Holy Child topped Rye Country Day in girls basketball Wednesday, 52-47, in the final regular season game for both schools.
By Melanie Cane
Holy Child topped Rye Country Day in girls basketball Wednesday, 52-47, in the final regular season game for both schools.
Although the Wildcats had home court advantage, it was Rye Country Day’s third game in four days, and the players looked tired.
It was clear from the outset that Holy Child came to win. The Gryphons, whose season got off to a shaky start at 6-4, then won five in a row.
Holy Child Coach Mike Duignan said the team’s three captains, Mary Henderson, Shannon O’Connor, and Chellzea Edgar helped right the ship and keep the team focused. Rye Country Day, meanwhile, has had a consistently spectacular season.
On Wednesday, Holy Child came out like gangbusters and Rye Country Day struggled to keep up. By the end of the first half, Holy Child had built a 24-18 lead.
The Wildcats played catch-up, tying the game at 33 points midway through the second half, before pulling ahead by a point with seven minutes left to play.
Then, Holy Child stepped on the gas and Rye Country Day started to run out of gas. Holy Child reclaimed the lead with five minutes left and never looked back. Sophomore guard Josie Amerson, Holy Child’s leading scorer this season, tallied 20 points and 18 rebounds. O’Connor, a senior, sank 12 points, while Edgar, also a senior, snagged 10 rebounds.
Carolyn Binder, Rye Country Day’s top scorer, had 19 points.
Coach Duignan said his team has had to refocus and make many adjustments over the course of the season, especially with two starters injured, but they have succeeded in doing so through a commitment to playing hard. “We found our stride today against a very strong and well coached team,” he said.
Wildcats Coach Margaret Scarcella said, “We got outhustled to every loose ball and we didn’t get back into position. Nor did we make the easy shots that we have to make if we want to win. We have to have that “want-to-win mentality’.”
Both teams begin post-season playoffs in the Fairchester Athletic Association on February 20.
Rye Country Day enters the playoffs seeded No. 1. The Wildcats are 8-1 in the league and 18-4 overall.
Holy Child is the No. 3 playoff seed, with a league record of 7-2 and 13-8 overall.
