Peddie advances to MAPL championship game

PRINCETON » The Peddie School girls basketball team has been playing like a different squad in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League Tournament at Hun’s Grant Shipley Pavilion this weekend.

After working through a 4-14 regular season, coach Sarah Venanzi’s club has found the intensity which can lead it to greater things.

In doing so, the third-seeded Falcons knocked off secondseeded Hill, 49-42, Saturday to advance to Sunday’s noon championship game with top-seeded Blair Academy.

“We’ve got three players who’ve been on the team for a while, and they’re very vocal about the task at hand,” Venanzi said. “As a result, the girls are playing with a lot of energy right now.”

That energy helped Peddie (614) recover from a 20-16 halftime deficit to open a 45-35 lead when sophomore guard Julia Gorajek hit a pair of free throws with 2:10 remaining in the game.

The biggest spark was provided by 6-foot-2 junior forward Katie Rodriguez, who fought through foul trouble to finish with a season-best 15 points, plus 14 rebounds, three blocked shots and a steal.

The most eye-opening of those points came with 3:08 left in the fourth quarter. Hill had trimmed the Falcons’ lead to 39-35 when Alexa Giacche (13 points) hit two foul shots after Rodriguez picked up her fourth foul. On the next possession, Peddie worked the ball around the perimeter until the ball ended up in K-Rod’s hands with the shot clock winding down.

The girl who does most of her damage in the paint raised up in front of her bench and hit her first varsity 3-point field goal.

“Katie is tough as nails, and she has the ability to make that shot,” Venanzi said. “So I’m not surprised that she made it. If anything, it may have surprised us that she finally took it.”

“We still struggle with our offense a little, but the MAPL’s got a (30-second) shot clock, so we have to get the ball moving around,” said Rodriguez, who had 11 of her points and eight of her rebounds in the second half. “Our defense is still steady. We’re playing with more energy.”

The Falcons’ defense limited Hill to eight points in both the first and third quarter to help Peddie gain the lead.

Janayshia Brown, a 6-1 sophomore, matched Rodriguez with a game-high 15 points, while six other Falcons found their way into the scorer’s column to keep their team moving forward.

Stralkus 0-5-5, Rodgers 1-0-3, Grant 0-0-0, KRodriguez 6-2-15, DiLuzio 0-1-1, JBrown 5-2-15, KHall 1-0-2, Gorajek 2-2-6, Ademilola 1-0-2, Owunna 0-0-0. — 16-12-49. Robertson 0-0-0, Haas 1-0-3, Percy 3-2-8, Mayza 1-4-7, Lockhart 4-2-11, Giacche 1-11-13, Krick 0-0-0. — 10-19-42.

Totals Peddie (6-14) Hill (8-9) Totals 3-point goals — 9 8 7 12 19 8 14 — 14 — 49 42

Rodgers, KRodriguez, JBrown 3 (P), Haas, Mayza, Lockhart (H).

BLAIR 64, HUN 35 PRINCETON » Like Peddie, Hun’s girls showed a lot more determination in the MAPL Tournament.

That kept coach Bill Holup’s fifth-seeded club in striking distance of the Bucs for over half the game.

“We fought,” Holup said. “They play terrific man-to-man defense and put a lot of pressure on our backcourt.”

In the end, that, and 10 3-pointers by Blair, were the Raiders’ downfall despite a spirited effort from 6-foot-4 postgraduate center Kai Volcy, whose 18 points, 17 rebounds and five blocked shots kept Hun within 30-21 early in the third quarter.

“I really am proud of the way we fought in this tournament, especially in our (70-59) win over Lawrenceville (Friday),” Volcy said. “We’re trying to get back there. We still have a lot of young players who have room to grow.”

Sydney Brown matched Volcy’s game high with 18 points for Blair Academy, while Katie Douglas scored 17, including four triples.

Volcy 9-0-18, Cunniff 0-0-0, Sutphen 0-0-0, Harrigan 0-0-0, Angelini 1-0-2, Buckley 2-0-4, English 1-0-2, Jardine 4-0-9. — 17-0-35. Clarin 4-0-11, SBrown 7-4-18, Miles 4-2-12, Darius 0-3-3, Douglas 6-1-17, Groseibl 1-0-3.

22-10-64.

Totals — Hun (7-14) Blair (16-2) 3-point goals — 4 — 15 — 35 64

Jardine (H), Clarin 3, Miles 2, Douglas 4, Groseibl (BA).

LAWRENCEVILLE 57, MERCERSBURG 22 PRINCETON » The Big Red took the MAPL Tournament consolation game behind 18 points from Taylor Thompson, including four 3-pointers.

Victoria Dugan chipped in 10 points for L’ville.

Gooch 1-2-4, List 2-2-6, Jornlin 0-1-1, Ahlgren 0-0-0, Kendrick 3-0-6, Titus 0-0-0, Schuldt 1-0-2, Newton 0-0-0, Yeager 1-1-3, Geitner 0-0-0, Ecton 0-0-0. — 8-6-22. TThompson 7-0-18, Baginski 2-0-5, JFord 2-0-4, Dugan 4-2-10, Figueroa 2-2-6, Safir 0-0-0, Molgat 1-0-2, Gillen 2-4-8, Bunnell 2-0-4.

22-8-57.

Totals — Mercrsbrg(4-16) L’ville (8-10) 3-point goals — 7 — 5 — 22 57

REGULAR SEASON

TCA 80, NEPTUNE 43 NEPTUNE » The Mikes scored more than 20 points in the first three quarters to down the Scarlet Fliers.

Giana Boulden led the charge with 18 points, and Jasmin Boyd added 11 points with three of her team’s 10 treys.

BreSeymour 1-1-3, Reed 4-0-9, Labissiere 1-0-2, Boyer 0-0-0, Boulden 7-2-18, Maddox 2-0-4, Parks 2-1-6, Saunders 1-2-5, Massenat 3-1-7, Boyd 3-2-11, Boone 0-0-0, Elgizawy 5-3-15.

29-12-80.

Totals —

Gardner 2-2-7, Kendle 0-1-1, Andrews 2-7-12, Brackett 4-4-12, Yevchak 1-0-2, O’Neil 1-3-6, Mincey 0-0-0, Kunze 0-0-0, Tino 1-0-3, Aragon 0-0-0. — 11-17-43.

Totals Totals TCA (19-2) Neptune (10-11) 3-point goals — 8 12 7 16

TThompson 4, Baginski (L).

21 16 9 16 1 20 24 9 Totals 14 21 7 16 23 11 12 — 7 — 80 43

Reed, Boulden 2, Parks, Saunders, Boyd 3, Elgizawy 2 (TCA), Gardner, Andrews, O’Neil, Tino (N).