Western versus Poly is one of the premier girls basketball matchups in the Baltimore area, and Thursday evening’s matchup lived up to its billing.
Guards Tenea Robinson and Da’Brya Clark each finished with 20 points to lift the No. 2 Engineers to a 74-65 victory over the No. 9 Doves. Their biggest contribution came from the free-throw line in the second half, as Poly made 16 free throws.
For Robinson, the key was to follow through on the all-around aspects of the game that the team worked on throughout the week, and the Engineers fed off of each other’s success.
“We just went up and did guard work and post work,” Robinson said. “We put up a lot of shots yesterday at practice. It brings up our energy. We were down attitude-wise and energy-wise. So, we always congratulate each other and celebrate with each other. Going to the basket and getting fouled is like a foul for the whole team.”
This particular game had a large crowd, with the fans splitting in support of each team. Despite having a large turnout so early in the season, it was just business as usual for Poly coach Kendall Peace-Able.
“It’s always going to be that way, whether it’s early or it’s late,” Peace-Able said. “I have a lot of respect of for the young ladies at Western. I’ve watched them all kind of grow up. So, it’s good to see them be competitive, it’s good to see them mastering their craft, it’s good to see them growing up. But, I’m focusing on my kids. I’m trying to get them to be more consistent.”
In the first quarter, Poly had a well-rounded attack with Robinson scoring five, Clark scoring two, Dasia Townes adding four and Ajae Petty pouring in eight. Petty’s early points were especially important, with the senior coming off the bench and providing physical play.
The game was just as close at the end of the first half, with Nyceara Pryor scoring seven points for Western. Poly led 39-33 at halftime. Clark and Townes scored four a piece in the third quarter and were a big part of the team’s 50-48 lead.
Western pulled to within six in the final minutes, but Robinson and Clark made their free throws to seal the win.
Despite going down early, Western coach Kenneth Robinson saw his team battle and claw back into the game. The fight that the young team showed throughout the rivalry game was admirable for their coach.
“It says a lot about our team,” Robinson said. “They know that we don’t stop until the clock says zero. We’re going to show a fight any and every time. I just told them that we’ve got to get to the basket. They were in the bonus, so we’ve got to get to the basket and clock that time. We’ll bounce back from this.”
Poly (74): T. Robinson 20, D. Clark 20, D. Townes 15, A. Petty 12, C. Wilson 5, K. Ferguson 2, K. Fullwood 2
Western (65): N. Henson 17, S. Gray 16, N. Pryer 13, G. Johnson 11, A. Jenkins 4, J. Mills 2, C. Urgunart 2