B.B. girls’ ball finds victory and defeat

January 24, 2019 at 6:10 a.m.
B.B. girls’ ball finds victory and defeat
B.B. girls’ ball finds victory and defeat

By By Rowan Kansler- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

The Blind Brook girls’ varsity basketball team had a week full of improvement. The Trojans first faced Keio Academy on Thursday, Jan. 17, where they absolutely thrashed. After this much-needed victory, Blind Brook saw Croton-Harmon High School on Saturday, Jan. 19 where they played their best game of the season, but sadly, the results wouldn’t show it. The Trojans were neck-and-neck, but come the middle of the fourth quarter, a short span of turnovers and missed shots put Blind Brook’s fight to sleep.

Huge win against Keio

“We were hungry for a win,” captain Joelle Maitland said. “This was our second league game, we had already lost our first, and we saw no other option besides victory.” Blind Brook played in a man-to-man defense for the entire game, attesting to their depth of athleticism and superiority to the Unicorns. The jump ball that commenced the game immediately showed Blind Brook’s domination which continued from the first whistle to the last. Sophomore Amanda Winton, along with senior captain Paige Maizes, were monsters on the boards, allowing their team second chances on offense and leading to a 21-point game for the recurring star, sophomore Kaitlyn Tangney. The team did well getting to the basket as they had 19 foul shot opportunities as a team.

The beauty of this game was teamwork. The Trojans shared the ball and worked together to build their lead on the Unicorns. With a cohesive unit like the one on the court last Thursday, there’s no stopping the Trojans basketball team. Blind Brook had their largest margin of victory all year, defeating Keio 55-40.

Tough defeat by Croton

The Croton-Harmon Tigers came out hot. They hit their first two shots of the game with Blind Brook responding shortly afterward with their own hits. Maitland at the center of the 2-3 defense kept the Tigers off the boards well and allowed the Trojans to find their chances on offense. After a quarter of back-and-forth play, Croton stood on top by three, 15-12.

The second quarter brought similar competition. Croton’s Sofia Tuman and Erin Reynolds combined for their team’s 12 of 14 points, whereas the Trojans’ very own Tangney and freshman point guard Gabby Tucker put up all of B.B.’s 11 points before the half.

Come the third quarter, the Lady Trojans trailed 29-23 with a strong intent to take a lead. However, despite best efforts, there were a fair number of turnovers, and numerous fast break opportunities led to a widening lead for the Tigers. After a sudden momentum shift, Blind Brook’s confidence died for the remainder of the quarter. Croton was hitting their threes and putting away second chances. With a massive 22-point quarter for Croton, the Trojans were now down 51-31.

The fourth quarter could not have gone much better for Blind Brook. They played with all their heart and worked efficiently throughout the time they had. Nevertheless, eight minutes wasn’t a long enough quarter and Croton wasn’t about to throw in the towel. The Trojans put up 16 to Croton’s 10, resulting in a defeat, 61-47.

The highlight of the game was Tucker taking over. She performed consistently well each quarter, pushing the ball up the court, dishing nice passes, and putting the ball in the hoop. She finished as the top scorer with 15 points. Right behind Tucker was Tangney who had 14 of her own. Tangney best demonstrated her versatility during this game, scoring from various spots and playing solid defense on the other end. Together the duo dominated, but in the end, it wasn’t quite enough to push their team over the edge for a victory.

After one win and one loss, the Trojans stand at a 3-8 record looking for further successes in league play. League games are further in the future, but for next week the girls have two games. After press time on Wednesday, Jan. 22 the Trojans play Ursuline B again for what is sure to be a tough matchup. Then on Tuesday, Jan. 29 Blind Brook hosts Solomon Schechter School for a 6:15 p.m. game.


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