Ferguson puts back game-winner as Henderson edges Downingtown East
WEST CHESTER >> Last season, West Chester Henderson star Grace Ferguson led the Warriors to new heights, and picked up co-All-Area Player of the Year honors along the way.
[CLICK HERE FOR A PETE BANNAN SLIDESHOW FROM THURSDAY’S GAME]
But one thing that was missing last year was a dramatic, last-second game-winning shot.
Thursday night, Ferguson checked off that box.
“I haven’t done this in forever, it was really kind of nerve wrecking,” said the senior captain, after she put back a rebound with three seconds left to lift the Warriors to a 46-45 win over Downingtown East in a key Ches-Mont League National Division showdown. “I think all of the hard work I put in to the game made it feel so special to hit that one.”
Entering the night, Henderson (Class 5A) and Downingtown East (Class 6A) sat as the highest ranked Ches-Mont League teams in their respective District 1 brackets.
The duel more than lived up to the billing.
In a back-and-forth game that was full of thrills. Henderson (11-3) went on a run in the second quarter, outscoring Downingtown East (11-4) to lead 27-23 at halftime, but Downingtown East fought back in the third to take the lead 39-38 going into the fourth.
And in the fourth, it was Ferguson who came up big with the putback in the final seconds.
The game-winning bucket marked the final two of 16 points for Ferguson on the night, who also tallied three blocks, behind sophomore teammate Molly Manion, who had 17 points for Henderson.
Coming into what she knew would be a tough test, Henderson head coach Greta Neff said she focused on some easy-to-understand keys.
“Trying to get everyone healthy,” Neff said. “Downingtown East is a great team and they have plenty of offensive weapons. We talked hard about putting pressure on them and making them take difficult shots.
“We had a lot of young kids step up today,” Neff said. “We were three starters down.”
Downingtown East junior Bella Smuda was in foul trouble early, costing her minutes in the first half. She still managed to lead her team in scoring with 14, including 10 in the third quarter alone.
The teams combined for 16 fouls in the first half, but settled down and only committed five in the second half.
“We expected a tough, hard match here,” East coach Thomas Schurtz said. “They are a well-coached team; they play hard.”
Neff said much of her team’s defensive focus was how to stop the towering Smuda.
“We wanted to make sure we put pressure on entry passes so it’s hard to pass the ball in to Bella because she’s almost automatic.”
Ferguson said the team had worked hard on rebounding as it prepared for East. That was a prescient move, considering her game-winning putback bucket.
“We work a lot on the post,” Ferguson said. “Which I think has really been helping us so far this year.”
Schurtz must help East bounce back as it prepares for a Ches-Mont crossover game at Unionville this weekend.
“They’ve been playing well,” Schurtz said. “They are a younger team so our goal is to take care of the small things that make a big difference.”
Henderson hits the road to face Pope John Paul II (9-7) on Saturday in a non-conference matchup.
West Chester Henderson 46, Downingtown East 45
Downingtown East: Denning 2 2-2 7; McFillin 3 0-0 6; Kent 2 0-0 4; Brennan 4 1-2 10 ; Smuda 7 0-0 14; Meakim 1 0-0 2; Geary 1 0-1 2. Totals 20 3-5 45
West Chester Henderson: Forcine 1 0-0 2, DePrisco 1 0-0 3, Meredith 3 0-0 8, Manion 8 0-0 17, Campbell 0 0-0 0, Ferguson 7 2-4 16, Shea 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 2-4 46.
Downingtown East 17 6 16 6 – 45
West Chester Henderson 14 13 11 8 – 46
3-point goals: DePrisco, Manion, Meredith 2, Denning, Brennan.
