Germantown Academy stays unbeaten in Inter-AC with win over SCH Academy
WHITEMARSH>> Shooting slumps happen, even for the best shooters in the world. The reality is, the only way out of them is to keep putting up shots.
Tuesday afternoon sophomore Cat Polisano did just that as she finished with a game high 14 points, leading Germantown Academy to a 58-34 win over Springside.
Polisano said she’s been struggling shooting lately, but her best advice has come from the team’s assistant coach, and former Penn State standout, Maggie Lucas.
“I felt better out there tonight than I have,” Said Polisano. “Maggie just keeps telling me that I need to work through it and keep shooting because everybody gets these. Knowing that a player like her has gone through it and her telling me that everybody does, it makes it easier to get myself out of it.”
It didn’t start out smooth for Polisano, as she missed her first 5 shots of the game and looked to be continuing her shooting slump. Then, after a made bucket in the second something seemed to click as she sunk shot after shot, hitting 6 of her final 8 attempts from the floor.
“She (Polisano) has been our second leading scorer all year long,” Said GA head coach Sherri Retif. “When she missed those shots early I wasn’t really worried because she’s such a great shooter and can do a variety of things off the ball and she turned it around.”
It wasn’t just Polisano that had a big game either. Four GA starters finished in double figures proving why they are such a dangerous team moving forward.
Alexa Naessens (11 points), Kendall Grasela (10 points), and Lily Bolen (11 points) all managed to light it up for the Patriots as they dominated the much smaller Springside squad for most of the night.
“That’s impressive,” Said Retif of her teams balanced attack “They really share the ball with each other nicely out there, and other than the fact that we were plagued by foul trouble we played well together.”
The foul trouble may have been a product of the press defense the Patriots were playing. They ran a full-court press on the Blue Devils the entire first half, forcing a plethora of turnovers on their way to an early 12-4 advantage after the first quarter.
Springside freshman point guard Mo’ne Davis, known for her outstanding Little League World Series performance with the Taney Dragons, used her excellent ball handling and quickness to get her team out of some sticky situations, but in the end the Patriots’ pressure was too much.
“She (Davis) is as good as anybody in the league at handling the ball but they’re tough out there,” Said Springside head coach Matt Paul “What everybody needs to remember is she’s 14 years old and just a freshman. She has a ton of experience but all the other girls look forward to playing against her with all the exposure she’s gotten and she’s handled that extremely well but she’s still got a ton of room to grow just like any freshman.”
As the Patriots’ foul trouble got worse, Springside was able to take advantage of it and get to the line, but what they couldn’t do was defend the balanced attack from GA.
The 8 point first quarter lead expanded to 13 at half and kept growing as the game went on, allowing them to cruise to their twentieth win of the season and stay undefeated in Inter-Ac play.
“I think we’ve gotten a lot better as the season’s gone on,” Said Polisano. “It’s great to be playing well at this point in the season and we’re just going to continue to strive to be great.”
