Lady Spartans survive thriller
The Lady Spartans’ basketball team defeated Pope John Paul II in a thriller Friday night in the first round of the Kerr-Vance Holiday Invitational. Kerr-Vance hung on for a 50-49 victory to improve to 4-3 on the season.
The visiting Saints held a 44-43 lead with 2:31 left in regulation as the intensity started to heat up and the crowd grew restless. The Spartans’ took the lead for good when Macy Lee Johnson stole the ball a few seconds later and converted an easy lay-up, which put Kerr-Vance up 45-44. However, the final minutes weren’t easy for Spartans’ coach Sandy Ross or fans.
“It was a nail biter, very exciting,” Ross said. “I was very nervous the whole game, but we hustled hard and got it done. The last quarter was back and forth, back and forth. I just wanted them to try and keep it away from their center, which we did a good job
of in the fourth. Sophie stayed with her all night and battled the whole game.”
The Saints’ final possession was particularly hectic for Ross and the Spartans’ fans in the bleachers. Kerr-Vance held a 50-49 lead with 9.3 seconds left on the clock and the Saints were passing the ball in from the baseline. Pope John Paul II missed one open shot, then pulled down an offensive rebound, but the put back rimmed out, and Kerr-Vance held on to the delight of the spectators.
“Our press won us the game tonight for sure,” Ross said. “We start four guards, and they are all very quick so we have a dangerous press. We scored a lot of points off the press and it gave us more confidence as the game went on.”
The Spartans’ press was vicious as they forced the Saints into 36 turnovers on the night. Bonnie Evans (13 steals) led the Kerr-Vance press and was constantly in the passing lanes deflecting the ball and disturbing the rhythm of the Pope John Paul II offense, who struggled mightily breaking the full-court press. However, when the Saints were able to break the press they were very successful on offense, led by center Sydnee Neal (25 points) who Ross mentioned earlier.
Emma Pelfrey, back from an ACL tear, started her second game for the Spartans with a large knee brace and battled ferociously for rebounds the entire night. Ross admitted she is a little afraid of Pelfrey re-injuring her knee, but Pelfrey seemed fine and tossed her body around like a healthy athlete. Sophie Naradzy also hit the glass hard the entire game, and had to deal with Neal on both ends of the floor, which is no easy task.
“She wants to be on the floor and be able to play with her teammates,” Ross said. “I do worry about her getting hurt again, but she wasn’t playing like it hurt tonight. It has been great to have her back in the lineup to add a little more depth and she is thrilled to be playing again.”
The Spartans will face Franklin Academy this afternoon in the championship of the Kerr-Vance Holiday invitational, which tips off at 3:00 p.m.
“They are a very dangerous team,” Ross said. “They played great last year and are very talented from outside and have a lot of three-point shooters so we will have to defend outside well if we want to win.”
The Lady Spartans’ basketball team defeated Pope John Paul II in a thriller Friday night in the first round of the Kerr-Vance Holiday Invitational. Kerr-Vance hung on for a 50-49 victory to improve to 4-3 on the season.
The visiting Saints held a 44-43 lead with 2:31 left in regulation as the intensity started to heat up and the crowd grew restless. The Spartans’ took the lead for good when Macy Lee Johnson stole the ball a few seconds later and converted an easy lay-up, which put Kerr-Vance up 45-44. However, the final minutes weren’t easy for Spartans’ coach Sandy Ross or fans.
“It was a nail biter, very exciting,” Ross said. “I was very nervous the whole game, but we hustled hard and got it done. The last quarter was back and forth, back and forth. I just wanted them to try and keep it away from their center, which we did a good job
of in the fourth. Sophie stayed with her all night and battled the whole game.”
The Saints’ final possession was particularly hectic for Ross and the Spartans’ fans in the bleachers. Kerr-Vance held a 50-49 lead with 9.3 seconds left on the clock and the Saints were passing the ball in from the baseline. Pope John Paul II missed one open shot, then pulled down an offensive rebound, but the put back rimmed out, and Kerr-Vance held on to the delight of the spectators.
“Our press won us the game tonight for sure,” Ross said. “We start four guards, and they are all very quick so we have a dangerous press. We scored a lot of points off the press and it gave us more confidence as the game went on.”
The Spartans’ press was vicious as they forced the Saints into 36 turnovers on the night. Bonnie Evans (13 steals) led the Kerr-Vance press and was constantly in the passing lanes deflecting the ball and disturbing the rhythm of the Pope John Paul II offense, who struggled mightily breaking the full-court press. However, when the Saints were able to break the press they were very successful on offense, led by center Sydnee Neal (25 points) who Ross mentioned earlier.
Emma Pelfrey, back from an ACL tear, started her second game for the Spartans with a large knee brace and battled ferociously for rebounds the entire night. Ross admitted she is a little afraid of Pelfrey re-injuring her knee, but Pelfrey seemed fine and tossed her body around like a healthy athlete. Sophie Naradzy also hit the glass hard the entire game, and had to deal with Neal on both ends of the floor, which is no easy task.
“She wants to be on the floor and be able to play with her teammates,” Ross said. “I do worry about her getting hurt again, but she wasn’t playing like it hurt tonight. It has been great to have her back in the lineup to add a little more depth and she is thrilled to be playing again.”
The Spartans will face Franklin Academy this afternoon in the championship of the Kerr-Vance Holiday invitational, which tips off at 3:00 p.m.
“They are a very dangerous team,” Ross said. “They played great last year and are very talented from outside and have a lot of three-point shooters so we will have to defend outside well if we want to win.”
