Give round one to Cardinal O’Hara, who defeated Neumann-Goretti 46-41 in the Jan. 3 Catholic League-opener. The contest was a rematch of the 2006 championship, which O’Hara also won.
Things just didn’t go the Saints’ way, as they made just three of 18 three-point attempts.
"We beat ourselves," coach Chip Reitano said. "We didn’t play well at either end of the floor.
"[O’Hara] recognized that we weren’t shooting well, triple-teamed Gloria [Brown] and forced us to shoot."
Brown, an NC State signee, still managed to finish with 22 points.
The upside is the South Philly squad didn’t have to wait long to get back on the winning track. It played Hallahan Jan. 5 and walked away with a 79-27 victory. The Saints led 31-4 after eight minutes and never looked back. Brown topped all scorers with 17 points, while Jasmine Daniels had 16. Alison Nelson and Deanna Tropea chipped in 10 apiece.
Jan. 7, the Saints traveled to Cabrini College for the Catholic League Girls’ Tipoff Tournament, where they defeated Cardinal Dougherty, 61-27. Brown delivered another balanced effort of 17 points and seven rebounds, while Daniels tallied 16 points and six assists.
What does the future hold for the Bok girls’ basketball team? It won’t have to wait too long to find out. Next week will likely be its toughest stretch of the regular season, with a Jan. 17 game at Prep Charter, who is blowing squads off the court, and a Jan. 19 home match against Engineering & Science, considered a favorite for the Public League crown.
"I think those games should be a good test for us," coach Greg Frangipani said.
Heading into this week, things were going well for the Wildkittens, with a 4-2 overall record and 2-1 mark in league play. Both defeats came against Ben Franklin, the most recent being 33-31 Jan. 5.
The combination of Devita Austin and Shanah Miller has been key to the early success, as the duo is averaging more than 31 points per game. They both delivered strong individual performances in a Jan. 3 57-29 victory over William Penn. First-year player Miller chipped in a career-high 29 points, while Austin recorded a triple-double of 16 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds.
"I knew Devita would have a strong year because she is a senior and has played all four years that she has been here," Frangipani said. "Shanah is a pleasant surprise because she didn’t play at all last year. She is good."
