(GIRLS) STA's height handy in win over Walnut Grove Gators
STA vs. Walnut Grove Gators
Written by Tom Keast
There is a brand new sparkling gym at STA and a sparkling matchup between the AAAA #4 ranked Walnut Grove Gators and the St. Thomas Aquinas Fighting Saints who are ranked #2 in AA. A lotta height in this game. Six foot Gator Tabitha Knoedel tipped off against STA’s Washington State bound 6’2” Jessica Clarke.
STA’s SFU-bound Gemma Cutler’s younger brother 6’4” Declan was spotted in the gym looking for clues on how to play. He’s in Gr. 9 playing on the junior team.
If I knew enough about basketball I could tell you what offensive and defensive strategies are being used but about all I can say so far is that you’d better be tall if you want to get a rebound in this game.
Saints broke a 4-4 draw in the first with a 10 point run but the Gators had too much talent to be held down. With 2:25 to go it was 22-17. If Gator Fania Taylor dials in her 3-pt. shot the Saints will be looking over their shoulder. No sooner do I write that and Tia Rowell of Walnut Grove drains a three to end the quarter 28-20 for WG.
Then Sophia Wisotzki and Julian Jacobs nail back-to-back threes for WG and its 31-26. Some kinda high-scoring game. The teams are both scrappy. Your writer is sitting at the corner of the court and could hardly see Saint’s Caelan Prescott in the far corner with a silky three that stirred the crowd. Lead stretched now for STA to 45-26 midway through the second. Cutler goes lefty for 2 deep in the shot clock. One senses that Walnut Grove is not getting enough ball to make headway as it always seems to be in the hands of the Saints. The lead is now 23 and a timeout is called in a desperate search for reinforcements. Can’t count out the Gators though. Outta the time-out with a three (Jacobs).
Half-time: STA 55, WG 33; Saints Cutler and Clarke with 24 and 13 respectively and Gators Wisotzski and Taylor with 11 and 8.
Half-time fact: STA rented out their old school (because they couldn’t afford to tear it down) to Netflix for a bazillion dollars for a year.
The second half continued the trend in this game. All the breaks going the way of the Saints. Does it help that they are Saints? Threes that should fall instead rim out for WG. Then Clarke hit a jumper from the foul line to make the lead 26. Taylor finally hit a three for WG which was immediately answered. WG can’t buy a run. Wiz still worked hard for the Langley team. Lay-ups, the odd three. She’s a smart player but the team needed more ball to work with. Two minutes to go in the third and it was 67-48 Saints.
After the time-out Wiz cut the lead to 18 and it seemed that there was a game cooking here. Wiz fought to a draw on the floor and the lead fell to 16 then back to 18 at the 3rd quarter horn.
Outta the gate in the 4th it became apparent that WG’s short bench could hold it back from a significant run. Wiz didn’t quit for a second nor did her teammates. But the Saints juggernaut had too many weapons.
With the lead at 16 Prescott got an open look in the corner. Great stroke. Lead back to 19. Punch-counterpunch but no headway for the Gators against a powerful and complete team in the Saints. Left hand-right hand for the Saints bigs didn’t seem to matter. Lead at 21. 2 ½ long minutes left for the valley visitors.
Final: STA 95 (Cutler 33, Clarke 25); WG 74 (Wiz 29, Taylor 18)