Germantown Academy routs Friends’ Central in PAISAA quarters

WHITEMARSH >> In the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) girls basketball tournament, top-seeded Germantown Academy  cruised to a 66-38 victory over No. 8 Friends’ Central Saturday.

The Patriots (28-1), currently ranked 24th in Maxpreps.com National Top 25 poll, gained a huge lead in the first quarter and never looked back to advance to the semifinal matchup against No. 4 Abington Friends 7:30 p.m. Friday at GA.

Highlighting the victory for Germantown Academy was Jaye Haynes, who finished the game with 24 points.

“I feel like that we came out very strong with this being a playoff game and we know that this is our year,” Haynes said. “Going out strong in the first half really shows that we set the tone for the rest of the playoffs.”

The win extends Germantown Academy’s winning streak to 10 games, which started after losing to the number one team in the country Miami Country Day (F.) on Jan. 18.

The Patriots started the game on fire, outscoring Friends’ Central 30-10 in the first quarter before dominating in the second quarter defensively to lead 44-15 at halftime.

Germantown Academy head coach Sherri Retif didn’t realize how strong her team was going during the first half.

“I knew we were playing really well in the first half,” Retif said. “But I didn’t think that we used a lot of energy either and I was a little surprised at that.”

“I should’ve told them to maintain their energy when we were opening up the game like that,” added Retif. “Friends’ Central had two really talented players so I knew we had to keep up the defensive effort in the second half.”

Germantown Academy had eight different players score, with Haynes getting the best offensive performance.

“This team is really special,” said Retif about the Patriots. “What makes them unique is that we have so many stars. They stay together, they play together, and they respect each other’s skills in the game.”

With the loss, the Friends’ Central finishes its season with an overall record of 15-10.

Highlighting the game for Friends’ Central were Madison and Raanee Smith, who both finished the game with 14 points.

Germantown Academy 66, Friends’ Central 38
Friends’ Central 10 5 11 12 — 38
GA 30 14 12 10 — 66
Germantown Academy (66)
Haynes 24; Stauffer 12; Vizza 8; Booth 6; Balzer 5; Dilello 5; Burns 4; Putnam 2.
Friends Central (38)
M. Smith 14; R. Smith 14; Shoemaker 5; Beck 3; J. Smith 2.