Lourdes Shakes Off Pesky Holy Names, Escapes With W

January 7, 2019

Our Lady of Lourdes 41, Academy of the Holy Names 38

Monday nights, outside of the Foothills, tend to be quiet in Section 2. So the matchup that brought perennial Section 1 Class AA contender Our Lady of Lourdes up to Albany to take on Holy Names, one that would've been a notable game on the schedule on any night, only popped off the screen even more on this night. Playing in front of a decent crowd in a game that was well-covered by local media and saw the likes of Princeton in the house, Holy Names was nearly able to overcome an early onslaught from a Lourdes standout with a staunch defensive effort, but eventually weren't able to overcome their own offensive woes as the visitors were able to keep them at bay in the closing moments.

Ava Learn was dominant in the 1st half, where she scored 20 of her game high 23 points for Lourdes.

The first quarter set the early tone for Lourdes, as their defensive effort showed that the bus ride up from Poughkeepsie didn't bother them. They held Holy Names to only a banked three for most of the quarter, and Ava Learn (Our Lady of Lourdes 2021) went to work on the offensive end. A three-point play started it off, then a layup off a cut, a square-up three, and a 3/4 stretch from the line gave her 11 quick points and pushed Lourdes to a 13-3 lead. A scrappy Holy Names squad, despite not getting many good looks early and missing most of the good ones they got, weathered the storm and started to inch back into it. After Learn knocked down another three to start the 2nd quarter, Holy Names started to pound the post, and Saniyya Adams (AHN 2019) scored 7 in the 2nd along with drawing two consecutive fouls on Learn. Not long after a highlight reel double-clutch fadeaway gave Ava 20 points on the half, she picked up her 3rd foul going for a rebound and had to sit the end of the half. A Mia Farley (AHN 2021) three and a pair of Adams free throws cut AHN's deficit to 25-20 at the break.

Between sluggish play offensively and strong efforts on the defensive end, the 3rd quarter was a struggle on the scoreboard. However, a Keira Cohen (AHN 2019) floater and a Grace Field (AHN 2020) free throw cut their once 10 point deficit down to 3 headed into the 4th quarter. For a long stretch of that quarter, it was Field and Sam Fischer (Our Lady of Lourdes 2021) - who had scored a combined 8 points in the first 3 quarters - that shouldered the scoring load for their teams. Four quick Fischer points gave OLL a 33-28 lead, but Field answered with a basket. After Fischer hit a pair of free throws, Field responded with back-to-back buckets to cut their deficit to 1, and she scored again after a Learn free throw to tie it at 36 with 3:16 left. On the ensuing possession, Fischer hit a pair of free throws for Lourdes to regain the lead - one they wouldn't relinquish. Holy Names had one more chance late after a Sofia Feigelson (Our Lady of Lourdes 2021) free throw gave them a 41-38 lead, but a last second Cohen three point attempt was blocked.

Grace Field had a strong 2nd half for AHN and paced them in the scorebook with 13 points.

With Princeton in the house, Ava Learn dropped a game high 23 points/13 rebounds with 20 coming in the first half. Sam Fischer provided a major lift for OLL off the bench, scoring 8 of her 11 points in the 4th quarter. For Holy Names, Grace Field had a strong 2nd half at both ends of the floor and paced them with 13 points along with filling the stat sheet. Saniyya Adams added 12 points before fouling out with 4 minutes left.


#JeffsNotes

- Holy Names held Mikayla Russo & Kate Peek - two dangerous shooters that have filled it up at times around Ava Learn at OLL - scoreless for the game. They held Lourdes to 16 points in the 2nd half, and after getting torched to the tune of 20 1st half points from Ava, they held her to 3 points after halftime. If you told me that was going to happen before the game, I would be expecting to walk out of the gym seeing them win. Unfortunately for them, Lourdes came through with a strong defensive effort of their own - not turning AHN over, but staying in front, containing, and often forcing them into difficult shots later in the shot clock - and AHN was never able to get in a true rhythm offensively. The majority of their success on O came as a result of playing through the post, and Saniyya Adams fouling out with 4:23 remaining was a major blow, but credit to them for giving themselves a chance to win it in the game's closing minutes. They showed me that they can grind a game out for 32 minutes when things aren't clicking the way they'd hope, and I think that bodes well for them going forward.

Sam Fischer came through with much needed offensive production when OLL needed it in the 4th quarter.

- On the contrary, if you're Lourdes... just three 2nd half points for Ava Learn, Russo & Peek held scoreless, on the road against a previously undefeated team... you'll take that win however it comes. Big plays from Sam Fischer as the game went on. The Lourdes 2021 seemed to realize in the 4th quarter that the additional production was going to have to come from her, and she looked more confident attacking to score as the game went on. She has a strong build but is skilled and deceptively mobile, and she was able to get to the rim, draw contact, and get to the line. The more capable contributors Lourdes can have around Ava Learn - a high major D1 talent that will attract the lion's share of defensive attention against any team they play - the better off they'll be going into the 2nd half of this winter. With a sophomore core of Learn, Fischer, Peek, and Sofia Feigelson that saw plenty of run along with Russo, a junior, there continues to be room to grow for this group.