Washington girls put an end to string of slow starts in 77-60 win over Kennedy

CEDAR RAPIDS - For a team that has been prone to slow starts, a delayed start did not seem fortuitous.

Any worries that Cedar Rapids Washington first-year head coach Chris James had were quickly erased.

The Warriors built a double-digit lead in the opening quarter and nearly added a similar run to start the second half en route to a 77-60 victory over Cedar Rapids Kennedy Friday night at Washington.

'We've actually started slow our last five or six games,” James said. 'That's something we harped on.”

Obviously, the Warriors listened. They built a 20-7 lead after the first, including seven points from sophomore guard Caitlin Riley, whose free throws and then layup off a steal had Washington up, 15-4.

'We like to push the ball a lot,” said Washington junior guard Jayla Johnson, who had 11 points and a team-high six rebounds. 'It puts us on a run a lot. Teams aren't expecting us to come out that fast.”

Without much height, the Warriors like to use their athleticism to get up and down the court. It also helped with 17 steals, mixing up their defense.

'We did a good job on our full-court press,” Riley said. 'We came out with a lot of energy.”

Riley also had two 3-pointers in a 13-4 run in the second half, helping the Warriors pull away for a 50-39 lead a little more than halfway through the third.

Washington also went on an 11-4 run in the fourth. Riley and Vanessa Eniola had 15 points apiece to lead the Warriors (4-4). Washington shot 46.6 percent from the field.

Kennedy (3-5) battled, tying the game at 33-33 on consecutive 3-pointers from Madison Friauf before Washington added a basket for a 35-33 halftime lead.

The Cougars pulled within eight in the fourth, but Washington increased its lead to double digits again on a Brittany Hoeger 3-pointer. 'Just when you think we would continue to ride the momentum,” Kennedy Coach Tony Vis said, 'they had an answer.”

Friauf had 17 points and Hailey Dolphin added 16 to lead Kennedy.

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