“If we continue playing this well it could bring us very far in CCS,” is what junior Taylor Spackman said after the girls basketball team beat the Sacred Heart Gators by 17 points.
The first quarter was defined by impenetrable defenses by the Bears. M-A also had ample opportunities for baskets but were only able to convert on all but two opportunities. Two free throws by senior Jamie Adams left the Bears leading 7-6 at the end of the 1st quarter.
“We started becoming more aggressive after the first quarter and put on more pressure. The pressure allowed us to get more steals and score off of fast breaks putting us in the lead,” said junior guard Fiona Steinmetz.
In the second quarter, the Bears woke up from their offensive hibernation. From the start of the quarter, the Bears’ offense was on fire. Senior guard Lauren Van Stralen hit a three pointer that began a 15-3 run for the Bears, leaving them up 22-10 late in the second quarter. After two made free throws by Sacred Heart, the half ended with the Bears up by 10 points. The Bears’ defense forced multiple tie-ups and intercepted the Gators’ passes with ease. Steinmetz and sophomore shooting guard Eve Amram led M-A in scoring with five points each.
M-A continued to dominate offensively in the third quarter. A three pointer by Van Stralen put the Bears started the second half stronger by increasing the M-A lead to 14. The Bears endless energy on defense made points very hard to come by for the Gators. Two free throws by Steinmetz at the end of the quarter left M-A with a commanding 37-20 lead going into the final period.
In the fourth quarter, M-A went into cruise control. The Bears’ offense slowed in the 4th quarter, but it didn’t matter as their defense continued to dominate, allowing only nine throughout the quarter. Steinmetz scored the Bears’ last points of the game with a jump shot late in the game, putting the Bears up by 17.
The game ended shortly after with M-A winning 46-29. Steinmetz led the Bears in scoring with 17 points.
Spackman commented on the game saying, “Although I think we could have hit more threes in the beginning, our offense was pretty strong throughout the game, I don’t even think we have reached our full potential yet.”
M-A takes a two week pause for winter break before returning home to play Prospect on January 6.
