Walsh, Haverford get back on track against Marple Newtown

NEWTOWN TWP. — Haverford High wanted to get back on the floor as soon as possible following the result of last Friday’s home game.

The Fords went down to the wire against Garnet Valley. A seven-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter fell by the wayside and Haverford dropped a tough one to Garnet, one of two remaining unbeatens in the conference.

Notwithstanding that game, the Fords are off to a good start, posting wins in eight of their first 11 contests, including Tuesday’s 45-21 rout of Marple Newtown.

Under the guidance of second-year head coach Lauren Pellicane, the Fords are a senior-laden team built to win right now.

Guards Erin Kelly and Erin Doherty combined for five 3-pointers. Senior forwards Sara Walsh and Lindsey Lane are twin towers in the low post, and both can dribble and shoot from the outside. They were a factor Tuesday.

“I think we have improved on a lot from last year as a team, collectively,” said Doherty, who scored a game-high 13 points to go with two assists and two steals. “We’re playing more together this year.”

“We’re doing a better job of moving the ball around and getting better shots,” added Walsh, who finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Tuesday allowed the Fords to correct anything that went wrong in the Garnet Valley game. Haverford was in control from the opening tip against Marple Newtown, which is in rebuilding mode after the graduation of every starter from a season ago.

“We were talking at halftime about keeping things simple,” Walsh said. “We had to go through all of our plays, not force anything, and take the right shots.”

Haverford jumped out to a 16-8 advantage in the first quarter, then scored 17 straight points over the course of the first and second periods. They led by as many as 25 points before the Tigers’ Katie Scali made a basket 1:25 left before halftime to end the run.

By that point, the Fords were well on their way to a bounce-back win.

Walsh and Doherty are averaging more than 10 points per game. Doherty has been an effective scorer since her freshman year, while Walsh has gradually worked on becoming a more consistent offensive player.

“I’ve just been focusing more on posting up and asking for the ball more,” Walsh said. “I know if I don’t have a shot, I can kick it to the outside so that our guards can make the shots.”

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