Balzer scores 1,000th point, helps lead Germantown Academy past Notre Dame
WHITEMARSH >> Rachel Balzer danced along the perimeter, found an open space, gathered in a sharp, quick pass and launched an open three.
The shot sank clean through, and soon Balzer — going over the 1,000-point plateau for her career — was surrounded by celebratory balloons and embraced by her Germantown Academy teammates.
“It feels really good. That’s been a goal of mine since my freshman year,” said Balzer, a George Mason recruit. “I’ve been fortunate to be on four really good, really talented teams, and to achieve that goal (of 1,000 points) and at the same time have a winning season — we’ve had a 20-win season every year, it’s just incredible and it feels so good.”
Balzer’s historic three gave the Patriots a 35-34 advantage midway through the third quarter and they never lost their winning edge, going on to a 63-55 victory over Notre Dame in an hotly-contested Inter-Ac battle Friday night.
Balzer hit four times from deep for her 12 points. Asked what it meant to notch 1,000 on a three, she said: “It felt good. It felt right. And the support from my team, I couldn’t have asked for anything else. We stay together and we pulled out that win. It feels really good.”
GA took a one-point lead into the fourth and saw it grow to double digits by the final minute. Balzer connected for a three to make it 46-42 early in the fourth.
She later set up Jaye Haynes (team-high 21 points) for a three that made it 52-46 GA (20-1, 6-0 league), and the Patriots played tough defense and were able to work the ball around to effectively bleed the clock.
A Balzer-to-Maddie Burns connection led to two clutch free throws by Burns, making it 55-48.
A pair of defensive rebounds by Elle Stauffer (14 points), two free throws by Haynes and a Balzer pass to Stauffer for another two pushed the game out of reach.
“We played solid defense and we were moving the ball, sharing the ball,” Balzer said. “When you play like a team, things go your way.”
Maddie Vizza found Stauffer cutting to the hoop for the first points of the night, and a back-and-forth first half was on.
Twice Stauffer stepped into the passing lane and made the steal: the first one she took all the way in for a breakaway layup and an early 9-5 Patriot lead.
Back came Notre Dame.
Pina (game-high 23 points) quickly settled into a shooting groove, hitting two threes in the first quarter. Her second sliced the GA lead down to 15-12 after one.
Stauffer came free underneath for another easy bucket, part of her 10-point first half.
Vizza hit a three; Stauffer again scored on a fast break; and Balzer hit back-to-back threes during one stretch to help provide GA a 27-20 cushion.
But Notre Dame (12-5, 6-2) was tough to shake, the outside shooting of Pina, Mandy McGurk (12 points) and Maeve McErlane (10 points) keeping it close. McErlane’s buzzer-beating three brought Notre Dame to within 30-29 at the break.
A three by Pina gave the Irish a short-lived 37-35 advantage, but soon after Balzer countered at the other end for her milestone and GA was on its way.
