An aggressive defense fuelled strong showings in the middle periods, helping push Washington to a 37-22 win over Jones Senior on Monday. The Lady Pack led by one after the first quarter, but outscored the visiting Lady Trojans 23-7 in the second and third periods.

Jones Senior was able to stymie Washington once it set up, but the Lady Pack was able to get plenty of easy opportunities in transition.

“Offensively, we just kept turning them over. We got easy layups in fastbreaks and transition,” Washington coach Ralph Biggs said. “I wasn’t so happy with our halfcourt offense because we didn’t do much, but the defense turned into points.”

 

While the halfcourt offense didn’t run as smoothly as Biggs would have liked, Daria Jones’ work in the post was a bright spot. She scored eight of Washington’s 15 second-quarter points, which included three consecutive layups right under the basket.

“She means a lot. I’ve just got to get it in her head that she means a lot,” Biggs said. “She’s very modest and doesn’t know how important she is for us. When Daria plays well, we play well.”

Defensively, Jones was able to fend off an imposing Jones Senior center in Raquel Guadarrama. She helped Washington keep the visitors to just one made field goal in the second.

“I think Daria took the challenge,” Biggs said. “’O.K., she bumped me a couple of times, but I’m going to show you I can play.’ I think that’s what you’ve got to do.”

The Lady Pack jumped out to an 8-0 lead right away, but Jones Senior used a 7-0 run of its own to cut into the deficit. Ryan Case got a steal on one end and a layup on the other to make it 8-6, and Jade Stewart added a free throw.

That was as close as the Lady Trojans would get, though. Tasia Ebron stole the ball for an easy layup that sparked a 13-0 run for Washington. Jones added six points on three layups. Nazayah Parker’s jumper from a corner, sandwiched between a handful of free throws, put the Lady Pack ahead, 21-7.

Charity Witherspoon finally broke through for the visitors. Her layup with less than two minutes until halftime was Jones Seniors’ first points of the quarter.

Hailey Respess knocked down a baseline jumper to give Washington a 31-12 lead in the third period. Tanayja Green made a shot from midrange, and Katie Beckwith’s put-back layup put a small dent in the Lady Trojan’s deficit, but it proved insurmountable.

Jones Senior held Washington to six points in the fourth, but the Lady Pack was able to cruise to its second win of the season. It hosts Northern Nash on Dec. 1 after a break for Thanksgiving.