Team Detail
Maroon Falls to Stone Ridge
A quick turnaround of less than 24 hours meant that Episcopal had limited time to enjoy their win over GDS.
The entire contest was a back-and-forth battle between two tough, hungry teams. Although the Gators jumped out to an early lead, the Maroon remained composed and slowly chipped away. Hot shooting from Lexi Weger '18 and athletic drives from Kailyn Shepherd '19 kept the squad within striking distance in the first quarter. Ryan Shepherd '21 also showed off her prowess as a slasher, getting to the rim on multiple occasions and frustrating the defense. Dymin Gerow '20 gave the team an incredible spark off the bench offensively, including an athletic finish off a full-court pass from Weger. Sophie Singletary '18 gave up a good shot for a great shot when she drew three Stone Ridge defenders and found Emma Jones '18 under the hoop for a quick bucket, giving the team a 22-20 edge going into halftime.
EHS continued to show intelligence and poise in the third quarter, and the team's defensive rotations were truly brilliant. A free throw from Maya Goree '18 gave the team a 42-37 lead midway through the final period, and the Maroon felt strongly that they would walk away victorious. The Gators, however, had different plans. They staged a truly commendable comeback in the final minutes, finally nabbing a two point lead with 13.1 seconds remaining. Episcopal executed a final play drawn up by the coaching staff beautifully; while the initial shot did not go in, Goree was there for the offensive board and tough layup, forcing the teams into overtime (her second buzzer-beating shot of the year!).
That's when the magic ran out. Although EHS got great looks at the rim, they couldn't seem to finish in the overtime period. Conversely, the Gators found a great deal of offensive fluidity by moving the ball and slashing through the defense. Despite a Weger three pointer with five seconds remaining, the Maroon could not pull away with a win, dropping the contest by a score of 58-53.
