Holy Child’s basketball team may not be tall, but they certainly play big. St. Luke’s found that out the hard way January 6 in Rye, as the high-flying Gryphons served up a 70-30 drubbing in front of a packed gymnasium.
By Jim Byrne
Holy Child’s basketball team may not be tall, but they certainly play big. St. Luke’s found that out the hard way January 6 in Rye, as the high-flying Gryphons served up a 70-30 drubbing in front of a packed gymnasium.
The Gryphons kicked it into overdrive at the opening tip and never looked back. Junior guard Shannon O’Connor sliced and diced St. Luke’s with 20 points, five rebounds, four blocks, and a steal, while freshman sensation Josie Amerson provided the muscle with seven points, eight rebounds, six steals, and three blocks.
“Our mantra is to play fast without rushing,” said head coach Mike Duignan of his 6-1 squad’s breakneck style. “We didn’t know how good we were going to be at the beginning of the year, but we knew we’d work hard. Our success is predicated on that.”
Holy Child’s only loss of the season was to reigning Federation champions Long Island Lutheran, and their most impressive victory came in December against Hamden Hall, the school that finished 2010-11 undefeated in the Fairchester Athletic Association. The Gryphons battled the FAA champs evenly for most of the game, but pulled away late for a 20-plus point victory.
They wasted no time against St. Luke’s, beginning the new year as they ended the last. Suffocating defense led to multiple early steals for O’Connor and Amerson, who cashed in on the offensive end. Second-chance points were also pivotal for Holy Child – Amerson and junior Chellzea Edgar collected ten offensive rebounds in all. Edgar finished with 13 rebounds and scored nine points.
Long a rising star, O’Connor appears to have mastered the game. She attacked the hoop at will, drained long-range jumpers, and delivered a perfect full-court football pass to Mary Clare Manfred that allowed the senior captain to score an easy bucket, putting Holy Child up 29-10 late in the second half.
“Shannon is a player who has dedicated herself to the game year-round,” said Duignan. “She’s at the point where her improvement is paying big dividends for the program.”
Amerson collected three of her offensive rebounds to begin the second half, and has sparked the imagination of many Holy Child supporters. She already recorded a 22-rebound game this season, and has 77 points through seven games. Sophia Aleksandravicius, who just scored her 1,000th point for Davidson College, only had 47 points at the same point in her Gryphon career.
“Josie has been a big part of our success on both sides of the ball,” said Duignan. “She has a complete set of skills, and is also called on to guard the tallest player on the other team, but can also play against scoring guards.”
Sophomore guard Maggie Welsh was in foul trouble against St. Luke’s, but has formed a mean backcourt along with O’Connor and Manfred. Duignan called Manfred the “glue of the team”, and said she does “whatever it takes to be successful”.
Duignan throws a deep team at opposing squads, with a number of sophomores, including Chioma Nwana, who had seven blocks against St. Luke’s, and seniors Danielle Riverso and Kathleen Samuelson all seeing significant playing time. Although he was coy about the team’s potential – they haven’t gone deep in the playoffs since the Aleksandravicius days – there’s no denying the team plays an exhilarating brand of basketball that could equate to postseason glory.
Holy Child’s next game is January 18 at home against King.
— Photos by RyeSportsPhotos.com