Fourth- quarter surge lifts Blanche Ely to win
F ORT L AUDERDALE — Blanche Ely and St. Thomas Aquinas were neck and neck for the first three quarters of Wednesday’s game.
When the fourth quarter began, the Tigers got some separation.
Blanche Ely, the reigning Class 6A state champions, outscored St. Thomas 20- 9 in the final eight minutes, closing out a 57- 46 win in Fort Lauderdale.
“We were able to get stops,” Tigers coach J. R. McNabb said. “We couldn’t stop them for three quarters. They shot the ball really, really well.
“They were disciplined with their offense. I think it was just getting a couple of stops in a row and then being able to get out on the break. That’s our bread and butter.”
The two teams ended the first three quarters tied. Ely got off to a hot start in the first quarter before St. Thomas fought back. The Raiders went on a 9- 2 run to start the second quarter before the Tigers came back to tie. In the third quarter, the two teams never put much room between them.
Mya Kone, a junior wing player
coming off an ACL tear, cued up an Ely rally in the fourth quarter. She scored six fourth- quarter points as part of a 14- 0 run that vaulted the Tigers to a lead the Raiders could not overcome.
“She’s doing great,” McNabb said. “She’s mentally starting to overcome a lot of stuff. When you’re dealing with an injury like
that, the first thing you’ve got to overcome is mentally.
“So gradually she’s starting to get better. She’s starting to move little better, and she’s going to be great. She’s a hard worker.”
Although the Broward County Athletic Association delayed the start of the winter season until Jan. 4, the win is Blanche Ely’s sixth of
the year ( the Tigers played in a tournament, which was permitted by the BCAA). The loss was St. Thomas’ first game of the year.
“Anytime you can get a quality win against a quality team, it’s always good,” McNabb said. “Although we’ve played a couple more games than them, we’re still trying to figure things out.”