Camden Catholic 63, Absegami 58
My dad gave me a call a couple of days ago and said, "If I only see one girls' basketball game this year, which one should I go to?"
There was only one answer to that question, and the CC-Gami game fulfilled all expectations. My dad drove down with me, and it was great to have him, but I'm afraid he's probably now got an unrealistic impression of what girls' basketball is all about. Maybe I'll bring him to the Tournament of Champions. Otherwise, his next GB experience is likely to be a disappoinment.
That's not to say that the game was perfect, but the two teams play a version of the game that is recognizable to anyone as good basketball, and they both have girls who can make plays that would be impressive at any level. The atmosphere was great, which certainly helped, and since my dad wasn't even sure how to pronounce Absegami, he was happy to see the Irish come back and win.
To be honest, though, I find myself kind of ambivalent about the outcome. I though Gami played a great game, and was a little sad to see them lose. The Braves deserved better, especially playing without Rosario. They made no excuses, and Jasmine Crew's 21 second-half points was certainly the decisive force in the game, but I was incredibly impressed with Mostafa, Booker and especially Connie James, who made a ton of foul shots and played great defense on a sprained ankle.
Catholic did not play well in the first half. In fact, I thought the first was a "nervoud quarter' for both teams. Since they were at home, it was not a shock the Gami shook off the nerves first, but I'm not sure CC has scored as few as four points in any quarter all season, and the Irish looked just that out-of-sync. Crew was taking bad shots, Matera was invisible, Ra was having trouble finishing. The only thing that was working was the rebounding, thanks in large part to Allison Lane. It's hard to know how many of those boards Rosario would have grabbed, but Lane certainly uses her body as well as enybody in South Jersey. She reminds me of Kelsey McGowan of Sterling in that way: not too tall, but a great rebounder.
Mostafa took everybody's breath away several times, an I'm more anxious than ever to see the player she might be able to turn into. Her reverse layup in the second quarter served notice that she's not just tall, she didn't pick up a foul until the second half despite playing great defense, and she was efficient from the foul line. In fact, I daresay she was the best center on the court for much of the game.
But in the second half, Crew started playing under control, taking good shots, and everything loosened up. As tight as the Irish were in the first half, that's how loose they were by the end of the game. I mean a 26-point fourth quarter? That's kind of ridiculous. CC scored all of 15 points in the first half and 48 points in the second. I thought coming in that they had to turn up the pace a little bit on Gami, and they definitely did as the game wore on.
I know that folks are going to get on Alysha Taylor for having an imperfect game, but I really don't think she played badly. She's a little out of position as a point guard, sure, but Gami didn't give the game away, the Irish took it. In talking to Mostafa after the game, I feel like the Braves understand that they played well, and I really hope that's true.
The injury situation with Roasario and James shakes out this way, according to coach Greg Goodwin: both have sprained ankles, Rosario's sustained on Monday against Christ the King. Both will be shut down now until the first game of the playoffs, against either Cherokee or Pennsauken next Wednesday, so niether figures to be in the lineup for Saturday's CAL championship game against Holy Spirit. Goodwin said he learned his lesson a couple years ago, when his team was banged up late in the season and they played through it, only to be upset by Toms River North in the sJ Group 4 final. "Kara Ayers was in a cast the next day," he said, which is something I did not know, but it certainly explains some things. So Gami is playing it safe the rest of the way. They may go into the playoffs with an inexplicable five losses if the Spartans can pull the upset at Stockton, but health going into "the second season" is the highest priority. In related news, the AC Press reported that Spirit center Teena Marsh could be back in the lineup soon, which is great news. If she plays against Gami, the absence of Rosario will be that much more important.
Tomorrow (Thursday) is my wife's 28th birthday, so I'll be out of the loop for an evening. Hopefully the world does not end. Friday I'll be at Kingsway-Moorestown. The Quakers are one of a few teams I am hell-bent on seeing before this is all over. I have a strategy for getting to the others next week.
There was only one answer to that question, and the CC-Gami game fulfilled all expectations. My dad drove down with me, and it was great to have him, but I'm afraid he's probably now got an unrealistic impression of what girls' basketball is all about. Maybe I'll bring him to the Tournament of Champions. Otherwise, his next GB experience is likely to be a disappoinment.
That's not to say that the game was perfect, but the two teams play a version of the game that is recognizable to anyone as good basketball, and they both have girls who can make plays that would be impressive at any level. The atmosphere was great, which certainly helped, and since my dad wasn't even sure how to pronounce Absegami, he was happy to see the Irish come back and win.
To be honest, though, I find myself kind of ambivalent about the outcome. I though Gami played a great game, and was a little sad to see them lose. The Braves deserved better, especially playing without Rosario. They made no excuses, and Jasmine Crew's 21 second-half points was certainly the decisive force in the game, but I was incredibly impressed with Mostafa, Booker and especially Connie James, who made a ton of foul shots and played great defense on a sprained ankle.
Catholic did not play well in the first half. In fact, I thought the first was a "nervoud quarter' for both teams. Since they were at home, it was not a shock the Gami shook off the nerves first, but I'm not sure CC has scored as few as four points in any quarter all season, and the Irish looked just that out-of-sync. Crew was taking bad shots, Matera was invisible, Ra was having trouble finishing. The only thing that was working was the rebounding, thanks in large part to Allison Lane. It's hard to know how many of those boards Rosario would have grabbed, but Lane certainly uses her body as well as enybody in South Jersey. She reminds me of Kelsey McGowan of Sterling in that way: not too tall, but a great rebounder.
Mostafa took everybody's breath away several times, an I'm more anxious than ever to see the player she might be able to turn into. Her reverse layup in the second quarter served notice that she's not just tall, she didn't pick up a foul until the second half despite playing great defense, and she was efficient from the foul line. In fact, I daresay she was the best center on the court for much of the game.
But in the second half, Crew started playing under control, taking good shots, and everything loosened up. As tight as the Irish were in the first half, that's how loose they were by the end of the game. I mean a 26-point fourth quarter? That's kind of ridiculous. CC scored all of 15 points in the first half and 48 points in the second. I thought coming in that they had to turn up the pace a little bit on Gami, and they definitely did as the game wore on.
I know that folks are going to get on Alysha Taylor for having an imperfect game, but I really don't think she played badly. She's a little out of position as a point guard, sure, but Gami didn't give the game away, the Irish took it. In talking to Mostafa after the game, I feel like the Braves understand that they played well, and I really hope that's true.
The injury situation with Roasario and James shakes out this way, according to coach Greg Goodwin: both have sprained ankles, Rosario's sustained on Monday against Christ the King. Both will be shut down now until the first game of the playoffs, against either Cherokee or Pennsauken next Wednesday, so niether figures to be in the lineup for Saturday's CAL championship game against Holy Spirit. Goodwin said he learned his lesson a couple years ago, when his team was banged up late in the season and they played through it, only to be upset by Toms River North in the sJ Group 4 final. "Kara Ayers was in a cast the next day," he said, which is something I did not know, but it certainly explains some things. So Gami is playing it safe the rest of the way. They may go into the playoffs with an inexplicable five losses if the Spartans can pull the upset at Stockton, but health going into "the second season" is the highest priority. In related news, the AC Press reported that Spirit center Teena Marsh could be back in the lineup soon, which is great news. If she plays against Gami, the absence of Rosario will be that much more important.
Tomorrow (Thursday) is my wife's 28th birthday, so I'll be out of the loop for an evening. Hopefully the world does not end. Friday I'll be at Kingsway-Moorestown. The Quakers are one of a few teams I am hell-bent on seeing before this is all over. I have a strategy for getting to the others next week.
posted by SMc. @ 2:35 AM
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