The Woodlawn girls basketball team is getting a good early-season understanding why it works so hard in practice on pressure defense and conditioning.
Like junior guard Tiara Wildy puts it: "Our offense is our defense."
That certainly was the case last night in Annapolis, where the Warriors used relentless pressure defense and the instant offense that resulted for an 84-58 win that was more difficult than the final score showed.
Wildy's 25 points led four players in double figures as the Warriors improved to 3-0. Annapolis, which made a game of it in the middle quarters but was worn down by the finish, fell to 1-1.
"We spend most of our time in practice on defense and conditioning and the kids sometimes get tired of it, but that's why we can run for 32 minutes," Woodlawn coach DeWayne Burroughs said.
The Panthers weren't ready for the frantic pace. The result was turnovers and hurried shots while the Warriors converted on straight five possessions for a fast 10-0 lead.
The ending for the Warriors, after the Panthers found their pace and closed within 42-41 with 6:17 left in the third quarter, was even better.
Woodlawn went on a 13-1 run at the start of the fourth quarter for a 67-48 lead. Brittney Taylor added 22 points, Candice Britton had 15, Milan Heard finished with 11 and freshman center Kim Carr was a big presence on defense with five blocks.
"They were a good team and they made a run at us, but we just fought them off. We're 3-0 now, but not overlooking anybody," Wildy said.
For Annapolis coach John Brady, who got 20 points from C'vette Henson, 17 from Samantha Sydney and also plenty of aggravation with his Panthers' troubles handling the press, it all came down to the pace of the game. Often times, it was a little too fast for his Panthers.
After cutting the lead to 42-41, his team had two possessions to take the lead, but couldn't. Instead the Panthers missed their next six shots and turned the ball over twice to help the Warriors retake control.
"When we got into what we were supposed to, we got our shot opportunities and were able to get back in the game," Brady said. "When we didn't, they took advantage of our opportunities."