Rookie Duo Sparks St. Mary Crusaders to a 50-38 Win
By Larry Moko
A pair of promising newcomers made their home debuts with the St. Mary senior girls’ high school basketball team Tuesday.
Lilly Girard, a Grade 9 student, and Team Ontario product Ariel Peters combined for 36 points to help St. Mary to a 50-38 victory over the St. Jean de Brébeuf Braves.
That result evened St. Mary’s Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic league record at 1-1, while Brébeuf dropped to 0-3.
Girard, whose older sister Abby also plays for the Crusaders, poured in her team’s first 10 points of the game.
“The fact that Lilly is only in Grade 9 and put up numbers like she did (23 points) is amazing,” St. Mary coach Stephanie Demerjian said. “She can shoot the ball really well.”
Peters, netted nine of her points in the opening quarter as the Crusaders grabbed a 21-9 lead.
“Ariel is phenomenal,” said Demerjian, who is in her first season as St. Mary’s coach. “She’s one of our hardest workers. She’s really the backbone of our team.”
Both players alternate in the post and as guards, Demerjian said.
The Crusaders took a 27-17 lead into the break but saw that dwindle to a four-point advantage in the third quarter.
“I’m happy with the result,” Demerjian said. “We were playing really well on defence, but in the second half we collapsed and weren’t making rebounds. That’s where the lead started to get smaller.”
Girard took up basketball in Grade 1 and played up two years (against older opponents) for three years in a row. She also plays for Transway Juel Prep.
“We definitely had more passing and out-ran them I guess,” Girard said of Brébeuf contest. “I feel maybe I could have played better today.”
The top scorer for Brébeuf was veteran point guard Sofia Curcio. She scored a game-high 24 and contributed several outstanding assists.
“We feel that our leaders are quite strong on and off the court,” Brébeuf coach Micayla Drysdale said.
Lack of success from the free-throw line proved costly for the Braves.
Elsewhere, the first-place St. Thomas More Knights improved to 3-0 with a 55-34 victory over the Bishop Tonnos Titans and the Bishop Ryan Celtics topped the three-time defending champion Cathedral Gaels, 49-38.
Photos by R.F. (Bob) Butrym RFB Sport Photography
More photos on the HWCDSB Athletics Facebook Page here
