Springside hoopsters ground Falcons
by TOM UTESCHER
For a number of years now, the Springside Lions have
played their basketball season opener against Philmont Christian Academy,
and true to form, the Falcons came to call last Tuesday afternoon.
The encounter was downgraded to a scrimmage this time around due to a
personnel shortage for Philmont, but it was still a helpful session for
Springside as the locals prepared for their first tournament action of
the 2005-2006 season. Last year, Springside needed a late rally to pull
out a 29-28 victory on the Falcons’ court, but this time, during
the three eight-minute periods that the varsity squads were on the court
the Lions outpointed their guests, 36-16.
Springside’s Kristen Fuery and Philmont’s Libbie Turchi were
the scoring leaders for their respective squads with 14 points apiece.
Turchi repeatedly penetrated to the hoop for layups and added a pair of
free throws, while Fuery opened up with a pair of three-pointers and after
that went inside to score, shooting two-for-two at the foul line along
the way.
Only an eighth grader, Fuery has had an immediate impact on the Springside
squad, although the team’s opponents in early scrimmages have not
been the same caliber as the better Inter-Ac clubs.
Speaking of his youngest protégé, Lions coach Steve Flynn
remarked “I think she’ll be able to rise to the level of anybody
we play. She’s going to score points for us, and I think she can
step up her game on defense. She’s quick and she’s got a good
wingspan, and she has the ability to guard somebody tight without fouling.”
In Tuesday’s tilt, Springside was leading 14-7 at the end of the
first period and was up 29-9 after the second segment. Nevertheless, Flynn
saw a lot of room for improvement.
“Last year, most of our players really were focused on trying to
improve their game, and I’m not seeing that same kind of effort
from some of the girls so far this year,” he said.
Complementing Fuery’s efforts, sophomore Krystin Walker scored
eight points for the Lions, mostly on short and medium-range jumpers.
Her freshman sister, Amanda, nailed a three-pointer, and seniors Delia
Langan and Maeve Koch also finished with three points for the afternoon.
Junior Nan Weisel scored from the paint on an inbounds play, an assist
from sophomore Nora Langan set up a layup by sophomore Mo Perry, and a
free throw for senior Rachel DeBerardinis rounded out the scoring for
the hosts. Junior Kira Theuer accumulated six rebounds and two steals
for Springside.
For the Falcons, the only two points not scored by Turchi came on a layup
by forward Emily Hesse, who also hauled down five rebounds.
Looking ahead, Springside’s Flynn asserted, “The key for
us this season is to be able to score an average of 40 to 45 points per
game, and then on defense pressure the other team’s ball handlers
to keep their scoring down.”
The Lions have not fared so well in official games. At the Germantown
Community Tournament December 2 & 3, they lost in the semifinals to
the Hill School, 60-37, and in the third-place game to Germantown High
School, 80-52. Tourney host Germantown Friends defeated Germantown High,
65-37, then beat Hill, 48-43, in the championship game. Kat Bixby, the
Tigers’ senior point guard, was named MVP after scoring a total
of 42 points in the two contests.
In a scheduled head-to-head meeting last Wednesday, the visiting Tigers
topped Springside, 59-39. The Lions held a 14-11 advantage two minutes
into the second quarter, but Germantown came back to lead 28-19 at the
intermission and went on a 12-0 run at the start of the second half.
Bixby finished with 29 points, five steals and four assists and freshman
guard Nina Voith had 13 points and four rebounds, while another ninth-grader,
forward Jasmine West, scored three points and pulled 11 rebounds for GFS
(3-0).
Kristen Fuery’s 15 points for Springside (0-3) all came in the
second half, and Amanda and Krystin Walker put up ten and eight points,
respectively. Krystin Walker and Nan Weisel each grabbed six boards in
the losing cause.
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