GDS was down by two midway through the second quarter. Sophomore Jozi McDuffie got a defensive rebound, dribbled down the court—fast—and smoothly evaded her defender at half court with a behind-the-back move. Driving down the lane, McDuffie Euro-stepped and scored a layup to tie the game, 19–19. And the rest of the game would stay just as close.
On Friday, Dec. 5, the women’s varsity basketball team lost to Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, 46–55, in their first Independent School League (ISL) game of the season. GDS won its previous non-league game against the School Without Walls on Wednesday. This game was an opportunity for a fairly young team—comprised of only four upperclassmen—to gel together in preparation for the rest of the season.
“It’s just getting to know each other,” junior-transfer Eden Samuel said. “The more you go on [in the season], the more chemistry you have as a team.”
Stone Ridge came out of the gates hot, scoring two layups and two free throws to put them up 6–0. To put GDS on the board, McDuffie faked out her defender at the three-point line and drove in for a tough one-handed layup.
GDS and Stone Ridge traded a few points, each team trying to get a leg up on their opponent, and neither quite succeeding. After a two-minute scoring drought for both teams, the Gators scored three layups in a row, leading GDS to take its first timeout of the game. Stone Ridge was up, 10–6.
Immediately after the timeout, Stone Ridge hit a deep three-pointer, extending their lead to seven. Responding, McDuffie made two strong layups in a row, getting fouled on both and making one of two free throws. The quarter ended 14–11, Stone Ridge.
“Jozi did really well attacking the gaps and being aggressive,” sophomore Liya Fairfax said.
But McDuffie wasn’t the only scorer on the team; Fairfax would go on to score 15 points in the game, the second-highest on the team after McDuffie, who scored 18.
The second quarter started slow for GDS. The Hoppers couldn’t get anything going, and the Stone Ridge defense was smothering. Both teams kept missing shots, but McDuffie once again broke the slump and swished a mid-range jumper at the free throw line.
The majority of the second quarter—like most of the game—was extremely close. The teams kept going back and forth, and both the Hoppers’ and Gators’ defense was on lock-down.
“We were really consistent on our 2-3 [zone] defense and I think we did well playing together,” Samuel said.
“Our defense was very consistent this game,” Fairfax said. “Eden did really well on defense.”
The strong defensive effort limited Stone Ridge’s opportunities to score and created momentum for GDS on the offensive end. Near the end of the second quarter, Fairfax was fouled twice in a row driving to the basket, where she made three of four free throws. GDS looked good going into halftime; the team was up by four, its largest lead of the game so far.
The third quarter began with the score at 25–21. Right away, Fairfax hit a heavily contested corner three. The GDS defense did not let up and held the Gators scoreless for two minutes. Through strong ball movement and hustle on both sides of the court, GDS built their largest lead of the game, 28–21.
But then, things began to fall apart for the Hoppers. Stone Ridge went on an 8–0 scoring run to regain the lead, which some players attributed to the GDS’ lack of energy.
“We probably just got a little lazy in the second half,” Fairfax said.
Samuel had a different take. “I think sometimes we can just get flustered,” she said. “So sometimes it can look like laziness on the court, like running back and not knowing who you have [on defense].”
Stone Ridge continued to dominate much of the third quarter, and while GDS tied the game at 31–31, the Gators then went on a 7–0 run. Fairfax scored a three in the last seconds of the quarter, and GDS went into the fourth down by four.
The Hoppers still weren’t able to gain much momentum coming into the fourth quarter. McDuffie accidentally threw the ball out of bounds, and Stone Ridge later stole the ball and scored a fast-break layup.
GDS was doing well creating opportunities for itself, but the team couldn’t convert them into points on the board. While it seemed like Stone Ridge was taking control of the game—the Gators were making shots and playing strong defense—the Hoppers were still hanging on; Samuel was playing scrappy on defense and McDuffie sprinted down the court on almost every play.
GDS just couldn’t catch a break, though, and two back-to-back Stone Ridge layups brought the score to 43–52.
The Hoppers continued to fight, scoring a free throw and a layup, but the Gators ran out the last 30 seconds on the clock, winning the game 55–46.
“In the second half, I think we just got in our feelings and didn’t execute,” sophomore Elayna Lewis said. “We kept the pressure up high, but I think we kind of just fell apart.”