The last time we faced Holton-Arms in a conference matchup was January 2015, so no one was quite sure what to expect on Tuesday evening.
Knowing that our opponenets were well-coached, our staff stressed the importance of sticking to our team defensive philosophy and executing on the offensive end. Truth be told, we did neither of those things in the first three quarters, and thus found ourselves in quite a pickle in the final eight minutes of play.
Holton-Arms began the game with an unrelenting fire and toughness that we were simply not prepared for. Their vicious zone stymied our typical offensive fluidity, and we abandoned the inside-outside strategies that made us successful in previous contests. We could not get out of our own way, committing highly uncharacteristic turnovers and executing sloppily against their defense.
It wasn't until the fourth quarter that a spark ignited the gritty comeback that led to an eventual one point victory for the Maroon.
After scoring only five points as a team in the third stanza, senior captain Brooks Buyck galvanized the frustrated group with a series of defensive stops, rebounds, and incredibly athletic attacks to the rim. Answering this call to action were teammates LB Campagna, Maya Goree, and Lexi Weger; Campagna and Weger snatched a pair of massively important defensive rebounds in the final stanza, while Goree netted a two-point bucket to tie the game at 33. With 6.3 seconds remaining, Goree stepped up again by knocking down a free throw that gave Episcopal their final- and only- lead of the game.
Though the win wasn't pretty, it was a crucial first step in our journey toward an ISL championship.
Statistics
Maya Goree: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Brooks Buyck: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists
Lexi Weger: 6 points, 16 rebounds, 2 steals
Hope Gray: 2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
Emma Jones: 1 point, 2 rebounds
LB Campagna: 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist
Sophie Singletary: 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Hadiyyah Abdul-Jalaal: 1 steal
Mary Ives Giblin: 1 assist
Dymin Gerow: 3 rebounds