Slow start dooms Warriors in league opener

By Dylan Wilhelm / dylan@chronline.com
Posted 1/2/25

ROCHESTER — For a good chunk of their league opener against Elma on Thursday, Rochester was right with the Eagles.

A slow start put them in a hole too big to climb out of, however. In the …

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Slow start dooms Warriors in league opener

Posted

ROCHESTER — For a good chunk of their league opener against Elma on Thursday, Rochester was right with the Eagles.

A slow start put them in a hole too big to climb out of, however. In the first quarter, the Warriors went down double-digits, and they weren’t able to come back in a 50-33 loss.

“We came out nervous, and it showed,” Rochester coach Keeli Rivas said. “Elma took advantage of that.”

Rivas said that in the first frame, the Warriors let the Eagles dictate the pace of play. Elma was more aggressive in getting inside the paint early, and they were active on the defensive end to force several turnovers.

It started to become more even as the game went along as Rochester settled in. The Eagles won the second quarter 11-8, and the two teams both scored 10 in the third.

“Our overall aggressiveness improved,” Rivas said. “(The third) was by far our best quarter.”

In a year where Rochester’s overall record (1-10, 0-1 1A Evergreen) doesn’t jump off the page, Rivas said the team is finding confidence in the “little wins,” like the third quarter.



“It’s no secret that we’re in a rebuilding year,” Rivas said. “We knew this was gonna be a year of growth. It doesn’t make it any less frustrating, but we’re learning.

“I think some people are stepping up and finding their role,” she added. “We are at a point where we set small goals. Hopefully over time all those small goals lead to the bigger picture, and that is the team's success.”

Lizzie Hoover took a step forward as a scorer on Thursday, as the sophomore led the Warriors with 17 points.

Rivas said that she has encouraged Hoover to step up as a leader recently, and seeing her lead the way offensively gave the entire team a jolt in the middle frames.

“There’s times where I look to her to step up and do that,” Rivas said.  “I told her ‘I need you to step up, not be afraid to take the ball, and go for it.’ She did that, she was an absolute beast.”

Hoover and the Warriors will look to continue to develop and snap a two-game skid at Mark Morris on Monday.

“We’re young, but this team has a lot of heart and a lot of fight,” Rivas said. “We’re not just gonna roll over and give it to people. We’re gonna keep grinding and we’re gonna keep learning.”