Originally written February 12, 2004, for Jeric’s Lackawanna Sports
By Jeric Yurkanin
CARBONDALE — Some teams use a zone defense. Others double-team the opposing star.
Carbondale Area used Nicole Piatt.
Everywhere Forest City’s all-time leading scorer Amanda Vitzakovitch went Tuesday night, Piatt followed. When Vitzakovitch shifted to her right, Piatt moved with her. When she drove toward the basket, Piatt was waiting.
Vitzakovitch never found room to become comfortable.
“She played a great defensive game on her,” Carbondale coach Jesse Whittington said. “We played her really tough. They did an excellent job.”
Piatt scored only six points, but her biggest contribution never appeared beside her name in the scoring column.
Her relentless defense held Vitzakovitch to a season-low seven points and five rebounds as Carbondale defeated Forest City, 53–40.
A great defense can win basketball games.
Sometimes a team appears dominant—until its best player is taken out of the game. Then, suddenly, that same team looks beatable.
But Carbondale nearly learned the same lesson when its own star went down.
Near the end of the third quarter, Natalie Winters knocked down a 3-pointer before slowly limping toward the bench with an injured ankle.
The crowd gasped.
Then the gym became silent.
Carbondale had carried an 11-point lead into halftime, but almost immediately after Winters left the floor, Forest City began cutting into it. The Lady Foresters reduced the deficit to seven points, and the Carbondale bench suddenly looked nervous.
For a moment, it appeared Forest City might complete the comeback.
Winters had other plans.
Despite the pain in her ankle, Carbondale’s leader returned only 40 seconds into the fourth quarter. She scored eight of her game-high 25 points in the final period and helped restore control for the Chargerettes.
“She’s a great player,” Carbondale freshman Joya Whittington said. “She is very strong and very dedicated to this team.”
Winters may have been the established star, but another player began growing up in front of the Carbondale crowd that night.
If the game were a high school play, freshman Joya Whittington stepped into one of the leading roles.
Whittington repeatedly attacked the basket and earned 11 free-throw attempts. She made nine of them and finished with 13 points.
Earlier in the season, Whittington had gone 5-for-10 from the foul line—exactly 50 percent.
You didn’t need Bill Gates to solve that equation. You didn’t need Albert Einstein to explain the operation.
The freshman needed to improve her free-throw shooting.
So she went to work.
When her father and head coach, Jesse Whittington, was asked about her performance from the line, he laughed.
“She’s been working on her foul shots,” he said.
Then he looked toward Scranton Times writer Marty Myers and quietly added, “It’s true.”
The work was paying off.
Whittington didn’t simply make nine of her 11 free throws. She delivered those points during a game that helped Carbondale secure another division championship.
“I’m proud of myself,” Joya said.
Carbondale’s strategy extended beyond guarding Vitzakovitch.
Late in the first half, Coach Whittington instructed his team to play “keep away.” The Chargerettes controlled the basketball for the final minute and 10 seconds, preventing Vitzakovitch and the Forest City offense from getting another possession.
When the halftime buzzer sounded, Carbondale held a 27–16 advantage.
“We had the lead and had the ball,” Whittington explained. “We wanted Forest City to come out after us so we could attack the basket. We were also hoping we could slow down the game.”
The strategy worked.
Carbondale’s defense made Forest City’s all-time leading scorer almost invisible during the second half. Vitzakovitch managed only two points and three rebounds over the final two quarters.
Yes—only two points.
Whenever the Lady Foresters began cutting into the lead, Carbondale answered with another basket.
Three minutes into the second half, the Chargerettes led 33–21. Four minutes later, shortly after Winters injured her ankle, the scoreboard read:
Carbondale 35, Forest City 28.
That was as close as the Lady Foresters would get.
When Winters returned in the fourth quarter, everyone inside the gym began sensing what was coming.
Another Carbondale victory.
Another division championship.
And the Chargerettes’ 20th win of the season.
With 50 seconds remaining, Carbondale returned to its “keep away” offense. The Chargerettes protected the basketball and allowed the final seconds to disappear.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Then the buzzer sounded.
Carbondale’s players celebrated with smiles across their faces. Forest City’s players slowly walked toward their locker room, knowing their opportunity had slipped away.
On the scorer’s sheet, the final result read:
Carbondale 53, Forest City 40.
Piatt didn’t lead Carbondale in scoring—she erased Forest City’s leading scorer.
Winters refused to allow an injured ankle to keep her from leading her team.
And a freshman named Joya Whittington showed everyone inside the gym that she was beginning to grow into something special.
Defense. Leadership. Maturity.
That was Carbondale’s winning equation.
Leave a Reply