By: Ed Morrone
NEWTOWN SQUARE — For the Episcopal girls’ basketball team, the 2019-20 season has become a sister act.
One on hand there is Raeleen Keffer-Scharpf, a guard/forward who has played varsity ball since she was a freshman and is one of two seniors on the Episcopal roster. Then on the other hand is Raeleen’s younger sister Gaeli, a freshman forward who has already cracked the starting lineup.
Together, the sisters have helped lead EA to an 8-7 record this season, including a 4-3 mark in Inter-Ac play. One of those four wins was earned in a big way on Friday, a 53-45 triumph over visiting Baldwin. It didn’t come easy, as Baldwin, behind the three-headed monster of juniors Anajah Brown (16 points) and Taylor Levinson (11 points) and sophomore Kaya Weiser (15 points), raced out to a 15-4 lead after one and was up by as many as 18 points in the second quarter.
But then, little by little, the balanced Episcopal offense began to chip away while the team stepped up its defensive intensity. EA sliced the deficit to eight at halftime before rallying to tie the score at 36 in the waning moments of the third quarter. Once Raeleen hit a pair of free throws early in the fourth quarter to put her team up 41-39, Episcopal never trailed again.
“We were coming off two rough losses to Notre Dame and GA, and we knew this one wouldn’t be a guarantee,” Raeleen said. “We talked about that all week, how we had to dig deep and have grit to beat this team.”
Game Highlights: Episcopal Academy vs. Baldwin School (Video by Ed Morrone for PSD)
EA head coach Chuck Simmonds has talked all season about his squad’s offensive balance, and that was on full display. Raeleen scored 11 points, while her younger sister contributed eight. Other standouts were Riley Cassidy (14 points), Bella Pisella (11) and Amanda Purcell (seven).
“This is the first year in a while where we’ve had at least six players our coaches feel could start,” Raeleen said. “We switch up in every game to get the best combinations possible, and it’s great to have such depth which allows so many more people to be involved in the scoring.”
Adding a tall, skilled forward like Gaeli into the fold obviously helps matters. The freshman admitted to some initial growing pains earlier on, noting that it was an adjustment for her now that she was no longer the tallest and strongest player on the court at all times. But as the season has progressed, she’s gotten significantly more comfortable.
L to R: Sisters freshman forward Gaeli and senior guard Raeleen Keffer-Scharpf talk about the significance of this victory. (video Ed Morrone for PSD)
Gaeli’s impact is also felt defensively. Brown is one of the most skilled forwards in the league for Baldwin, and she got off to a fast start, scoring nine first-quarter points. Once Gaeli started playing more man-to-man defense on Brown later in the game, the production slowed, and Brown scored just seven points in the final three periods.
“At first it was pretty rough, but I’ve gotten more comfortable,” Gaeli said. “I was used to being the tallest, strongest player in my league, then I come here as a freshman and there’s all these seniors who are better, taller and stronger than me. I had to get adjusted, but things are a lot better now.”
Of course, the sisters are beyond thrilled to get to play together on the same team for a season before Raeleen graduates. Since the sisters are three years apart in age, this year marks the first time they’ve been able to suit up for the same squad.
“It’s been really great,” Gaeli said. “We always messed around when we were little, but we’ve never been on a team together. I think we work really well together. We understand each other in how we play. She drives me everywhere and has really been great making me feel comfortable and like I’m a part of the team.”
From her standpoint, Raeleen is beaming with pride over the rapid development and integration of her younger sister. Raeleen recalled how when she was a varsity freshman as a sixth man off the Episcopal bench, her confidence could not have been lower. She played timid, an ordinary instinct for a young player when the game speeds up around them.
Episcopal Academy vs. Baldwin School (photos by Ed Morrone)
Now? Gaeli looks like a natural fit, and Raeleen is continuously blown away at how her kid sister has handled the transition.
“I’m really proud of how confident she’s become,” Raeleen said. “Coming to a new school as a varsity-level basketball player is really hard as a freshman. I think I’m envious of how confident she is, because I was not when I was a freshman. I didn’t play well in the beginning of the season, and that feeling took control over me. So, I’m just really proud and a little envious at how well she’s played as a freshman varsity starter.”
From Baldwin’s perspective, this one was a bitter pill to swallow given the fact the team held an 18-point advantage at one point. The team couldn’t have had a stronger start, but once Episcopal made adjustments on both ends of the court, Baldwin just couldn’t stop them from coming.
“We missed 15 foul shots and lost by eight,” head coach John Bernhardt said. “We make half of them and we’re in the game. But we have to take care of the ball better. It’s tough when you come down the court on offense and don’t get a shot. It stings, especially how well we started out. We’ve got some tough workhorses on this team, and I was proud of the way we fought to the end."
“We just have to learn how to finish, it’s the only way to put it.”