Liverpool’s girls basketball team had one more big lesson to learn while playing in the opening round of the Section III Class AA playoffs.
As the no. 11 seed, the Warriors met no. 6 seed Nottingham, and played hard all 32 minutes. But the Bulldogs’ size and versatility led to a 63-38 defeat.
Throughout the first half, Nottingham tried to dictate the pace, and Liverpool tried to keep up. At times, though, the Warriors hit droughts, scoring just five points in the second quarter as it fell behind 27-17 by halftime.
A 16-8 run in the third period helped the Bulldogs pull clear, this despite a superb night from Ally Zywicki, the Liverpool guard who earned 19 points, including a trio of 3-pointers.
To counter it, Nottingham turned to its inside game, especially forward Nikki Works, who had 23 points and 21 rebounds, both career highs, as Iaellan Walters added 11 points.
Nearly everyone on the Liverpool roster will be back in 2009-10, taking what it absorbed this season and hoping to improve.
