Forrester’s patience pays off as Upper Darby starts 2-0
RIDLEY TWP. — Jasmine Forrester had to sit on the bench with foul trouble in the third quarter of Upper Darby’s Central League contest Tuesday.
The junior guard was understandably frustrated. She had drilled a trio of 3-point field goals in the second period, and her layup early in the third gave the Royals a two-point advantage.
But with Forrester limited, Ridley scored 12 straight points to take an 11-point lead. Upper Darby, which had defeated Ridley last season for its only Central League victory, needed a spark.
UD coach Tony Zambino had to shuffle players in and out of the lineup all night. For the Royals to win, though, he needed to rely upon his newest player to pull the Royals out of a rut.
Forrester ignited a 10-0 spurt and the Royals eventually grabbed the lead on a Kaitlyn Johnson 3-point field goal late in the third quarter. Forrester nailed a pull-up jumper early in the fourth to put Upper Darby ahead for good on the way to a 65-57 victory.
The Royals improved to 2-0 for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.
Forrester scored 27 of her game-high 29 points in the final three quarters in her Central League debut with the Royals. She transferred from Lower Merion at the beginning of the school year.
“Upper Darby has been like a family, a close organization,” said Forrester, who made four 3-pointers and added eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one blocked shot. “It’s why I came out to the team, there’s a lot of energy. It’s really exciting. At Lower Merion, I was a varsity player but I knew coming here I could do what I am supposed to do. It feels like a dream come true.”
Ridley (1-2, 0-1 Central) trailed by nine points in the fourth period, but eventually took a short-lived lead on a pair of free throws by Morgan Chapman. On the ensuing UD possession, Forrester hit the go-ahead basket and the Royals scored the next eight points.
“I hope I bring energy and motivation. I just want everyone to play together, that’s my main goal,” Forrester said. “I don’t want to be stingy with the ball, I don’t want to be selfish.”
Zambino smiled at the notion of Forrester being more of distributor than a scorer.
“No,” he said, “We need her to score here for us and just continue to make plays.”
When the Royals were seemingly down and out, Forrester put the team on her shoulders, but received plenty of assistance from guards Gabby Liberio (nine points, six rebounds, three steals), Aubrey Ennis (10 points, two steals) and Kaitlyn Johnson, who hit three treys and tallied 11 points off the bench. Forward/center Natalie Koskinas totaled eight points, nine boards and one block.
UD defeated Ridley on a buzzer-beater last year.
“I just think it’s the rivalry. I see it in other sports, too,” Liberio said. “I think we compete well against each other, so when we play each other it’s always a tough game and every time it gets real exciting. …
“Being 2-0, it’s new for us but it feels good. Jasmine obviously helps the team, but she fits right in, too. She helps in so many ways.”
Zambino was satisfied with his team’s ability to come back and go home with a well-earned win.
“It just shows that the kids have heart, character,” Zambino said. “We had to really manage the game, we had three girls with four fouls each and Jasmine was one of them. They showed a lot of heart and came back three times tonight.”
Paige Gabriele led the way for Ridley with 18 points. Shannen Hinchey added 14 points, while Danielle Simister, Makenzie Griffith and Chapman all contributed seven points.
In other Central League games:
Haverford 51, Lower Merion 18 >> A balanced effort paced the Fords (2-1) to a rout of the Aces. Erin Kelly led with 11 points, and Arden Guilfoil scored nine. Erin Doherty and Sara Walsh tossed in eight points apiece.
Springfield 61, Radnor 37 >> Jordan D’Ambrosio scored 17 of her 20 points in the first half, Alexa Abbonizio poured in 18 points and Rachel Conran scored 13 in a lopsided win for the Cougars (1-0).
Ellie Mueller led the Raiders (1-1) with 11 points.
Strath Haven 65, Harriton 54 >> Faith Raymond (15 points), Alisha Lewis (14) and Cayden Frazier (11) each scored in double figures for the visiting Panthers (3-0), who’ve already matched last season’s win total.
Marple Newtown 41, Penncrest 24 >> Lindsay Kane tallied 15 points and five assists as the Tigers (1-0) downed the Lions (2-1). Olivia Coary was 5-for-5 at the free-throw line and finished with 10 points.
Megan Arndt paced Penncrest with 11 points.
In nonleague action:
W.C. Rustin 34, Penn Wood 33 >> Dakiya Daniels made a desperation shot with six seconds left to propel host Rustin to the win. The Patriots (1-2) grabbed the lead moments earlier on a layup by Ashley Cyrus, who finished with nine points.
Jada Hutt totaled a team-high 10 points to go with nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
Notre Dame 55, West Catholic 46 >> All-Delco guard Mandy McGurk poured in 25 points and Maggie Pina added 14 as the Irish (3-0) stayed unbeaten.
Germantown Academy 59, Archbishop Carroll 41 >> Jaye Haynes scored 13 of her game-high 20 points in the third quarter to give GA the winning edge.
Grace O’Neill paced Carroll with 12 points, and Harlem Jennings chipped in with 10.
Avon Grove 54, Interboro 38 >> Amanda Floyd scored 11 of her 14 points from the charity stripe, and Riley Szatny had 11 points in the loss for the Bucs.
In the Catholic Academies:
Mount St. Joseph 52, Sacred Heart 35 >> Kayleigh Doyle and Sami Smith netted eight points apiece and Liz Franz tossed in seven, but the host Lions couldn’t overcome an early deficit.
