take an early lead and go on to earn a 52-34 win over Weir High Thursday inside the Carl R. Hamill Field House.
Central, which snapped a two-game losing streak, improves to 5-3 on the seasons while the Red Riders, who were playing their fourth game in as many days, fall to 1-5.
Three-pointers by Katie Zatta and Theresa Kerker helped Jess Looman's club take a 16-10 lead after the opening quarter. Kerker connected two more times in the second and Central was up 26-15 the intermission.
Zatta knocked four more triples in the second half as the visitors put the win on ice.
"We had a couple of tough games last week so it was nice to see the girls come out fast and excited to play," said Looman. "It was a fast paced game on both ends of the floor. Weir is very young but they are resilient and quick. We were worried about their quickness on the defensive end. There were times when their quick hands caused us trouble.
"I thought we did a good job of moving the ball offensively and giving our outside shooters some good looks. We also were able to get the ball inside to our posts, who gave us some key points. Our post players were solid tonight on both ends of the floor."
Zatta finished the night with a game-high 22 points, 15 coming from behind the arc. Clara Symington delivered a career-high 12 points while Kerker finished with 10, all coming in the first half. Symington and Ellen Rohde both snared a dozen rebounds.
"T.K. really stepped up for us in the second quarter and those two 3-pointers got us going," Looman said. "Katie had her usual solid game but I was really happy with us having three players getting double figures. Clara just keeps getting better and better.
"I also thought we played solid defense, particularly in the second quarter when we held Weir to just five points. Even though we start four upper classmen, we still are young from a varsity experience standpoint. We need to keep working hard and continue to focus on improving."
Olivia Baker had a huge night for Weir, scoring a team-leading 19 points. She swished Weir's only 3-pointer.
Janai Turner and Sophia Aperfine added 4 apiece.
"I can't say anything negative about our effort," Weir coach Rick Stead said. "Even in the games we have lost, the girls played hard. They take the game to heart and that's something I appreciate. We have to learn to move the ball, make a zone work, then look for openings in the seams and make good passes.
"We have technical issues we need to focus on like catching the ball and squaring up to the basket. The girls are young and a lot of times they get the ball, they are not squared up so they are not seeing the entire floor. I can't complain about the effort or the intensity. They girls want to compete and they want to win.
"Defensively, we need to work on rotation in our zone, fronting people, taking passes away and closing. Give credit to the Central girls. They did a nice job of shooting the ball tonight. Our girls got there and got a hand in their face but they were knocking down the shots."
A Crusader sweep:
Natalie Cherepko and Talia Marcino scored 13 points each as Central posted a 46-30 victory in the junior varsity game.
Ella Maragos added 8 for the Crusaders. Mea Kaufmann and Maleea Faulks tallied 7 apiece for the Red Riders.
Up next:
Both teams return to the hardwood Saturday.
Central travels to Edison, the junior varsity tip is set for noon.
"We definitely have a tough one coming up against Edison," Looman said. "We'll need to have a good practice Friday, get well prepared and be mentally focused."
Weir will play its fifth game in six days when it entertains North Marion at 2 p.m.
"It doesn't get any easier for us," Stead said. "It's tough with a young group of kids. Some are coming straight from middle school. It's a challenge for them to adjust to the speed of the game and how a varsity system works.
"We have limited numbers--we only have 12 girls. We are trying to play a JV schedule, trying to do some things to develop the other kids so we can keep improving as the season goes along."
Catholic Central 52, Weir High 34
Central 16 10 18 8--52
Weir 10 5 12 7--34
CENTRAL (5-3): Zatta 8 1-2 22; Symington 4 4-6 12; Rohde 1 2-2 4; Kerker 3 1-2 10; O'Karma 0 0-0 0; Arai 2 0-0 4. TOTALS: 18 8-12 52.
WEIR HIGH (1-5): Kaufmann 1 0-0 2; Turner 2 0-0 4; R. Hoover 1 0-0 2; Baker 6 6-8 19; Aperfine 1 2-4 4; R. Hoover 0 3-4 3; Faulks 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 11 11-16 34.
3-POINT GOALS: Central 8 (Zatta 5; Kerker 3): Weir High (Baker).