Haynes duels with Johnson, Bennett breaks out as Germantown Academy falls to Neumann-Goretti
PHILADELPHIA >> The city came out to back Diamond Johnson and she gave them a show worthy of the support, but Jaye Haynes got plenty of people talking as well.
Haynes, a Germantown Academy senior, won the individual battle by scoring a game-high 39 points while Johnson, the Neumann-Goretti senior state player of the year, finished with 37 but got to claim the war. With Johnson’s defense a major catalyst late, the Saints pulled away from the Patriots in front of a full set of stands at Jefferson University.
While Goretti got the 66-64 win Sunday at the Play-By-Play Maggie Lucas Classic, Haynes proved plenty to herself going toe-to-toe with one of the city’s best.
“They have a great team and Diamond is an amazing player so I came into the game with a lot of adrenaline,” Haynes said. “Getting out there and leaving it all out there was my main thing for this game, whether I had two points or a million, I just wanted to give my all the whole game.”
Johnson, who has signed to play at Rutgers, was left off the McDonald’s All-American Game roster in a move that upset a lot of people including current South Carolina women’s basketball coach and Philly legend Dawn Staley, who tweeted in support of Johnson after the announcement.
The meeting between Neumann-Goretti (12-6, 7-1 PCL Red) and GA (17-4, 6-0 Inter-Ac) was one of the marquee games of Sunday’s slate, and prior to the game, Johnson was honored. Gifted a custom jersey that read “Philadelphia All-American,” the crowd gave the senior a standing ovation before she went to work.
Never one to force the issue, Haynes recognized her team needed her to do the heavy lifting Sunday and she was ready for it.
“If they’re going to score, then we had to score to,” Haynes said. “We needed to try and keep it an even game.”
Haynes has signed with La Salle and was an all-state selection last year, so she’s no newcomer to the local scene. She scored her 1,000th point earlier this year and played with determination to her game Sunday that included a couple emphatic celebrations after drawing the and-one whistle.
The senior scored four in the first quarter but with the Saints taking away room for Maddie Vizza to shoot and trying to deny passes in to the post, Haynes attacked from the second quarter on. She was also remarkably efficient, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor, hitting all three of her 3-point attempts and going 10-of-12 at the foul line.
GA also made Johnson work for all her points, even holding the dynamic scorer without a point in the third quarter. Haynes noted that it was the type of defensive effort the Patriots will be looking for the rest of the season as they look to lock up another Inter-Ac title and a second straight PAISAA championship.
“We talked really well, we were on the same page and no one gave up on a play,” Haynes said. “We all helped each other.”
GA trailed for a lot of the game, but took a 44-43 lead when Haynes hit two at the free throw line as part of a 10-point third quarter. She stuck her team to another lead, burying a 3-pointer in the fourth for a 53-50 edge with 6:24 to go.
The Patriots led 57-55 with 3:30 to go when Johnson and Mihjae Hayes turned the game around. Hayes, a sophomore, was a strong second chair behind Johnson with 11 points and four steals and she and Johnson used their quick hands to disrupt GA’s offense late.
Johnson hit a three to put the Saints up 60-57, a lead they wouldn’t give back and only built on when Hayes jumped a pass and found Sierra Bermudez for a layup.
“I don’t even look at this as a setback, it’s honest a confidence boost,” Haynes said. “We stayed in the game with one of the best teams in the area. We were here with them, and I don’t think anyone can hold us back when we play like that.
“Now that we know what we’re capable of, we need to keep building on it.”
GA has two pivotal Inter-Ac games this week, facing Notre Dame on Tuesday and visiting Penn Charter on Thursday afternoon. Despite tallying a loss onto their record, Haynes didn’t see Sunday’s effort as a roadblock.
“Their defense, having their offensive players in front of us and helping and talking to each other, it’s going to help us,” Haynes said.
BENNETT BREAKS OUT
When Kendall Bennett was looking at potential high schools, something about Germantown Academy stuck out.
A 6-foot-1 post player, Bennett had one of her best games of the season Sunday, chipping in nine points and 12 rebounds against the athletic Saints. She was a major spark in the third quarter, grabbing half her rebounds and scoring three points as GA finally established some inside play.
“I play on everybody else’s energy and just go at it,” Bennett said. “Something I really focus on is my posting, trying to get myself in the paint. Rebounding is my main thing, working toward shooting but we’re not quite there yet.”
Bennett singled out her free throw shooting, where she was 1-of-5 at the stripe, as something she’s working to improve on, but she showed poise, good hands and great energy getting in position to help her team. With some solid post entry passers on her team like Caitlyn Priore and Maddie Burns, Bennett’s good hands are a nice target.
“I really make sure I get enough room and I’m really lucky to have everybody that wants to pass to me,” Bennett said. “That’s half the battle, getting in the post and getting the past.”
Senior Jaye Haynes felt Bennett was a huge spark on Sunday and she was encouraged the freshman came off the bench ready to go. Bennett, like many underclassmen, has seen her role fluctuate game to game but knows her teammates have her back.
She credited junior Becca Booth, GA’s starting center, as her No. 1 mentor and felt included right away even on a roster of experienced players, many who have been in the rotation for two or three years.
“It was nerve-wracking, when I came I was so scared,” Bennett said. “I was looking at other schools too but what I saw from them was their teamwork and what they did with their team. It was nerve-wracking, but they’re so supportive.
“Becca is my role model, I watch everything she does and I’m learning my moves from her.”
Bennett played with her GA teammates during summer league, but it’s different in the actual season. Sunday, matched up with an extremely athletic team, Bennett looked right at home grabbing contested rebounds, carving out space on the block and giving her team a lift.
“It showed me I can do it,” the freshman said. “I’ve come so far, I want to see where I am as a senior and what it will be like then.
“It’s an eye-opener knowing what’s out there. Playing teams like prepare you for what’s to come.”
NEUMANN-GORETTI 66, GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 64
NEUMANN-GORETTI 14 21 13 18 – 66
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 12 16 18 18 – 64
Neumann-Goretti: Mihjae Hayes 3 3-5 11, Diamond Johnson 10 11-11 37, Omolye Jordan 1 0-0 3, Sierra Bermudez 4 0-0 9, Price 0 3-5 3. Totals: 18 17-21 66.
Germantown Academy: Jaye Haynes 13 10-12 39, Maddie Vizza 4 2-3 12, Sarah DiLello 1 0-0 2, Maddie Burns 1 0-0 2, Kendall Bennett 4 1-5 9. Totals: 23 13-20 64.
3-pointers; N-G – Johnson 6, Hayes 2, Jordan, Bermudez; GA – Haynes 3, Vizza 2.
