Herkimer Women Go 1-1 on Tough Weekend Stretch

Herkimer, NY- This past weekend, Herkimer Women's Basketball looked to avenge some tough losses to start the season as they headed to New England to take on two Region 21 teams. 

On Saturday, Herkimer took on a tough Massasoit squad.  The combination of a suffocating half court defense and a long road trip, led to Herkimer coming out slow.  Massasoit took control early hitting big shots, combining with a large height advantage on the interior, leading to a 22-7 lead after the first quarter.  They extended that lead to as much as 24, before Herkimer slowly chipped away in the second quarter, facing a 11 point deficit at halftime.  Herkimer came out hot in the second half behind a fantastic game from Freshman Hinano Imamura.  She finished with 22 points and led the charge with both her defensive full court pressure and going 4-6 from behind the 3-point line.  Herkimer came back to take the lead at the 3 minute mark and never looked back.  Sophomore Ajla Sejdic had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the comeback effort.

"We entered the 4^th quarter down and Hinano got an immediate steal and bucket that helped energize the team.  The effort on defense was top notch and we hope it can help carry us these next few games." expressed Matt Hazzard, Head Women's Basketball Coach.

 On Sunday, Herkimer traveled to Warick, Rhode Island to take on one of the top teams in the country, Community College of Rhode Island, currently ranked #5 in the country.  Rhode Island came out on their home floor strong.  They jumped out to a 24-12 lead in the first quarter, but Herkimer closed the quarter on a 9-0 run to bring the score to 23-24.  Herkimer started the second quarter just as they finished the first and built a lead of 37-30 late in the 2^nd quarter, with a combination of streaky 3-point shooting and going hard to the rim and getting to the foul line.  Rhode Island didn't flinch sank a few big three pointers that gave them the momentum heading into halftime of 48-44 in a high scoring affair.  

At the start of the second half, Rhode Island made some adjustments to Herkimer's zone defense to take advantage of their interior play and outscored Herkimer in the third quarter 22-6.  Rhode Island never looked back, winning the game by a final of 85-60 which didn't dictate how close the game was.  

Ajla Sejdic closed a huge week scoring 21, going 5-10 from the 3-point line.  Sophomore Kapri Bradshaw added 14 points, and Freshman Forward Layla Ford contributed 8 points and 11 rebounds.

"I was really proud of how the girls responded.  Going into the house of the #5 team in the country and holding your own says a lot about the class and character of our team.  We learned a lot about ourselves and feel we have turned a corner to take us through the rest of the year." expressed Coach Hazzard