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GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Inter-Ac League Action is at the Halfway Mark: Here is a Look at the Contenders in This Week's Roundup

By Ed Morrone (photos by Geanine Jamison & Zamani Feelings), 01/23/20, 5:00PM EST

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By: Ed Morrone

It’s hard to believe, but the girls Inter-Ac hoops season is halfway finished. Like anything enjoyable in life, the schedule will come and go before anyone knows what hit them.

Halfway home, Germantown Academy and Penn Charter appear to be separating themselves from the pack; however, intrigue remains, with three of the seven teams holding winning league records and another at .500. Here is a look back on the last week of Inter-Ac play, as well as a look ahead as we prepare to enter the season’s home stretch:

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

Record: 17-3 overall, 6-0 league

Last week: 48-26 win at Baldwin (1/14); 75-23 win at Agnes Irwin (1/17)

This week: 70-28 win at SCH (1/21); vs. Neumann-Goretti (1/26)

Another week, another dominant showing for the heavily-favored Patriots. Jaye Haynes continues to pace GA with 15 ppg, but head coach Sherri Retif’s veteran team can beat you in a variety of ways. In the team’s 22-point win over Baldwin a week ago, Jessica Moore scored 14 points and forward Becca Booth added a dozen.

In the next game at Agnes Irwin, Booth followed up her strong performance against Baldwin with an 8-for-8 shooting game, while Caitlyn Priore had seven each of assists and steals. The Patriots also made quick work of SCH on Tuesday, with Haynes and Maddie Vizza each tallying 17 points.

“I enjoy coaching this team,” Retif said. “They understand that everyone has an important role. These past few weeks, several players have stepped up and demonstrated exceptional skills in the clutch. The seniors are a fun group and are excellent role models for our emerging talent, names like Charlotte DiLello, Lilly Funk and Kendall Bennett.”

PENN CHARTER

Record: 17-2, 5-1

Last week: 60-30 win at Notre Dame (1/14); 49-19 win vs. Southwest Academy (Canada) (1/18); 60-42 win vs. Conrad (DE) (1/19)

This week: 59-34 win at Episcopal (1/21); at Agnes Irwin (1/24); vs. TBA- Scholastic Play-by-Play Tournament (1/26)

The Quakers have ripped off five straight wins following the wakeup call that was the team’s loss at GA two weeks ago. PC is determined as ever in its mission to topple GA from atop the league standings, with a Jan. 30 rematch at Penn Charter looming large on the schedule.

But first, PC had to take care of business against Notre Dame, a team abutting the Quakers in the standings. Fighting early foul trouble in the first half against the Irish, the Quakers’ depth shone through, with freshman Bella Toomey producing one of her best games of the season in a 7-point, 7-rebound effort. Once the starters returned, PC outscored Notre Dame 34-12 in the second half en route to a 30-point victory. The team also picked up wins over a school from Canada and the top-ranked girls high school team in Delaware.

“In the coming week, we’re looking to improve as a team,” head coach Joe Maguire said. “We want to be more efficient on the offensive end and continue to find each other. We have four players averaging double digits, which makes us tough to defend. Our defense has been very good, and we want to continue to try and hold our opponents under 40 points.”

On Tuesday at Episcopal, eight players scored for the Quakers in a 59-34 win. Carmen Williams led the way with 18 points, while Kelsey Bess contributed 13.

EPISCOPAL ACADEMY

Record: 7-7, 3-3

Last week: 50-30 loss at Notre Dame (1/17)

This week: 59-34 loss vs. Penn Charter (1/21); vs. Baldwin (1/24); vs. TBA- Scholastic Play-by-Play Tournament (1/26)

It was a light week for Episcopal, with the team dropping a 20-point loss at Notre Dame. The decision dropped EA into a third-place tie in the Inter-Ac, a game behind Penn Charter and two behind GA. Notre Dame got off to a fast start and Episcopal was unable to recover from, and the Irish put the game away with a fourth-quarter run. Halfway through the schedule, Chuck Simmonds’ team is still very much in the thick of things. Episcopal fell by 25 to second-place Penn Charter on Tuesday.

“Our team is working to look at the big picture and continue to get better as we enter the second half of the Inter-Ac schedule,” Simmonds said. “I think we have some good basketball in us and the girls are committed to play their best. It’s always about trying to get value out of our possessions, and rebounding is always a good reflection on how we are defending. We need to keep teams in a point range that will always give us the best chance to win.”

ACADEMY OF NOTRE DAME

Record: 13-4, 3-2

Last week: 60-30 loss vs. Penn Charter (1/14); 50-30 win vs. Episcopal (1/17)

This week: 52-25 win at Bonner-Prendie (1/21); at SCH (1/24); vs. TBA- Scholastic Play-by-Play Tournament (1/26)

The Irish produced a dud against Penn Charter but the team was able to quickly bounce back with a 20-point win over Episcopal a couple of days later. Against the Quakers, the team just didn’t play well and things quickly snowballed. The Irish had problems with turnovers and finding an offensive flow, but quickly rectified that later in the week against Episcopal, another team residing in the top half of the league standings. Katie Halligan played great in the win over EA, and head coach Lauren Thomer also highlighted the defensive effort of Izzy Casale and the smart decision making of Maeve McErlane and Allie Lynch.

“The important thing is how you bounce back,” Thomer said. “We’ve had spirited practices since the Penn Charter game and the team has responded positively. It all comes down to practice and mental preparation, and we are starting to understand this and buy into it. We need to build on the way we played at EA. Taking care of the basketball, as well as our defense, will be huge this week and from here on out.”

Thomer was even more pleased with her squad’s 52-25 non-league victory at Bonner-Prendie on Tuesday, a game in which Lynch scored 18 points.

“Our defense was the best it’s been all year,” Thomer said. “We held them to eight points in the second half, even without our starting point guard Julia Dever, who was out due to illness. Allie was huge last night, and Maeve and our posts did a great job defensively.”

SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY

Record: 4-10, 1-4

Last week: 59-47 win vs. Agnes Irwin (1/14); 59-26 loss at Baldwin (1/17)

This week: 70-28 loss vs. GA (1/21); vs. Notre Dame (1/24); vs. Bonner-Prendie- Scholastic Play-by-Play Tournament (1/26)

Last week was a monumental one for the very young Blue Devils' team, who picked up their first league win in an exciting overtime contest against Agnes Irwin. Tatyana Hall hit a three-pointer with 6.1 seconds to go to erase a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime. Hall had 22 points in the win, while Ava Chavez had 20 and Rebecca Arnold chipped in 8 points and 7 assists.

“From there, we just played together and attacked,” head coach Flo Hagains said. “We were able to get to the foul line and make shots.”

Against Baldwin it was another story altogether, as the Owls had no answer for Baldwin star forward Anajah Brown who scored 25 points on her own compared to 26 total for SCH.

“We had nothing for their big girl,” Hagains said. “We came out flat and got behind, which made the catching up process hard. We’re young, so going basket for basket with a more experienced team was no match.”

The Blue Devils fell to GA on Tuesday, 70-28.

BALDWIN SCHOOL

Record: 7-7, 2-4

Last week: 48-26 loss vs. GA (1/14); 59-26 win vs. SCH (1/17)

This week: 57-13 win vs. Agnes Irwin (1/21); at Episcopal (1/24); vs. Radnor- Scholastic Play-by-Play Tournament (1/26)

Against the mighty Patriots, Baldwin simply was unable to score much at all. The team shot 0-for-15 from three-point territory, missed layups and putbacks and handed GA another eight to 10 points off turnovers. Holding a team as good as that under 50 points is a step in the right direction.

Baldwin had a nice rebound effort against SCH, with Anajah Brown torturing the Blue Devils for 25 points inside and the team also getting 12 points each from Taylor Levinson and Kaya Weiser.

“At the end of the day, playing a team like GA shows you how good teams expose mistakes, and that’s what GA does,” head coach John Bernhardt said. “Against SCH, we did a nice job all around. Anajah was her usual self, while Taylor had a great all-around game and Kaya was a menace for us defensively. We just need to keep it rolling. We have to keep our focus level high and pay attention to the little things. Everything else usually takes care of itself.”

Baldwin won its second straight league game with a dominant 57-13 victory over Agnes Irwin.

AGNES IRWIN

Record: 3-11, 0-6

Last week: 59-47 loss at SCH (1/14); 75-23 loss vs. GA (1/17)

This week: 57-13 loss at Baldwin (1/21); vs. Penn Charter (1/24); at Sacred Heart Academy (1/25)

Andrea Carter stated the obvious: GA is a machine, and the head coach’s Agnes Irwin team ran into the teeth of a well-oiled one on Friday. Despite the 75-23 loss, Carter was beyond proud of the effort her team displayed.

“My girls played some of the best basketball I’ve seen from them,” Carter said. “They played together, worked as a team and accomplished small goals we had set for ourselves. GA just made every shot they put up, which was expected. Division-I kids should make shots and be able to execute their offense to perfection. Neither myself or the girls were discouraged by that game.”

Against SCH, it was a different story, with the Owls losing an overtime game they led by nine in the fourth quarter, a game Carter thought her team should have had. Carter was without one of her top defenders, Caroline Vauclain, who was being evaluated for a concussion, and leading scorer Katie Anderson was playing with a knee sprain. But the coach offered no excuses, crediting SCH for being well-coached, playing hard and wanting it more.

“My game plan this week is to prepare my girls so we can become the best version of ourselves,” Carter said. “We will continue to develop and work hard. By doing that, we gain more confidence and take care of the things we can control. Things like rebounding, boxing out, talking on defense, giving maximum effort and beating other players to 50/50 balls. If we do those things and believe in ourselves, I think we have a great chance at winning some games.”

Agnes Irwin dropped a 57-13 decision on Tuesday at Baldwin.