By SPENCER BATES
SALAMANCA — Ahead of the 2024-25 season, Salamanca girls basketball head coach Joe Hinman acknowledged that he had an extremely young team on his hands, but was hopeful that they would be able to fill some vacant roles.
Well, a convincing 61-42 win over CCAA Div. I rival Allegany-Limestone, in which underclassmen accounted for 46 points, signified those hopes becoming a reality.
“It was just a complete win for us,” Hinman said. “Top to bottom, everyone contributed tonight in one way or another. Whether it was scoring, grabbing loose balls on the floor, we just got after it tonight. That’s a tough league opponent. … We fed off each other and it was just a good win at home for us.”
Liana Jimerson led, not just the underclassmen, but the entire game in scoring with 20 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc on a night in which the Warriors seemingly couldn’t miss. As for the other Salamanca underclassmen, Maliyah Foster backed her up with 12 points, Ella Crouse netted eight, Kynleigh Wass had four and Addison Earley finished with two points.
Alongside the young guns, team veterans Makenzie Crouse and Charli Ross also found veins of success, scoring 12 and five points, respectively, and making an incredible impact on the backboard.
“Everyone just steps up. Everyone helps us out in one way or another,” Hinman said. “If Maliyah’s not going, it’s Ella. If Ella’s not going, it’s Liana. It’s good to have some shooters to fall back on. Our girls played dominant down low too. Kenzie, Charli, Arabelle (Reynolds), our eighth grader, stepped up down low too. … Everyone’s really finding their role within our team and that’s good to see. You can see the confidence grow within the girls too. That’s definitely a big thing for our team.”
The Warriors’ depth and versatility were big problems for A-L as head coach Andrea Darrow noted. With the 3-pointer falling as much as it did and the size of the hosts forcing her team to try and shut down the paint, the defensive side of the game was no short order.
“We talked about (having to guard) multiple players,” Darrow said. “There’s not one or two that you can defend out there and take this team away. They have multiple players from multiple spots on the floor, and if you help inside, they’re going to kick it out and have a shot.”
Salamanca had success in the half court, executing its game plan and set plays with an eye for detail. But its scoring came from more than just offensive sets. Defensively, the Warriors were incredibly sound, creating chaos for the Gators and forcing turnovers which it scored from with efficient fast break buckets.
“We practice that transition offense,” Hinman said. “We get a loose ball or we get a rebound and our eyes are up, looking for an easy one down the floor. That’s just our style and what we’ve been rolling with. Playing fast and under control. So, it’s good to see the intensity and the speed that we’re playing with.”
Even when the shots weren’t falling for Salamanca, the size and strength it had down low with Makenzie Crouse and Ross proved to be just too much for A-L. Second-chance opportunities and extra possessions were a big factor in the game and it was the hosts that capitalized.
“Our girls know the expectation, what our staff expects of them, and they just meet the standard every time, especially in these last few games,” Hinman said. “They’re really playing all-out, and you have to against teams like Allegany.”
Losing the battle on the boards was tough for Darrow, who has pointed out that is one of the main areas her team needs to improve upon. A big part of that comes down to physicality, which she admitted has not been the forte of her squad this year.
“It’s something, even in practice, that we have to work on,” Darrow said. “We’re not a super physical team, so when we play against ourselves, we don’t want to be physical. … We’ve got to have that physical aspect. We’ve got to be the one that wants every single rebound.”
Allegany-Limestone’s Emerson Ortego (25) puts up a shot while being closed down by Salamanca’s Kynleigh Wass (2). Ortego scored six points for the Gators in their loss to the Warriors. (Spencer Bates)
That being said, the Gators were not completely without positive minutes. At times, their ball movement carved open the Warriors which led to open shots. The big task for Darrow now is finding a way to extend those good minutes into entire quarters, halves and games.
“We couldn’t be consistent for long enough chunks of time to work our way back within four or five points,” Darrow said. “I have to give them credit, (Salamanca’s) got a lot of good basketball players out there.”
Salamanca has now won six of its last seven games and moves to 6-3 with the win. It will look to pick up another in its next game, away from home, against Fredonia on Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
As for Allegany-Limestone, it will look to bounce back in its next game, a non-league clash, at Fillmore on Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
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AT SALAMANCA
Allegany-Limestone (42)
Hayes 3 8-9 15, Kahm 2 3-3 7, Wojewoda-Ko 3 0-2 6, Ortego 3 0-0 6, Frederick 1 2-4 5, Potter 1 0-0 3. Totals: 13 13-18 42
Salamanca (61)
Jimerson 7 1-2 20, Foster 5 2-2 12, M. Crouse 5 0-1 10, E. Crouse 3 0-0 8, Ross 2 1-3 5, Wass 1 2-2 4, Earley 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 6-10 61
A-L 6 20 31 42
Sala. 15 32 46 61
Three-point goals: A-L 3 (Potter, Frederick, Hayes), Sala. 7 (Jimerson 5, E. Crouse 2); Total fouls: A-L 10, Sala. 13; Fouled out: None.
