McHenry, MD – The Lady Lakers are still trying to figure things out – but that doesn't mean they can't keep winning women's basketball games while they do it.
Garrett College – losing injured point guard Renee Timbers just as sophomore forward Janiya Burton returned from an ACL issue – used a 61-51 win over visiting Frederick Community College Saturday afternoon to improve to 5-1. Da'shai Morton-Hall scored 18 points, and Hailey Newsome added 15 points and 15 rebounds, as GC erased a 27-22 deficit with a 17-0 scoring spree that put the Lady Lakers in control.
Sophomore guard Manuela Perez de Castro added 12 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists – but her value went well beyond those statistics, especially with Timbers out.
"Manu is kind of like a 'point everything' – she's played every position we have," said head coach JT Lewis. "With Renee out, Da'shai and Manu have to hold down the point guard spot."
"I've always liked the point – that's what I played in Spain," said GC international student Perez de Castro. "I got used to playing inside last year. It (being back at the point) is a change for me. I'm still trying to figure it out."
Perez de Castro said the Lady Lakers "played well, but we have to be more consistent."
"We have to play hard the full 40 minutes, not only when we want to and when we're not tired," said Perez de Castro.
Frederick's Heaven Murray had seven of her 14 points as FCC built a 27-22 lead. Garrett, however, responded with its 17-0 run that included nine points by Morton-Hall.
Newsome's 3-pointer early in the third quarter extended GC's lead to 39-27, and the Cougars couldn't get closer than six points the rest of the way.
Burton finished with eight points and 11 rebounds in her first game since suffering an ACL injury last season against region rival Potomac State College of West Virginia University.
"She is still a little bit fragile," Lewis said of Burton. "Today was a great coming-out game for her. She's done a good job of being at practice and preparing to return. She's finally gotten her call."
Lewis said the Lady Lakers are "still trying to figure out our team."
"With losing Renee, we're using a bunch of different looks defensively depending on who's in," said Lewis, whose squad improved to 2-0 in NJCAA Division II Region 20.
The Lady Lakers did a good job against FCC's full-court pressure despite Timbers' absence.
"That's one thing we worked on in the preseason when we played Glenville State and West Virginia State," said Lewis. "They're both known for their presses. That gave us experience against hard, full-court presses for 40 minutes. Presses are kind of what we like to see to get those easy points in tempo."
Jorjalynn Ward, a women's soccer player who walked onto the women's basketball team, continued to impress as she moved into the starting lineup.
"Jorjalynn is awesome," said Lewis. "She plays hard, she's in the right spots, she does what we need her to do. Today, she did a great job at the bottom of our 1-3-1 press.
"She does the things that might not show up in the stat sheet – deflections, help-side defense, rebounds when we need them," added Lewis.
First-year FCC head coach Lynn Ramage – a former Cougar student athlete who is in FCC's Athletic Hall of Fame – said he expects his squad to improve as the season progresses.
"We just got everybody healthy," said Ramage. "They [Garrett] have some really good players. They're tough, and they're aggressive."
Ramage said GC's offensive rebounding may have been the game's most significant factor.
"They had a lot of second-shot opportunities," said Ramage. "They really banged the boards and we weren't able to get a stop."
Bre Lawyer joined Murray in double figures for Frederick (1-5 overall, 0-3 region) with 12 points. Lawyer scored seven in the opening quarter as Frederick built a 19-15 lead.
