Central League girls’ basketball: Conestoga’s athletic defense shuts down Radnor

Tredyffrin >> Starting four players 5-9 or taller, host Conestoga unleashed an aggressive defense that forced turnovers en route to a 47-33 win against Radnor Tuesday night in the Central League opener for both teams.
“I haven’t seen that many of our passes tipped in one game since I’ve been here at Radnor,” said Red Raider head coach Mark Jordan, now in his 11th year as Radnor girls’ basketball head coach. “Conestoga’s got size, and when they get their two point guards back [from injury], they’re really going to be tough to beat.”
The two point guards Jordan was referring to are 5-7 senior Sarah Mascioli and 5-8 junior Maria Koblish, who are out with foot injuries but could be returning within a week. Conestoga head coach Chris Jeffries called them, “our two best shooters and two best ball handlers.”
Even without the two point guards, Conestoga (2-0) was able to wreak havoc Tuesday night with its size. Not only did they force a number of Radnor turnovers, but they won the rebound battle too, led by 6-4 junior center Katie Mayock (10 rebounds), 6-1 junior forward Cat Esbehshade (six rebounds), 5-11 senior forward Emma Powell (six) and 5-9 senior Liz Scott (five).
Jeffries said, “We have a lot of athletic phenoms here at Conestoga, state champion caliber athletes from the soccer team and the lacrosse team, and some of them are on this basketball team. They’re great athletes who can do a lot of things.”
Radnor hung close to Conestoga, particularly in the first half, and trailed by only five points (29-24) late in the third quarter. Radnor senior guard Nicole Massimino, a four-year starter, managed to penetrate the tough Conestoga defense often enough to keep the score close through three periods, and she finished with 15 points on the night.

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