GA basketball reaches a dozen in the win column

Posted 1/16/18

GA senior Cat Polisano hoists a lay-up over Baldwin's Alex Loomis as her classmate Alexa Naessens (left) looks on. (Photo by Tom Utescher) by Tom Utescher The girls' basketball team at Germantown …

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GA basketball reaches a dozen in the win column

Posted

GA senior Cat Polisano hoists a lay-up over Baldwin's Alex Loomis as her classmate Alexa Naessens (left) looks on. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

by Tom Utescher

The girls' basketball team at Germantown Academy raised its win total to an even dozen last Tuesday, rising to 12-3 overall and 2-0 within the Inter-Ac League after winning on the road at Baldwin School, 63-32.

Sophomore Elle Stauffer, with 14 points, and senior Cat Polisano, with 10, led a list of 10 scorers for the Patriots.

The Baldwin Bears (4-6, 0-2) are coached by Danny Furey, the daughter of former Springside Chestnut Hill Academy girls' athletic director Tina O'Malley. Rebuilding with a young roster, Baldwin was not expected to hang close to a GA team featuring three committed NCAA Division I players and a very deep bench.

Two days earlier the Patriots almost met their match in a showcase event where they took on the top-ranked team in the state of Delaware, Sanford School. After falling behind by six points in the first half, 30-36, GA matched the Warriors point-for-point in the third period and then forged ahead in the fourth quarter to win, 61-56.

Stauffer scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds and her classmate Jaye Haynes had 16 points and six boards. Senior forward Alexa Naessens gathered seven rebounds and also wound up in double figures in the scoring column, with 14 points.

"It was a game of runs," related GA head coach Sherri Retif. "Their point guard, Park-Lane, had eight points at halftime and Jaye held her to one field goal in the second half. They had a forward, Kubeck, who had 12 points at halftime, and then Alexa totally shut her out in the second half."

Stauffer was six-for-six from the floor, and Haynes was five-for-six.

"The two of them just really push the ball up the floor for us," Retif said. "I think everyone on the team is learning how to contribute; they're figuring out what unique talents they bring to the court."

Against Baldwin last Tuesday (and against Sanford, for that matter) GA was missing its regular starting point guard, sophomore Maddie Vizza, who had rolled an ankle in practice. There was no scoring for the first minute of the Baldwin game, then the Patriots had junior Rachel Balzer hit a lay-up in transition off a pass from Polisano.

Patriots sophomore Lindsay Putnam directs a pass to freshman teammate Jessica Moore (left). (Photo by Tom Utescher)

GA immediately had Stauffer steal the ball back and score, then freshman guard Amaris Baker bagged a medium-range jumper to get the Bears on the board. Stauffer remained on a roll for the visitors, though, and Haynes joined in with a three-pointer. With 3:28 remaining in the opening quarter, Baldwin called its second time-out of the game, trailing 14-2.

GA began to send in its reserves, but there was no drop-off as sophomore guard Lindsay Putnam and 6'2" freshman Becca Booth maintained the scoring pace. Booth also made some heads-up defensive plays for the Pats, who had sophomore Maddie Burns (a Norwood Fontbonne Academy grad) convert off an offensive rebound at the buzzer to set the score at 24-7.

Points were exchanged much more evenly during the second round, and the half ended with the tally at 37-19 as Stauffer and Baldwin ninth-grader Anajah Brown topped the score sheet with 10 points apiece.

GA came out with its focus intact for the third quarter, and halfway through the period the point gap was up to 30. This allowed even the players relatively far down the bench to see a lot of playing time.

"This is the first time in a while that we've been able to extend the lead relatively early, and it was a good opportunity to play everybody," Retif noted.

Of course, many of the GA reserves are good enough to start for numerous other teams, so Retif has no need to be fearful about going to her bench.

"Maddie Burns and Caitlyn Priore have been playing very well for us," the coach remarked, "and so has Lindsay Putnam. Sarah DiLello is a good back-up point guard; she sees the court well and makes good decisions."

Retif is also pleased with the progress of the freshmen forwards, Booth and Jessica Moore.

"Jessica has an extensive skill set," GA's mentor stated. "Becca uses her height well to rebound and block shots. She also dives on the floor after 50/50 balls. That's unusual in a player her size, and I think that Alexa has been a good role model in that way."

The Patriots cruised to a 31-point win, with the scoring of Stauffer and Polisano supplemented with seven points each from Balzer and Booth, and six apiece from Naessens and Putnam. Baldwin's Baker bagged 14 points to share the game high with Stauffer, and Brown was next on the Bears' stat sheet with 10 points.