Girls Hoops: Lady Cards Battle Nation's Second Ranked Team in 70-48 Loss

If one were to only look at the second half of the Upper Dublin girls basketball team's Sunday night matchup with Riverdale Baptist High, ranked second in the country by Maxpreps.com, they would see a competitive six-point game. Unfortunately, that's not how basketball works, and the Lady Cardinals couldn't erase the first two quarters it took to adjust to playing against some of the nation's top talent in a 70-48 loss.

"The kids found, when we went into halftime, that they can actually play with these girls," said head coach Vincent Catanzaro. " The problem is that you have to find that out for yourself by going through what they did in the first [half]."

Everyone in the gym knew the Lady Cards were going to have their hands full in this matchup, as the contest was part of the four game Blue Star Elite Invitational Tournament, a showcase event that brings in some of the nation's top teams and college scouts. Upper Dublin drew the toughest cookie in the Upper Marlboro, Md.-based Riverdale Baptist, which sported three girls over six feet tall in the starting lineup, and three more coming off the bench. By comparison, Upper Dublin's tallest player is the 5'11" Brianna Spector, with only three other players at 5'9".

Still, it was clear early on that the Cards were not going to back down from the contest. After Riverdale jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, 5'9" forward Lauren Rothfeld battled down low for bucket and was fouled in the process. The junior calmly sank her free throw, and would prove to be a highlight of Upper Dublin's performance, scoring a team-high 14.

On the next Upper Dublin possession, the Cards again showed their toughness, as guard Cutrena Goff was accidentally slapped near her eye by a Riverdale player as she brought the ball up the floor. Goff cried out in obvious pain, but drove the floor and passed the ball to the wing. With Goff still recovering, Upper Dublin turned the ball over, but the junior guard hustled back on the defensive end and blocked the lane against a driving opponent, causing her to miss the layup.

Despite their toughness, the Cards could not find an answer for Riverdale's star 6'3" center-forward Jonquel Jones, who scored 10 in the opening frame for the visitors and sparked a 15-1 run that put Riverdale up 19-5 with :29 to play in the first. Rothfeld would hit a three, giving her all eight of Upper Dublin's first quarter points, to make the score 21-8 at the end of one.

Upper Dublin would hunker down in the second, as the game slowed down and the defense settled in. The Cardinal and Gray's guard duo of Goff and Taylor Bryant would get on the scoreboard in the frame, each scoring three in route to a 9-12 quarter that left the score 33-17 at half.

"The girls found out that they were capable because [Riverdale] misses too, just like everybody else. They turn it over, just like everybody else," said Catanzaro of the team's thoughts at half time. "I think the kids grew up a little bit, because they kept battling as the game went on."

After the half, the Cards appeared to be wearing down against Riverdale's deep bench, as the visitors opened the half on a 13-5 run that put them up 49-22 with 2:26 to play in the third. However, Upper Dublin continued to battle, and got some assistance from bench players of their own. Sophomore Jackie Lillo was one such player, with Catanzaro throwing the mostly untested player into the deep end. The 5'9" small forward responded by knocking down a long 2, to the applause of teammates and parents.

From that point on, the Cardinals would outscore the visitor's 26-21, including a 19-13 fourth. Goff began to truly shine in the final frame, slicing through the lane to score six of her 12 points. 5'11" Brianna Spector would also get on the board with a 3-pointer, and forward Jen Myers sank a basket from close range, adding two free throws to chip in four.

When the final buzzer sounded, Riverdale Baptist went home with a 70-48 victory, led by Jennis Simms' 18 points.

However, Catanzaro believes his team emerged from the contest with confidence.

"I was very cautious when I got into this [tournament]," said Catanzaro, smiling. "The next three games that we play are all top teams in the league so hopefully it helps us. This was a game that you grow up with, I'm very happy with the way they played."

Upper Dublin Scoring:

Lauren Rothfeld: 14
Cutrena Goff: 12
Taylor Bryant; 10
Jen Myers: 4
Brianna Spector: 3
Carly Strauss: 2
Jackie Lillo: 2
Kayla McAneney: 1