There are times when a loss can be as valuable to a coach as a win.
For Poly coach Kendall Peace-Able, a rare setback for the No. 8 Engineers last week proved to be just the motivation her team needed.
Facing archrival City, host Poly played relentless defense all over the court, forcing 24 turnovers and rarely giving the Black Knights an open look at the basket in a 53-33 win.
"It's really hard to take girls who are winning all the time and make them understand there are corrections they have to make," said Peace-Able, who stressed defensive intensity in practice. "It's a zero-tolerance policy. We spent a lot of time working on that, re-establishing some of the things we do well and keeping us in position to rebound."
The fast-paced Engineers (12-3, 6-2 in Baltimore City Division I) dominated with the guard play of Khepera Stokes (17 points and six rebounds), Maya Horne (12 points) and Aneah Young (nine points, 10 rebounds).
With the game tied at 11 late in the first quarter, the trio stepped up to lead a 10-0 run — capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Tylea Galloway and Horne — to give Poly a lead it never relinquished.
City (10-5, 3-4), which got 12 points from 6-foot forward Nkeiruka Okororie, never seriously challenged again.
Poly's lead quickly ballooned after halftime when they held the Knights to 1-for-9 shooting with eight turnovers in the third quarter. Despite spotty shooting of their own, the Engineers built their lead to 17 by late in the quarter.
"We were just trying to make sure everybody was always covering a person. Make sure nobody was open, and if they were it was for a certain reason," Stokes said. "We just had to keep them in front … just stay disciplined."
Players called last Thursday's 51-40 loss to Patterson Mill at the Basketball Academy a learning experience. It's a lesson the Engineers say will stay with them.
"The losses teach you a lot. You learn from a loss what you did wrong and what you need to do better," Horne said. "Poly is a defensive team. If the offense is not working, we can rely on our defense."