February 22, 2010
by Stuart Berg
The Greeley girls’ varsity basketball 2009-10 season came to an end on Wednesday night, February 17, with a hard-fought loss in the second round of the sectional playoffs to fifth-seeded Ursuline.
Although the Quakers never held a lead in the game and trailed by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter, an 8-0 run fueled by three consecutive steals by Andi Picker cut the lead to 6 points with three minutes left in the game. With the home crowd urging Greeley to continue their furious late game surge, Ursuline’s Nicole Robinson, the shortest player on the court, hit a running line drive bank shot to extend the lead back to 8 points and stem Greeley’s momentum.
For most of the game, Ursuline was able to repeatedly attack the gaps in Greeley’s zone defense and kick the ball out to open shooters for numerous three-point field goals. Toward the end of the third quarter, the Quakers switched to a man-to-man defense and generated several steals and turnovers. However, offensively Greeley had few answers for Ursuline’s full-court man-to-man press and was unable to generate enough open looks at the basket. Fortunately for Greeley, some excellent offensive rebounding by Yanna Jackson, Samantha Re and Jackie Brett allowed the Quakers to keep the game close for the first three quarters. Jackie Brett led the Quakers with 10 points and Yanna Jackson added 9.
For Greeley’s five seniors, Nicole Berg, Alix Birdoff, Julia Kronenfeld, Samantha Re and Emily Taylor, who have played together since fifth grade, the loss was particularly bitter as their quest to reach the County Center fell one victory short and they were left to deal with the reality that their high school playing days were officially over. However, on a bright note the Lady Quakers under first year coach John Alkalay finished the season with a remarkable record of 15-5, which far exceeded the expectations of many and will be a season to remember.
Copyright 2012 NewCastleNOW.org