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Springside School splits in holiday tourney
by TOM UTESCHER
Playing in the post-Christmas tournament hosted by a
Neumann-Goretti High School ballclub that features three future NCAA Division
I players, a realistic goal for Springside’s hoop squad was to win
one of its two tourney outings.
The Lions got their “W” in Friday night’s third-place
game, topping MCS Charter School, 57-23, after falling to Neumann-Goretti,
104-48, in a Thursday semifinal. The host Saints went on to win the championship
game, 58-31, over Episcopal Academy, which had knocked off MCS by a score
of 63-9 on the first night of the event. With a total of 40 points in
the Lions’ two games, Springside eighth-grader Kristen Fuery was
the high-scorer in the tournament, and was named to the All-Tournament
Team.
When the losing team in a lopsided game scores almost 50 points, you
know you’re looking at a track meet, and that’s the way the
semifinal between Springside and Neumann-Goretti played out. The Saints
kept fastbreaking right till the end and Springside, adapting to the rhythm
of the game to a certain degree, scored in double figures in every quarter.
After the host team shot out to a 20-0 lead the final outcome was no
longer in doubt, but in the face of overwhelming talent and playing experience,
the Lions did not become intimidated, and they put forth a plucky effort.
Krystin Walker, who chalked up 18 points and seven rebounds, got Springside
on the scoreboard with a pair of free throws with 4:21 left in the opening
quarter (she made nine of 12 free throws on the night). Just over a minute
later, the Lions netted their first points from the floor on a baseline
jumper by Fuery, who ended up with six rebounds and tossed in 22 points.
The Lions also got four points from Maeve Koch and three from Amanda Walker,
who was still hobbled by an earlier ankle injury.
Neumann-Goretti’s team high of 21 points belonged to Shante Cummings,
a senior forward who has accepted a basketball scholarship at Central
Florida University along with Saints guard Jimerea Lee (10 points). In
addition, the Saints received 20 points and a dozen rebounds from 6’2”
junior forward Gloria Brown.
Neumann-Goretti had forced the Lions to play harder than they had all
season, and if they learn to reproduce that level of intensity, it’ll
serve them well during the Girls Inter-Ac League campaign.
Krystin and Amanda Walker each drained a three-pointer at the start of
Friday’s consolation game against MCS. Krystin Walker had five points
in the opening quarter and Koch collected four as the Lions romped to
an 18-4 lead during the period. With Fuery sticking four field goals in
the second frame, the count was 34-10 by halftime, and MCS never got back
in it, despite a 17-point effort by junior Valencia Morgan.
In this runaway win for Springside almost all of the Lions got in on
the scoring. Fuery had the game-high of 18 points, while Maggie Kyle deposited
eight points, Koch shot six, and Amanda and Krystin Walker had seven and
five, respectively. The Lions also marked down four points from Mary Trocky,
two from Kira Theuer, and one from Teghan Boyle.
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