GIRLS BASKETBALL: In an elite tournament in Phoenix last week, the Falcons took two of the three contests in which they played.
By: Neil Hay
Even if they had lost all three games, it would have been "a great trip, a great experience," for the Peddie girls’ basketball team.
Winning two of three games played however, against some of the best high schools teams in the country, just made Peddie’s recent journey to Phoenix for the Nike Tournament of Champions that much sweeter.
"These are the best teams in the country," said Peddie coach Sean Casey the day after he and his players returned from the Valley of the Sun. "This is the best competition we are likely to face. It was a great opportunity, a great test, for our kids. I am really pleased with our kids. We had an opportunity to win all three games in our bracket. It didn’t happen. But we won a couple of games against outstanding opponents."
The Falcons drew Lawrence County (Tennessee) Thursday as their first-round opponent. It was Peddie’s third game of the season, Lawrence County’s 11th. Peddie hung with Lawrence County for one quarter, then was outscored by a combined 31-18 in the middle periods and lost by a 70-52 final. The win improved Lawrence County to 10-1.
LaSalle-bound Jenna Graber scored a game-high 24 points (with five 3-pointers) to lead Peddie. Crystal Goring and Christina Campion added 10 points each. It should be noted that both teams made 22 baskets, including nine 3-pointers for Lawrence County (to six for the Falcons). But Lawrence County went to the foul line 25 times, canning 17 free throws. Peddie, meanwhile had only five attempts from the charity stripe, making two.
"We didn’t benefit from the officiating," said Casey.
"Our kids worked very hard. We didn’t play very smart. This was probably the number one or two team in Tennessee. We had a very good chance to beat them but things didn’t go our way."
The following day the Falcons faced San Clemente (California). This time the Falcons opened a 36-25 lead at the half and, although San Clemente won the second half by a 33-25 margin, Peddie had enough at the end to hold on for the 61-58 win. The loss dropped San Clemente’s record to 8-3.
"Our kids rebounded (from the loss to Lawrence County) and played with a lot of heart and intensity," said Casey. "Our kids established themselves. We came away showing that our program is definitely one of the top thirty in the country. We made our case. We wanted to come out there and play with these people. They were already in the middle of their season. We fared very well."
Campion paced Peddie with 22 points, Whitney Douthett scored 13, and Graber added 12 (all on treys). San Clemente had 23 field goals (with one three pointer) and 11 free throws, Peddie 21 (with six three’s) and 13.
Peddie placed fifth in its bracket with a 57-50 win Saturday over Berkeley (California), a team which lost in the state finals last year. Berkeley (now 5-5) was powered by Sabrina Keys, who is headed for Purdue. But the Falcons’ tough defense held Keys to just nine points.
Berkeley led 17-12 after one quarter, but Peddie went ahead to stay with a 32-18 run over the middle two periods. Berkeley won the final period by only two points, as Peddie lifted its season mark to 3-2. Four players hit double figures for Peddie: Graber (16), Douthett (10), Goring (15), and Campion (14). Graber had four of Peddie’s six three-pointers. The Falcons finished with 18 field goals and 15 free throws, to 15 (with four three’s) and 16 for Berkeley.
To be a part of such a big-time tournament, one that featured professional basketball player Cynthia Cooper’s keynote address at the opening night banquet, a tournament that – quite simply – included the best high school teams in the nation, was awesome for the Peddie team. Yet, for all the hoopla and aura of being there, the Falcons never forgot why they were there in the first place. They were not overwhelmed, intimidated, or shy. They came to Arizona to play basketball. And they did.
"It was a tremendous experience and a neat opportunity to be there. Basically all the teams had twenty or more win last year, with three or four starters back this year. San Clemente won 28 games last year, Berkeley 27.
"Will this tournament make us better? It gives us lots of confidence regarding at what level we can play," said Casey."
The girls will resume their season on January 7 against visiting Edison. Two days later the team plays at St. Francis Prep. The first Mid-Atlantic Prep League game is January 12th, against Lawrenceville at home.