‘Resilient’ Glenelg Country girls basketball team stays calm to defeat St. Mary’s

“It’s great to see them be resilient," said Glenelg Country head coach Will Harper. "They stuck it out and showed nothing but guts today. When we were down at halftime, there was no panic.”

St. Mary’s head coach Chuck Miller explained his team’s loss simply, saying the difference was GCS (6-2 IAAM B, 11-7 overall) made key shots in the fourth quarter and his team didn’t.

“That’s a very nice ball club," Miller said. "They have a few kids who can flat out shoot it. When it came down to the end, they made their shots and we didn’t. We didn’t make shots that we’re supposed to make. If you just make those, you’ll win most of your ball games.”

Glenelg Country junior Caroline Haynes, who is one of the top 3-point shooters in the IAAM B Conference, made a trio of treys in the final 10 minutes of the game. The Dragons opened the contest 2 for 20 from behind the arc, but Haynes said she and her fellow teammates remained “hopeful."

“I know my team needs me to shoot," said Haynes, who ended the game with 16 points. “I just wanted to keep shooting, and luckily they kept dropping in the fourth quarter. ... We just trusted our system and kept running our plays, and we knew it was going to work out."

The game Wednesday at St. Mary’s (3-5, 10-9) wasn’t the first contest between the two IAAM B Conference squads. The Dragons and Saints played during the Annapolis Area Christian Holiday Tournament on Dec. 21, with the latter winning 50-40. Miller said the difference Wednesday was Glenelg Country’s supporting players were better than they were a month ago.

“The two kids who always score are always good, but I thought their secondary players played really well and shot the ball better than we had anticipated," Miller said. "But when we score 49 points, we should win that game.”

Neve O’Ferrall and Blair Byrne both scored nine points to support Bender and Haynes. O’Ferrall made two 3s, while Byrne played a key role in the paint — defending the Saints’ best player (Karry Kelliher) and grabbing several offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points.

“Blair Byrne was crushing it on the offensive glass," Harper said. "Most of our big shots came from Blair getting offensive rebounds. And in the second half when (Kelliher) was Blair’s responsibility, she held her to four points before she hit a late 3. Blair took a lot of pride on the defensive end.”

St. Mary’s opened the game with an 8-3 lead and ended the first quarter with a two-point advantage. Kelliher led St. Mary’s in the first half with 10 points, as the home team entered halftime with a 28-24 lead. Kelliher, who is averaging 13.9 points per game, finished with 17 points.

“She’s our leading rebounder and leading scorer,” Miller said. “She’s got big shoulders and good basketball IQ. She’s our floor captain."

GCS tied the game or got within one point three different times in the third quarter, but Saints guard Ashley Roy made key a few jumpers to take back the momentum. Roy ended the game with 13 points with three made 3-pointers.

“She’s our 3-point shooter,” Miller said. “She leads the team in threes, and she has all season long. When she gets her feet set, it’s usually good.”

After the Dragons started the final period down three points, Ashlyn Bender, who tallied 16 points, gave GCS its first lead of the game — a 43-42 advantage with about five minutes remaining. Lena Doreen extended the lead to three points, and Haynes later sealed the victory with a 3-pointer to put the Dragons up seven points with about a minute remaining.

“She hits so many big shots," Harper said. "She was huge today, but she’s done this all year.”

Both teams are back in action Friday. GCS hosts St. Paul’s, while St. Mary’s plays at Maryvale Prep.

BOX SCORE:

Glenelg Country 56, St. Mary’s 49

GCS (6-2, 11-7): C. Haynes 16, A. Bender 16, N. O’Ferrall 9, B. Byrne 9, L. Doreen 5, R. Byrne 1.

SM (3-5, 10-9): K. Kelliher 17, A. Roy 13, T. Williams 8, B. Geiger 8, M. Bills 3.

Halftime: 28-24, SM