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Catherine Kennedy is usually
overshadowed in the box-score, but not so on Thursday.
Kennedy scored a team-high
14 points and pulled down double-digit rebounds to lead Baltimore Lutheran to a
44-35 win over St. Timothy’s in an early-season match of unbeaten C-Conference
teams, in Stevenson.
Lutheran, one of the
favorites to compete for the C title in 2007-08, is usually led in scoring by
the dynamic duo of All-Conference seniors Meghan Lepley (15 ppg) and Rachael
Keshishian (12 ppg).
Those two both had
off-nights, with Lepley scoring 10 and Keshishian six. But Kennedy stepped up
big with consistent play on both ends of the court.
The visiting Saints came in
having played just one league game, a win over Oldfields. St. Timothy’s entered
the night at 4-0 in the C, with wins over Oldfields, Annapolis Area Christian,
Glenelg Country and Key.
Lutheran jumped out quickly,
going on a 9-0 run to begin the game. After a time-out,
After going down by 13
points mid-way through the third period,
The Saints pushed the lead
back up and, despite hitting just four of 10 free throws in the quarter, were
able to hold off St. Tim’s to secure the win.
“Overall, I was pleased with
the effort of the kids, especially the balanced scoring,” said Lutheran Coach
Brent Johnson. “Catherine (Kennedy) did an outstanding job on the offensive
glass and her 14 points were the difference in the game. Lindsay (
With Lepley and Keshishian
scoring a bit below their average, Kennedy and Hamilton both gave Johnson
above-average nights. Kennedy exceeded her 2.4 ppg average with 14, while
Johnson added, “Meghan
(Lepley) and Rachael (Keshishian) provided leadership and helped our team
battle back after St. Tim’s closed the gap to three at the end of the third
quarter. As a team, we were thrilled to get a road win against a tough
conference opponent.”
Lutheran (2-0, 4-2) travels
to Key on Monday and then gets a short Christmas break before playing in the
Owings Mills holiday tournament.
St. Timothy’s (4-1, 5-2) was
led by seniors Lindsay Foster with 15 points and Melissa Pearce with 11. Fellow
senior Sammy Lichtenberg added seven steals, while Foster and Pearce had four
each.
Buchanan was partially
pleased with his team’s performance. “I wasn’t pleased with our effort on the
boards in the opening half, getting out-rebounded by whatever; we allowed too
many easy put-backs. But we battled back from double-digit deficits twice, so I
was very happy with our composure and effort, especially the third-quarter run.”
When asked about the
difference in the game, Buchanan added, “Kennedy was the game MVP, no doubt
about it. Keshishian nailed nine three-pointers in two games against us last
year, so we really tried to play up on her. And Lepley is so tough because she
can post up smaller guards, which is what we have. Those two are both dangerous
scorers. Part was our defense, but part was they just didn’t get into their
normal flow. But other players stepped up big for them.”
“Also, we’ve been scoring
48-52 points a game, and could only put up 35 tonight. Our normal production
would have made for a win. They had balanced scoring and we didn’t. Two players
combined for 26, but no other player had more than two. We missed too many
lay-ups and open jumpers,” Buchanan said. “Heh, the better team won tonight; but
if they are one of the top 2/3/4 teams
in the league, which I believe they are, then we aren’t that far off - IF we do the basics like rebounding and
shooting a little bit better.”
Baltimore Lutheran 44, St. Timothy’s 35
BL – Hamilton
8, Lepley 10, Keshishian 6, Hjirika 6, Kennedy 14.
ST – Pinnock
2, Kang 2, Rollo 2, Lackey 2, Foster 15, Harris 1, Pearce 11.
Half: BL, 25-16.
