Holy Family Girls Basketball Recap
Girls Varsity Basketball vs Heritage Christian Academy Reagan Cizek (15) ’22 and Captain Grace Elander (12) ’20
Season Opener
In the Holy Family Girls Basketball season opener, the Fire took on Heritage Christian. Heritage Christian is a perennial state contender and ranked fourth in the Class A preseason poll. The Fire got into foul trouble early, and Heritage Christian capitalized, converting 17 of 22 free throws. The Fire featured a balanced scoring attack with seven players scoring, four of whom were in double digits. Despite a 27-point performance from senior guard Ella Stark, the Fire were able to hold on for the win. Coming out of the half, the Fire limited their fouls and started to rebound better. Further, the Fire maximized their fast break opportunities and shot well from the three-point line, converting 8 of 24 shot attempts. Although the Fire lead by as many as nine points in the second half, they needed a last-possession basket to win. The resilient Heritage Christian lost at the buzzer. Nicole Bowlin found Grace Elander in the lane. Elander’s floater hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded in a 60-59 Fire win.
Thanksgiving Tournament Recap
The Holy Family Girls Basketball team played Totino-Grace and Benilde-St. Margaret’s at the Twin Cities Thanksgiving Tip-Off at the University of St. Thomas.
Totino-Grace
The Fire took on Totino-Grace, a AAA team, and lost 68-59. The Fire opened the game with a 20-2 run. However, the Fire got into foul trouble early, with nine fouls in the first half. The Fire also struggled to corral rebounds in the first half. In the end, the Fire’s loss of momentum following early foul trouble and 24 turnovers played a pivotal role in the outcome. Carla Meyer was one of five Eagles to score nine or more points with a team-high 18. For the Fire, Grace Elander provided key contributions. She netted a game-high 22 points, including 12-of-16 from the free-throw line. Nicole Bowlin added 13 points for the Fire followed by Lucy Hertel with 8 points and Sophia Hall with 6 points.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s
The Fire were unable to bounce back from their loss to Totino-Grace against another AAA team in Benilde-St. Margaret’s. The Fire lost 57-46 and struggled to get going early. Ultimately, the Fire came within less than six points of the Knights several times during the second half but could never fully close the gap. The Knights were led by senior forward Patience Williams, who netted a team-high 19 points and was instrumental at getting boards on both the offensive and defensive end. The Fire’s failure to limit second-chance looks proved to be costly and will be a point of emphasis for the Fire to do better at in the future. The Fire were once again balanced scoring-wise. Lucy Hertel led the way with 13 points. She was followed by Nicole Bowlin with 11 points and Grace Elander with 10 points.
Looking Ahead
The Fire showed they can hang with anyone, defeating a quality Heritage Christian team and going back and forth with both Totino-Grace and Benilde-St. Margaret’s. The Fire have a lot of potential. While they are a young team, the Fire play fast and are deadly when they catch fire. The Fire possess many skilled three-point shooters and are brilliant at generating turnovers and capitalizing in transition. However, there is room for improvement. The Fire have been plagued in all three of their games so far by running into foul trouble early and losing the rebounding battle. If the Fire can stay out of foul trouble and do a better job rebounding, the Fire will pose a legitimate threat to run it back in the section finals. Patience is key as the Fire continue to develop chemistry and come together as a team.
The Fire will look to rebound from their losses this Thursday, December 5 when the go on the road to take on Maranatha Christian Academy.