John Jay Falls to Pleasantville and Irvington
Scroll just below for photos vs Irvington
Scroll just below for photos vs Irvington
John Jay Falls to Precision Shooting of Irvington
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On Monday February 9, Irvington came up from the river and was far from all wet. Opening with a 12-2 lead, the Bulldogs bite from outside was a dagger the Wolves couldn’t match
Consecutive threes by Chloe MacKessy and Lillian Duke was just the beginning, and the cascade did not let up the 61-37 victory.
John Jay did initially keep pace, though. Gabby Camaj hit Gianna Pelosi for two in the corner, and Pelosi added a triple to Helena Schembri’s deuce for a 14-7 game.
Unfortunately, Irvington could pass, penetrate and run the floor too. Mackessy caught Emilia Doncov cutting across the paint for two, and after Kayla Clinton went long range for the first of many, Nia Kilbury raced up court to find Jelena Herceg underneath for a conventional three point play.
Bea Hill did stop the run with a put back, but the muscle proved only to be a pause. Herceg again got behind the defense for a long bomb, and the fast break basket closed the quarter at 24-10.
She wasn’t done using the whole court either. Book ending a MacKessy three, Herceg went coast to coast for two and led Brooke Lee for a fast break layup with 5:15 left in the half.
31-12, John Jay wasn’t ready to give in. Camaj hit twice from downtown, and Kylie Bishop scored two from the line to keep it respectable at 35-20.
Timeout for the Bulldogs, the Wolves kept gnashing. Schembri sent Charlotte Omin in the back door, and John Jay was within 13.
Unfortunately, Irvington wasn’t impressed. Sophia Im sunk a three, and her half court steal added two more to end the half at 40-22.
Camaj remained hot by dropping a triple out of intermission, but Irvington was still dead on and more. MacKessy found Doncov underneath again, Clinton drove across the paint for two more and then closed another fast break for a 21 point lead.
However, John Jay proved to not be dead in the water. First Camaj responded from downtown at 3:09, Hill’s offensive rebound teed up Camaj for a second consecutive triple, and Pelosi’s penetration freed up Bishop for a layup.
Irvington left a little rattled, the Bulldogs turned the ball over twice in a row. But the Wolves could not capitalize. Onto the fourth, Cait Brennan drove baseline, and it was a 13 point game.
However, that was as close as John Jay would get. Herceg played give and go with MacKessy on the inbound and sparked an 8-0 run to seal the victory.
John Jay Can't Keep Pace with Pleasantville
On January 23, the Wolves hosted Pleasantville at John Jay High School, and the Friday night match up looked pretty good into the second quarter. The Wolves jumped out to a 19-9 lead, but the Panthers answered with a run that turned the tide for good.
The visitors scored the next 14 points and ruined John Jay’s weekend with a convincing 51-37 victory.
The Panthers clawed first, though. Aislin Harrison got to the line for two free throws, and Emma Murray muscled an off balance putback for the first four points of the game.
So Gabby Camaj woke John Jay from it’s early slumber and got the Wolves on the board with a triple from downtown. Kylie Bishop then busted through the paint for two, and Schembri hit Heather Martinsen for an open three pointer.
Eight in a row, Murray’s subsequent putback at 2:43 was just a pause, and that had Gianna Pelosi pressing the play button. She received from Bishop for a long range deuce, and after gobbling up a loose ball, her feed to Charlotte Omin was good for two more from the outside.
12 to 6, Julie Karaqi’s foul shot was the next brief blip on the agenda, and Lina Halaifonua made sure. The forward pulled down the miss, and one the other side, Camaj made no apologies for sinking a triple off the glass.
In at 1:32, Maddie Becerra’s coast to coast drive didn’t seem cause for concern - especially since the Wolves answered right back. Omin’s drive through the paint closed the quarter, and Pelosi’s baseline drive beat the press for a ten point lead with 7:38 remaining.
Unfortunately, the Panthers finally got off the bus. Murray drove baseline for two points, Lexi Tomaselli scored on the fast break after Omin lost the ball, and then she hit from downtown for a 19-18 game.
4:11 left in the first half, Pleasantville wasn’t about to be slowed down. Tomaselli sunk an off-balance layup against the square and next freed up Harrison for a layup on the dribble penetration.
Down four points, now it was John Jay’s turn to briefly pardon the interruption, and Schembri provided the blip when she went the length of the court. Brevity ruling, Tomaselli caught Murray on the cut underneath the basket to close the half, and she didn’t cool off to start the third period. She drove from above the arc and gave her team a 27-21 lead.
A short baseline jumper by Schembri at the six minute mark was more of the same script. In response, Karaqi hit Murray on the move at 5:18, and after multiple John Jay offensive rebounds and missed layups, Murray hit a teardrop to go up eight points.
Unable to get away just yet, Pleasantville still had some John Jay fight to overcome. Omin had two baskets, and Bea Hill sank four free throws to keep it respectable at 39-32.
Four minutes to go, John Jay didn’t do themselves any favors. So however admirable the onslaught of offensive rebounds, the girls could just not finish off the possessions. Pleasantville, on the other hand, got to the rim and through the nylon for the final victory.
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