A successful season came to an end for the Warriors women’s basketball team Friday night as they lost to Glendale 71-55 in the first round of the regional playoffs.
The Warriors’ offense struggled at home the entire night, finishing the game with a 27.8 field goal percentage.
“We were driving in and kicking it out for easy shots,” said Warriors guard Makenna Peneueta. “We just missed our shots.”
In the third quarter the Warriors managed to cut the deficit down to three, but that was as close as it would get. Head coach Steve Shaw liked what he saw from the team during this time.
“We stayed active on offense during the third quarter by attacking the basket,” said Shaw.
Shaw also wasn’t startled by anything Glendale did during the game.
“We had to work hard and look for second and third options on offense,” said Shaw. “They didn’t do anything that was really surprising.”
This first-round matchup against Glendale came after the Warriors won their third straight conference championship. The two teams faced each other earlier in the year with the Warriors winning 62-58.
Peneueta recognized that the Warriors’ effort this game was better compared to their game against Glendale earlier in the season.
“We did play well on defense. We were moving and rotating more than usual,” said Peneueta. “We moved the ball more this game.”
Shaw too noticed differences between this game and the Warriors’ previous encounter with Glendale.
“We held them to shots that we wanted them to take,” said Shaw. “But they were making shots this time around.”
Shaw pointed to a few keys before the game that he wanted his team to focus on.
“It’s all about being relaxed, playing good ball, and battling to the end,” said Shaw. “At this point, in the playoffs, all the teams are good. So it’s about being consistent and making shots.”
After the game, Shaw addressed how well he thought his team did on those keys.
“For the most part we were doing well,” said Shaw. “It was tough but we hung in there.”
Shaw didn’t seem too happy with the calls being made by the referees during the game, but he later clarified his thoughts about the referees and the game.
“It was tough on both sides and consistent calls on both sides. It was more physical which probably favored [Glendale],” said Shaw.
Shaw thought the overall season was a success, even with the loss in the playoffs.
“It was an unbelievable year. We were three time conference champions. I’m pleased with the season,” said Shaw.
The program has come a long way since Shaw took over 21 years ago.
“The year before I came, the team had 3 wins. My first season we won 6 games but now we won three conferences championships in a row,” said Shaw. “Won the conference four out of the five years also making it deep in the playoffs. Our program now has very high regard.”
Update: March 11, 2019 9:12 a.m. grammatical errors were corrected.
