By Mike Buchanan
 

With the regular season winding down, Saturday evening’s game between St. Paul’s School for Girls and Notre Dame Prep had some meaning. It was a battle for fourth place in the IAAM A-Conference X-Division, and with it the advantage of a home-court game in the upcoming playoffs.

The visiting Blazers jumped out early and had a five-point lead at the half, but a huge 20-6 third quarter keyed a Gator rally, and a 46-37 win, in Brooklandville. St. Paul’s improved to 6-6 in the league and 9-7 overall, while NDP dropped to 4-7 and 6-10.

“The NDP kids always play hard,” said Gator Head Coach Jim Stromberg. “They are competitive, physical, and it always ends up being a great game. I really enjoy watching them play, except when it’s against us.”

The game was part of a St. Paul’s triple-header, with the girl’s varsity game sandwiched between the boy’s junior varsity and the boy’s varsity contests. SPSFG has no girl’s JV this year.

The two teams met in the first game of season way back on December 3rd,  and St. Paul’s won in a close one, 34-30. NDP was coming off exams and a long break, but Coach Kate Campitelli’s squad brushed aside any rustiness and came out with an inspired first half.

The hosts scored first, and then sophomore forward Symonne Newsome scored off a perfectly executed sideline out-of-bounds play for 4-0 SP lead.

NDP got on the board at the 4:30 mark with a Lauren Mazzone lay-up. Then Erin Workmeister went to work. The senior guard hit a three-pointer, scored on a put-back and then nailed another three from the right wing. Her burst of eight points in about a two-minute span gave the Blazers a 10-6 lead.

Sam Murray scored for St. Paul’s on a put-back of a missed free throw to break the NDP run. Workmeister’s sister, sophomore guard Lauren, decided to get into the sister scoring act and hit a jumper for the final points of the quarter, and a 12-8 NDP lead.

The second quarter was back and forth, with the two teams trading scores. Late in the period, Mazzone scored off a perfect feed from Kelsi Bozel and senior guard Brett Cullen converted a pair of free throws to give NDP a six-point lead. The Blazers took a 20-15 lead in the break.

The third period was all Gators, thanks to an extended 20-6 run that turned a five-point deficit into an 11-point lead. The Gators got to more loose balls, handled the Blazer pressure and got a number of lay-ups off the press-break and/or in transition.

After four straight scores, junior guard Iliana Sanza broke deep and scored on a perfect baseball pass on the back end of the press to give St. Paul’s a 26-20 lead at the 5:20 mark. The 11-point run gave the Gators a six-point lead. NDP’s Meghan Helm finally broke the drought with a pair of free throws at 4:57, the first Blazer points of the period.

The Gators were not done, however, as they got three more lay-ups against the press, and ended the quarter with a 35-26 lead.

When asked about the pivotal third quarter, Stromberg said, “It was the first time all year we really went full-court press. I figured if we’re going to get beat, we going to do it playing hard. That third quarter was our best quarter of the year. Our point-guard really played well, and when we get pressed, we’re going to get some easy scores.”

The Blazers made a couple attempts to cut into the deficit, made the Gators were able to hold them off in an 11-11 fourth quarter. NDP got as close as five, 41-36, with 1:15 remaining, still within striking distance, but Sanza broke free for another lay-up to seal the win.

Freshman guard Janelle Fleet led the Gators with a game-high 13 points, while Sanza added nine. Newsome, Murray, Maria Kafarakis and Bailey Webster scored six apiece in a balanced attack.

The Workmeister sisters combined for 18 points, as Erin had 10 and Lauren added eight. Mazzone finished with nine in a solid outing, giving away at least five to six inches in height while battling the 6’ 3” Gator center, Webster.

Campitelli’s squad faces a tough week, with games against St. Frances and Spalding, before finishing out the regular season versus St. John’s.

The win gives the Gators a five-game win streak in the league. With guard Jasmine Jacobs out injured and last year’s leading scorer, Carissa Williams, having transferred to City, St. Paul’s is a young team – there are no seniors on the squad.

“We’re a young team, and I said six or seven wins in this league would be a great accomplishment. That’s five wins in a row, and we are improving, the kids are playing much better,” added Stromberg.

His team also faces a tough stretch run, and if they are to get that seventh win, it will have to come against one of three ranked teams. The Gators host McDonogh on Wednesday, travel to St. Frances on Friday and then face Spalding to close out the regular season.

Stromberg is hoping to hold on to that home-court advantage for the first round of the play-offs. But either way, the Gators are an improved squad, and will be a potentially dnagerous team to face in the play-offs, for any A-Conference team.

St. Paul’s SfG 46, Notre Dame Prep 37

NDP     12        8            6        11  -  37
SP         8         7          20        11  -  46

NDP - E. Workmeister 10, Cullen 2, M. Quinn 2, L. Workmeister 8, Helm 4, Niehoff 2, Mazzone 9.
SP - Sanza 9, Newsome 6, Kafarakis 6, Fleet 13, Murray 6, Webster 6.
Half: NDP, 20-15.