by Tom Utescher

For the past two years, being a host team for Germantown Academy’s annual Make-A-Wish Tournament has been a mixed blessing for the Patriot girls. Most importantly, the GA players are happy to perform in an event that benefits the well-known Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants ‘wishes’ to children with life-threatening medical conditions. On the other hand, in both 2016 and 2017 the Pats suffered a loss to Archbishop Ryan High School in their second Make-A-Wish game.

This year however, GA was able to come away from the M-A-W gathering with a 7-0 record, winning its tourney opener on Friday evening over George School, 61-28, and then overcoming the Ryan Ragdolls the following night, 60-47. Almost everybody got in on the scoring against the Cougars in the first game, while in the Ryan contest the Patriots received double-digit performances on offense from senior Rachel Balzer (20 points with six three-pointers) and juniors Elle Stauffer (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Jaye Haynes (13 points).

On Friday evening, once Stauffer romped down the court to score the opening basket against George School, the Patriots had a lead they would never lose. The 5’11” junior - athletic, fast and a great leaper - had had an eventful 10 days leading up to last weekend’s event. On Dec. 5, she made a verbal commitment to play for Harvard University, and a week later she celebrated her 17th birthday. In between, she rang up an 18-point, 17-rebound double-double in a 16-point GA win over the defending Pa. Independent Schools champion, Shipley School.

Germantown topped another well-regarded ball club on Tuesday of last week. After attaining a three-point halftime lead over visiting Archbishop Carroll, the Pats put the pedal down and rolled to a 59-41 victory. Balzer bagged four three-pointers and posted a game-high 19 points, while Haynes scored inside and out for a 17-point performance. Junior point guard Maddie Vizza added eight points and sophomore center Becca Booth scored four points and hauled in 13 rebounds.

On Friday, GA was ahead of George School 13-0 when the Cougars scored their lone point of the first quarter from the foul line. The period ended with the hosts ahead 18-1. Later, the Patriots took a 54-21 lead into the fourth period and had its youngest players finish out the game.

Three strikes from three-point range were included in Balzer’s team-high 11-point effort. Stauffer (nine rebounds) wound up with 10 points, as did Haynes, who put in six free throws. Booth scored eight points and juniors Maddie Burns and Sarah DiLello had four apiece. Freshmen Lilly Funk and Bri O’Hara contributed five and three points, respectively, and Vizza, junior Lindsay Putnam and sophomore Jessica Moore each added two points.

Fighting for position in the paint, GA junior Maddie Burns (with ball) pulls down a rebound for the Patriots. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

Although a little down on talent compared to seasons in the recent past, Archbishop Ryan (2-2) remains a disciplined squad that plays tenacious defense. Although GA opened the scoring on Saturday night with a three-point bucket by Vizza, the Ragdolls responded with four treys of their own in the first period.

Moving up out of a 12-12 tie, Ryan was ahead 16-12 at the end of the quarter, then scored a pair of lay-ups at the start of the second round to lead by eight. GA’s Booth traded baskets with Ryan’s Gabi Deluisi, then Balzer got going from the three-point line.

The George Mason signee lobbed in her first one from the right wing, then bagged another from a few steps above the top of the key. Next, a score in transition by Stauffer then got the Patriots back on even footing, and the resulting 22-all tie stood until halftime.

More than five minutes into the third stanza, the teams were tied once more, this time at 35-35. GA began to separate with an 8-0 burst as Balzer sandwiched a pair of three-pointers around a transition basket by Burns. Ryan scored at the end of the period to make it 43-37 at the three-quarter mark, then Stauffer ran the floor for two lay-ups at the start of the fourth period, giving the Patriots a double-digit lead at 47-37.

The Ragdolls picked up a lay-up and a free throw, but then saw Balzer score from the paint and from the three-point arc to get GA up by a dozen. After the score seesawed to 54-42, the clock dropped under two minutes and Ryan had to start fouling to keep time from draining away quickly.

The Ragdolls’ seventh team foul, with 1:35 remaining, produced no points for the Patriots, but after that Haynes went four-for-four at the line. In between the GA junior’s two trips to the charity stripe Ryan bagged its final three-pointer of the night, and the tally was 58-45 going into the final minute. There would also be a 13-point gap at the end, as a lay-up by Ryan’s Shayne Glenn was balanced by single free throws by Germantown’s Stauffer and Vizza.

Supplementing the performances of Balzer, Stauffer and Haynes, Vizza (four points) handed out six assists and Burns (two points) pulled down five rebounds. Deluisi turned in 10 points for the Ragdolls, who were led by Monee Moore’s 12-point effort.