Sports > Schools
Closing time: Lady Cardinals blitz Prestonwood in fourth quarter
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
It's as rehashed a sports cliché as there is: basketball is a game of four quarters.
The Prestonwood Christian Academy girls learned that lesson the hard way Tuesday night, watching a three-quarter effort wither away in a matter of minutes in a 59-41 loss to John Paul II.
"We changed defenses and I thought that helped us a lot," said Mike Martin, John Paul head coach. "We hustled around and played pretty good. Prestonwood gave us a lot of problems tonight and ran us out of our zone, which is something most teams haven't done."
The Lady Cardinals (8-2 in district) outscored Prestonwood (5-5), 24-6, in the fourth quarter to put a game that was knotted at 35-35 after three frames out of reach entirely.
John Paul needed just over 90 seconds to flip that switch after exploding for a 9-0 run to start the quarter. Aiding in all nine points was senior Kindell Texada, who opened the quarter with a 3-pointer, followed by a steal converted into a layup, an and-1 and an assist to senior Kelsey Sweeney for a layup.
Just like that, the Lady Cardinals led, 44-35, with 6:17 to go in the fourth.
Texada wasn't done, scoring 11 of her game-high 22 points in the final quarter to go along with six rebounds, nine assists and eight steals. Texada either scored or assisted on all seven of John Paul's field goals in the fourth.
"[Texada] played extremely well," Martin said. "She's a playmaker. If we can keep her focused and understanding when to score and the situation, she's really good. I thought tonight, especially in crunch time, she was great."
The guard wreaked havoc on the passing lanes, intercepting Prestonwood constantly.
In addition to the team clamping down on the glass, the Lady Cardinals' defense surrendered just six points in the fourth after trailing for the majority of the second and third stanzas.
"After we got up, I think [Prestonwood] starting pressing a little bit," Martin said. "They were taking shots they weren't taking in the first half and we did a good job rebounding. We got some boards, quick outlets and some easy baskets we hadn't been getting."
"Defensively, we did great things," added Steve Murray, Prestonwood head coach. "Offensively, we had a tough time handling the ball. You just can't give it to that team too many times."
The Lady Lions turned the ball over seven times in the fourth, compared to just five times total in the second and third. The difference showed on the scoreboard, with Prestonwood outscoring John Paul, 22-21, in the middle quarters. That was in large part due to the Lady Lions asserting themselves on the glass, primarily senior Antoinette Iroko, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds -- five offensive -- in the loss.
"I was really proud of the girls on the offensive glass," Murray said. "Our first shot wasn't dropping and we were getting second shots and putbacks. I can't say enough about how well Antoinette Iroko played down low."
Iroko converted an and-1 midway through the second to give Prestonwood a 20-19 edge -- the first of five lead changes in the quarter.
The Lady Lions got the better end of that exchange after senior Mackenzie McNamara sunk a mid-range jumper for a 24-23 lead that would up to 25-23 by halftime. Prestonwood built its lead to 33-29 with 2:24 left in the third before the Lady Cardinals closed the frame on a 6-2 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from juniors Keaton Nelligan and Arabella DeAngelis.
Nelligan helped pace a 14-13 quarter by John Paul to begin the game, scoring six of her 15 points at the start while Prestonwood senior Ashley Brown dropped all seven of her points in the opening frame as well.
John Paul senior Claire Ricketts added 11 points and four boards in the 59-41 win, as John Paul kept its second place standing in TAPPS I-5A intact.
The Lady Cardinals can gain sole possession of second Friday at 6:30 p.m. when they host Argyle Liberty Christian, while Prestonwood welcomes Trinity Christian-Addison at the same time.
The Prestonwood Christian Academy girls learned that lesson the hard way Tuesday night, watching a three-quarter effort wither away in a matter of minutes in a 59-41 loss to John Paul II.
"We changed defenses and I thought that helped us a lot," said Mike Martin, John Paul head coach. "We hustled around and played pretty good. Prestonwood gave us a lot of problems tonight and ran us out of our zone, which is something most teams haven't done."
The Lady Cardinals (8-2 in district) outscored Prestonwood (5-5), 24-6, in the fourth quarter to put a game that was knotted at 35-35 after three frames out of reach entirely.
John Paul needed just over 90 seconds to flip that switch after exploding for a 9-0 run to start the quarter. Aiding in all nine points was senior Kindell Texada, who opened the quarter with a 3-pointer, followed by a steal converted into a layup, an and-1 and an assist to senior Kelsey Sweeney for a layup.
Just like that, the Lady Cardinals led, 44-35, with 6:17 to go in the fourth.
Texada wasn't done, scoring 11 of her game-high 22 points in the final quarter to go along with six rebounds, nine assists and eight steals. Texada either scored or assisted on all seven of John Paul's field goals in the fourth.
"[Texada] played extremely well," Martin said. "She's a playmaker. If we can keep her focused and understanding when to score and the situation, she's really good. I thought tonight, especially in crunch time, she was great."
The guard wreaked havoc on the passing lanes, intercepting Prestonwood constantly.
In addition to the team clamping down on the glass, the Lady Cardinals' defense surrendered just six points in the fourth after trailing for the majority of the second and third stanzas.
"After we got up, I think [Prestonwood] starting pressing a little bit," Martin said. "They were taking shots they weren't taking in the first half and we did a good job rebounding. We got some boards, quick outlets and some easy baskets we hadn't been getting."
"Defensively, we did great things," added Steve Murray, Prestonwood head coach. "Offensively, we had a tough time handling the ball. You just can't give it to that team too many times."
The Lady Lions turned the ball over seven times in the fourth, compared to just five times total in the second and third. The difference showed on the scoreboard, with Prestonwood outscoring John Paul, 22-21, in the middle quarters. That was in large part due to the Lady Lions asserting themselves on the glass, primarily senior Antoinette Iroko, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds -- five offensive -- in the loss.
"I was really proud of the girls on the offensive glass," Murray said. "Our first shot wasn't dropping and we were getting second shots and putbacks. I can't say enough about how well Antoinette Iroko played down low."
Iroko converted an and-1 midway through the second to give Prestonwood a 20-19 edge -- the first of five lead changes in the quarter.
The Lady Lions got the better end of that exchange after senior Mackenzie McNamara sunk a mid-range jumper for a 24-23 lead that would up to 25-23 by halftime. Prestonwood built its lead to 33-29 with 2:24 left in the third before the Lady Cardinals closed the frame on a 6-2 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from juniors Keaton Nelligan and Arabella DeAngelis.
Nelligan helped pace a 14-13 quarter by John Paul to begin the game, scoring six of her 15 points at the start while Prestonwood senior Ashley Brown dropped all seven of her points in the opening frame as well.
John Paul senior Claire Ricketts added 11 points and four boards in the 59-41 win, as John Paul kept its second place standing in TAPPS I-5A intact.
The Lady Cardinals can gain sole possession of second Friday at 6:30 p.m. when they host Argyle Liberty Christian, while Prestonwood welcomes Trinity Christian-Addison at the same time.
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