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West York grabs much-needed win over Dover


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The West York girls' basketball team came out hungry for a win, and it showed on the scoreboard when the final horn sounded.

The Bulldogs brought it on the defensive end of the floor, played with energy, and sniffed out a 46-38 win against Dover on Friday night at West York High School.

Catie McCarty led the way for the Bulldogs with 21 points while putting together a strong rebounding effort. Alayna Harris and Emma Tyndall each scored seven points for West York.

Dover received 23 points from Rajah Fink but little scoring from anyone else. Rayah Fink, the team's other top scorer, finished with just four points two days after she was shut out of the scorer's column in a 53-50 loss to Eastern York.

"We said they're going to come in here and the first thing they're going to want to do is smack us in the mouth," said West York head coach Darrell Wildasin. "I said, 'We better be punching back. We've got to meet that challenge. Head on.' And that's what I thought we did."

Wildasin said he liked how the Bulldogs attacked rebounds, and how they defended Rajah Fink — trying to stop her from penetrating, instead forcing her to settle for outside shots.

He also pointed to his team's ability to turn defensive stops into offensive opportunities on the other end.

"Pretty much all the things we set out to do, we were able to accomplish," he said.

It was a stark contrast to the teams' first meeting this season, when Dover earned a 48-30 win on Dec. 13.

"I think they ... underestimated us a little bit," McCarty said. "Just because of how much they had beat us by last time."

As for the Eagles, they came out flat and found themselves in a 20-12 hole at halftime. Every time Dover looked to get back in the game, West York seemed to have an answer.

"We're competing in games that I think would have some different outcomes if we were focused," Eagles coach Kevin Glover said. "Our focus is just scattered."

Glover continued: "I told them, after we beat West York the first time, they were going to come out hard, they're  going to come out swinging. ... We didn't match it."

Each team is now 5-3 in YAIAA Division II play, two games behind front-runners Eastern York and Susquehannock.

"We needed this thing to get back in the hunt," Wildasin said. "It's wide open, and we've got to play everybody between now and the end of the season. And we can control that."