GA girls 1-1 in home court showcase
by TOM UTESCHER
Falling to powerful Peddie School, 40-33, in the December 17 opener of their own holiday tournament, Germantown Academy's girls basketball team rebounded with a 64-41 victory over Central High School the following evening. After taking Christmas week off with their overall record standing at 6-2, the Patriots will resume play on December 27 at the Holiday High School Tournament in Santa Barbara, CA.
The annual event at GA, a showcase featuring pre-scheduled games rather than a true bracketed tournament, benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the requests of terminally-ill children. In other games over the weekend, Archbishop Ryan fell to both Central (38-24) and Peddie (59-37).
Ranked 12th in the nation in one preseason poll, Peddie is led by 6'4" senior center Crystal Goring, the younger sister of former GA pivot Gillian Goring (who stands 6'7"). The game featured a current sister act, as well; GA eighth-grader Jesse Carey and Peddie junior Devon Carey each started at guard for their respective clubs.
The teams played tenacious defense from the get-go, and it was reflected in the score as the first period ended with Peddie ahead just 6-4.
GA über-freshman Caroline Doty deposited a lay-up and a pair of jumpers and the Patriots led the visitors 12-10 midway through the second quarter, but inside scoring by Goring and foulshooting by Devon Carey and forward Bridgette Mitchell afforded Peddie a 17-12 edge later on. In the last half-minute, GA's Niki Finelli put in a lay-up, then Lindsay Freid stole the ball back and drew a foul, hitting one of two at the line to make it 17-15 at the intermission.
After an exchange of field goals to start the third frame, Finelli fed Jesse Carey for a fast break lay-up, then the Pats started to send the Falcons to the foul line, and eight-for-ten shooting there helped put Peddie ahead for good. Mitchell assisted Devon Carey on a buzzer-beating fast break to set the board at 31-24 for the start of round four.
The Falcons' defense was partly responsible for a lackluster shooting night for Germantown: just over 31-percent from the floor and 50-percent from the foul line. In addition, there were several occasions when the Pats created turnovers with brilliant defense only to hand the ball back through careless passing.
GA's Colleen Magarity was one GA player who made the most of her trips to the foul line. She went four-for-four at the stripe in the fourth quarter, with the second pair moving the hosts back within six points of the leaders with 1:37 to go.
Doty hit one of two free throws for a 38-33 score, but then Magarity had a long jumper circle the rim and spin out of the cylinder, a three-point attempt that could've made it a two-point game. Instead the final two points of the night came on free throws by Peddie's Karly Grace.
Leading the winners were Goring, with 14 points, Mitchell, with 12, and Devon Carey, with six, while for GA Doty notched 13 points and nine rebounds and Finelli (eight rebounds, four steals) and Magarity had six points apiece. Freid combined three points with three steals, and GA received two points apiece from Jesse Carey (three assists) and Jenna Washabaugh (who pulled five rebounds while giving away three inches to Goring in the paint), and one from Kris Guynn.
Uncharacteristically, Germantown didn't hit a single three-pointer in the game, but against Central the following night the Pats popped in 11 of the bonus baskets, starting with a lob by Finelli from the top of the key that opened the scoring. In the ensuing minutes the teams romped from end to end in spirited fashion, but rarely found the basket.
GA got off to a 7-0 lead before Meredith Lowe got Central moving by making a pair of free throws. Feisty guard Sarah Jones gave the Lancers a spark off the bench; her four field goals had the visitors just three points in back of the Pats (12-15) two minutes into the second quarter.
A little banker by Finelli launched a pivotal 14-2 run for GA. Doty and Carey each canned a three-pointer and a regular field goal, and Washabaugh found the net on an inside move. Meanwhile, Guynn was a model of defensive intensity, beleaguering the Lancer ballhandlers en route to recording seven steals, along with two points. Late in the half, three-balls by Carey and Freid gave Germantown a 37-21 lead at the break.
The second half, like the first, began with Finelli hooking up from three-point territory, and the Pats widened the gap by ten more points during the third period. Carey, Doty, and Caitlin McGovern contributed, and the quarter concluded with three more treys by Fried. With GA playing its reserves early in the fourth quarter, Central scored ten straight points, closing up the score to 57-41 and forcing the Pats to put some starters back in. Germantown deposited the final seven points in the contest to win by 23.
Finelli led all scorers with 17 points, while Carey and Central's Jones each chalked up 15, and Doty came away with 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Washabaugh scored two points and defended well in the paint, booking four steals and three blocked shots.