By Ryan Minkrmink@digitalsports.comSymone Lyles remembers literally looking up to the Good Counsel seniors her freshman year.
Lyles, along with
Katie Sheahin and
Sarian Snyder, were all on varsity as freshman when the Falcons won their last WCAC championship in 2006. But to them, that title largely belonged to the girls they aspired to be.
This year’s WCAC championship, however, earned with a 56-44 win over Holy Cross Thursday night at American University, this one is theirs to claim.
Lyles scored 10 of her 11 points in the second half, Sheahin notched a game-high 20 points, Snyder notched several key steals and the team’s fourth senior,
Kyleen Armstrong, nailed a big three-pointer to start the fourth quarter.
All of it gave Good Counsel its third WCAC championship in five years but the first this group could call its own.
“Freshman year I kind of felt it was easier because we had all those big-name players,” Lyles said.”This year we had to work much harder. We had a lot to do with it this year. It pays off.”
Good Counsel (27-3) came out victorious behind its shutdown defense in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons , who came into the fourth with a slim two-point lead after coming back from six points behind in the third quarter, didn’t allow Holy Cross to a point until there was 2 minutes, 44 seconds left in the game. By that point, Good Counsel had built a nine-point lead.
Holy Cross scored just seven points in the fourth quarter compared to 18 by Good Counsel.
“We got a little stale,” Holy Cross
Coach Russell Davis said. “Good Counsel did a good job taking us out of our stuff.”
Good Counsel game out of the gates firing, scoring the first seven points all off the hand of Sheahin. The Tartans clawed back somewhat but still trailed by five points entering the second quarter.
Holy Cross quickly tied it up on a three-pointer by
Kelly Mitchell and jumper by
Tyonna Williams. Freshman
Dominique Johnson, who was stepping in for injured guard
Channell MacKey, scored two straight buckets to give the Tartans their first lead.
Good Counsel entered the second half with a one-point lead but that was erased when Holy Cross scored the first seven points of the second half, including five straight by sophomore
Akilah Bethel.
But Good Counsel didn’t panic, which is certainly understandable considering the Falcons came back from a 13-point deficit at Holy Cross on Dec. 14.
“I don’t know if we were really shaken,” Good Counsel
Coach Tom Splaine said. “I didn’t see fear in our girls’ faces or anything.”
Good Counsel responded with a 13-3 run to take a 39-35 lead, keyed by back-to-back Snyder steals – one of which she finished on a layup herself. Lyles had two buckets during the stretch, Sheahin sunk a pair of tree throws and junior
Kelsey Murphy connected on a big three-pointer.
The Falcons said they were especially nervous to the game, which was in stark contrast to the Tartans, who seemed to be swaying with their large student base in attendance.
“We were thinking we got this far last year and weren’t able to finish it,” Snyder said. “We ended on a win and we started on a win. That’s how we do it.”