Natasha Meyer surveys the defense 

RHS Girls’ Basketball 

 

Pelicans Fly Close, But Garnets Pull Away for Win 

 

 

BY CHRIS URBAN 

 

Fresh off a ten-day break and a big win over Pearl River, the Rye High Girls’ Basketball team returned to action, traveling south to take on the Pelham Pelicans on January 29th.  

 

In memory of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who passed away in a tragic helicopter accident last weekend, the Garnet girls wore special socks honoring their lives and the impact they both had on basketball: #24 for Kobe and #2 for Gianna. 

 

The Garnets picked up right where they left off against Pearl River going 4-0 early in the first quarter. Both teams exchanged a bunch of three-pointers, but Rye outpaced Pelham 16-12 at the end of the first quarter.  

The Garnets had success all night pressing the Pelicans at half court, often flustering the rhythm of their offensive attack. Rye’s Teaghan Flaherty reflected that, “We have five games left to go in the regular season and we still have a lot to work on, but if we continue to grow together selflessly as a team, we should have a good run late into the playoffs.” 

 

Amanda Latkany was big on the defensive end for Rye, collecting rebound after rebound and also dominating the offensive glass as well. Pelham was doing a good job of getting to the free-throw line, often drawing shooting fouls near the rim. 

 

Pelham took their first lead of the game, 26-25, with 16 seconds remaining in the half. 

 

Point guard Natasha Meyer said after halftime, “We knew what we had to do as a team; we needed to work together on both defense and offense. We came out and did that.” 

 

Latkany said, “We came out of the locker room ready to play our game. We showed resilience in the second half. I think the biggest part about our comeback is the positivity and energy that we gained.” She was certainly right, as Rye started off the second half hot, scoring 10 points in the first three minutes.  

 

Pelham continued their three-point barrage on Rye tying up the game at 40 with 3:06 left in the third quarter. The fast-paced and high scoring quarter concluded with Rye leading by three, 45-42.  

 

The Garnets extended their lead by 10 early in the fourth, but Pelham simply would not go away with their excellent three-point shooting when they needed it most. Making many trips to the free-throw line and converting contested buckets down the stretch. Rye, however, prevailed 61-48.  

 

 

Guard Mara Ball noted that “after listening to each other and Coach Hackett, we realized we needed to come together as a team and play our game if we wanted to secure the win.” 

 

Mara and Amanda Latkany paced the Garnets with 18 points each while Teaghan Flaherty added 10 points for Rye. Brooke Gates led Pelham with 13 points, and Katie Prisco tallied 10. 

 

The Garnets next take on the Byram Hills Bobcats January 31 at 7:00 pm, away.