GFS sophomore Desiree Norwood (left) probes the George School defense while guarded by Alexis Semidey-Martinez. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

by Tom Utescher

In mid-January, the girls of Germantown Friends recorded non-league basketball victories over Conwell Egan High School and Perkiomen School, but the Tigers aren’t finding easy going within their own Friends Schools League.

Two young guards provided all the scoring for GFS in last Tuesday’s home game, when Germantown fell to visiting George School, 37-22. A game-high 13-point showing by sophomore Desiree Norwood and nine points from freshman Martina Kiewek weren’t enough to keep the Tigers from slipping to 6-9 overall and 0-6 within the FSL.

The visiting Cougars got 12 points on four three-pointers by guard Jen McArthur and nine points from forward Kaliyah Myricks, getting back to the .500 mark in the league at 3-3.

Fortunately for the Tigers, there’s still a good possibility that they could secure an FSL victory, since their last regular season league game (at home on Jan. 29) will pit them against another 0-6 ball club, Academy of the New Church.

For some weeks the Tigers have been missing a big piece in the middle; Clare Meyer, a 6’2” freshman with club basketball experience, has been out of the country as part of a school exchange program.

George School’s post player, Myricks, went inside for a lay-up after McArthur opened the scoring last Tuesday with a trey from the left side. Germantown called time-out midway through the period after another missile from McArthur put the Cougars up 8-0.

Norwood drove in and scored a lay-up to get the hosts on the board, and she also made good on a free throw awarded on the play. In the final 10 seconds of the opening period, the Cougars scored from the paint for a 10-3 tally.

Kiewek gave GFS the first two points of the second quarter, then the visitors chalked up seven straight. Later on, Norwood traded three-point buckets with the Cougars’ McArthur, setting the halftime score at 20-8.

Making the second of two free throws, the Tigers’ Kiewek once again initiaed the scoring when the third round got underway, and once more George School responded with a string of points, 10 in a row this time.

Although the Tigers had the last word in the period with three-pointers by Norwood and Kiewek, the visitors still took a 30-15 lead into the fourth quarter, which turned out to be a 7-7 standoff.

While the Tigers aren’t getting the outcomes they’d like this winter, most members of the squad have a lot of time to develop as basketball players. With Andy Regli being the team’s lone senior and Norwood the only sophomore who’s a day-to-day player, a large freshman class is gaining experience this season.