Emma Willard 40, Albany Academy for Girls 37
The Emma Willard Jesters have had little trouble running through their schedule for the most part this winter. The former CHVL members - now independent, in hopes of boosting their quality of opponents - came into Tuesday's game undefeated, with only their season opening victory over Voorheesville in single digits. They ran into a game opponent in upstart Albany Academy for Girls, a Colonial Council squad experiencing their most success since I started EST in 2014-15. AAG threw a knockout blow in the 2nd half, but Emma Willard was able to get back on its feet and respond just in time, going on a 4th quarter surge to take home the victory.
Molly Zahnleuter got going in the 2nd half and made some big plays for Emma Willard in their victory. |
AAG, a scrappy group above the .500 mark for the first time in recent memory, responded well out of the locker room. Jackson gave AAG a quick lead, then after Shields responded with a basket, Aaliyah Juste (AAG 2020) - their leading scorer on the season, who was held scoreless in the 1st half - added two quick hoops. After Molly Zahnleuter (EW 2020) - their leading scorer, who was limited to only a 1st half free throw - answered with 4 quick points of her own, AAG went on an 11-1 run to end the 3rd. It culminated with a 35 foot buzzer beater from Juste, who had 8 in the quarter to give them a 32-23 lead. Shields & Juste traded buckets to start the 4th to maintain the 9 point margin, but that's when Emma Willard made their push. After AAG got to their opponents with their pressure in the 3rd quarter, it was EW reversing roles in the 4th, forcing AAG into several turnovers & rushed decisions. The Jesters went on an 11-0 run spanning a large chunk of the middle of the 4th. Four players scored in the run - a Zahnleuter trey tied it up at 34, and a pair of Shields free throws - big makes after missing a handful earlier in the quarter - gave EW the lead for good. Jackson got to the line for AAG and split a pair with 1:52 left, but it was Shields once again for the hosts, as the 6'2" freshman wing got loose for a deep corner jumper off a baseline out-of-bounds play to give EW a 38-35 lead with 1:19 left. The teams traded stops before Jackson got to the line again, this time making both to cut AAG's deficit to 38-37 with :11.2 remaining. They fouled Khairat Raji on the other end, and she hit a pair for Emma Willard. AAG's final possession came up empty, as EW was able to corral a loose ball just before the buzzer to ensure the victory.
Mianna Jackson made an impact for AAG throughout the game, leading them with 15 points. |
#JeffsNotes
- Looking more deeply into the game, I thought it became more interesting as the night went on partially due to the early struggles of each team's leading scorer. Defenses were of course paying attention to Emma Willard's Molly Zahnleuter & AAG's Aaliyah Juste - both juniors - but they both were able to get good shots early. They just were off. Zahnleuter only had a free throw to her name in the 1st half, and Juste didn't scratch the books. That gave way to big showings from standout freshman Emma Shields (more on her in a second) and sophomore Mianna Jackson, along with supporting cast players having to contribute on each side. They both were able to shake loose from their early struggles though, with Juste being a catalyst in AAG's strong 3rd quarter and Zahnleuter knocking down a couple important 2nd half shots, and that turned an interesting nonleague matchup into a game worth the watch.
Emma Shields has next-level versatility and is among the region's top players in the 2022 class. |
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