December 21, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Springside can’t digest Hamm, loses league opener
by TOM UTESCHER

Baldwin School senior Emma Hamm (#24), who put up a game-high 36 points in last Thursday’s Inter-Ac contest, drives on Springside’s Katie Rutan (#15), a sophomore who led host Springside in scoring with 28 points. For more photos visit www.chlocalphotos.com. (Photo by Jimmy J. Pack Jr.)

Going into their Girls Inter-Ac League season opener last Thursday, Springside’s basketball Lions knew that their primary objective on defense was to contain senior Emma Hamm of the visiting Baldwin Bears. The locals didn’t come anywhere close to accomplishing that task, though, and the result was a 66-59 defeat that dropped Springside back to the .500 mark overall, at 3-3.

Hamm is best known for her lacrosse prowess; she signed a scholarship agreement with Duke University last month and is a teammate of GA’s Colleen Magarity on the United States Team that will compete at the Under-19 World Cup in Canada this summer. The versatile 5’9” senior is no slouch on the hardwood, though, and last week she dumped a triple-double on Springside, piling up 36 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 steals.

Hamm hit 14 of 20 shots from the free throw line, and as a team, Baldwin benefited from Springside’s plentiful fouls by making 22 of 33 attempts from the stripe. Hamm’s heroics overshadowed an excellent performance by Lions sophomore guard Katie Rutan, who knocked down six three-pointers and finished with 28 points, five assists, six steals, and five rebounds.

Coming into Springside’s Vare Field House, Baldwin held a 1-3 overall record that included a loss to the George School, a team that Springside had defeated on Tuesday afternoon by a count of 39-36. In that contest, the Lions continued a pattern of slow starts, falling behind 8-0 over the course of the first quarter and trailing 20-8 at the half.

By the end of the third period the host Lions had trimmed their deficit back to single figures at 31-22, and in the fourth frame they overwhelmed the Cougars, 17-5. Rutan, with 15 points, and Kristen Fuery, with 14, led the way, and Springside received five points apiece from Kira Theuer (six rebounds) and Krystin Walker, with Amanda Walker adding four assists.

On Thursday, the Lions put their first-quarter scoring difficulties behind them, as Rutan, Fuery, Amanda Walker and Tori Baggio all found the net to give Springside 11 points. Unfortunately for the home fans, Baldwin received a total of 19 points from five different players, and Hamm was already off and running, recording 10 points on a three-pointer, two lay-ups, and three-for-three foulshooting.

The Lions carved a few points out of Baldwin’s lead in the second stanza, as Rutan nailed three shots from the bonus loop to end the half with a total of five treys. Fuery and Amanda Walker each chipped in with a lay-up and a mid-range jumper, and at the break the locals were just five points back, at 33-28.

Over the first four minutes of the third quarter, the Bears stretched their lead back out to nine points, 39-30. Baldwin’s first field goal was a three-pointer by quick guard Maggie Shields, who would go on to score ten of her 15 total points during the second half.

A transition lay-up and a free throw by Krystin Walker launched a two-minute, 11-2 run for the Lions. Walker added a jumper from the left baseline, and a pair of lay-ups by Fuery were assisted by Amanda Walker and Rutan. Lastly, Nan Weisel converted off an offensive rebound, tying the score at 41-all with 2:02 remaining in the third quarter.

The Lions wouldn’t stay even for long, though. Hamm, who’d been held to one lay-up in the second half, now erupted for 18 points in the last ten minutes. Hitting a “three” from the right corner, she stole the ball back and broke downcourt for a lay-up. Next Baldwin’s Cece Simms scored in similar fashion off of a steal, then two fouls shots by Hamm wrapped up the third period with Baldwin ahead 50-41.

The fourth round opened with Hamm sinking a free throw and scoring another lay-up stemming from a steal, spreading the gap to an even dozen. Springside would commit a total of 17 turnovers in the second half alone.

“What I really can’t handle are the throwaways,” said Springside coach Don Paettie. “The players we have are too good to be making those mistakes.”

The Lions tried to force the ball inside, they heaved inaccurate lobs from one side of the court to the other, and they made predictable passes in the middle of the floor that allowed the Bears to step in for steals. In the final five minutes of the game Springside cut its deficit to six points on three occasions, but got no closer.

Fuery finished with a dozen points, Krystin Walker had eight points, four steals, and three rebounds, and Amanda Walker recorded six points and three assists. Contributing to Baldwin’s cause were Devon Hill, with six points, and Carly Bernstein, with four points and three rebounds.

“We don’t have a true post player, a physical kid who’ll come in and bang you around,” lamented the Lions’ Paettie. “We just don’t box out and rebound, and right now that’s our downfall. The other team has two or three looks at the basket when they come down the floor, but we’re one-and-done.”