By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
MEDFORD — The easiest way to defeat a zone defense in high school basketball is to shoot over it.
Host Lenape did just that in the second quarter on Saturday against Bishop Eustace, draining four 3-pointers in the second quarter and finishing the first half on a 17-5 run that blew open a close game and allowed the Indians to cruise to a 60-44 victory over the Crusaders despite being without their head coach.
Sean McAneny was serving a one-game suspension related to an incident that happened earlier this season.
“Eustace, they always do a good job over there, they’ve been tough all year and we watched a ton of film on them. We just trusted each other, played as a team, kept the ball moving. We can shoot the heck out of it and we showed that. The girls played well together as a team,” said Lenape assistant coach Eric Einbinder, who was taking over the team for the day. “We like to play fast and we like to let our girls play basketball because that’s what they’re good at, so when they figured it out, worked together as a team and completed a few passes, the shots just started to fall.”
“Sometimes it just takes me a little while to warm up in the beginning in the game,” said junior Olivia Watkins, who hit four 3-pointers, including three in the second quarter when Lenape turned a 16-14 lead into a 33-19 advantage by halftime after going on that extended run. “And with the whole team, once we’re warmed up we see each other and find each other on the court. I think we knew it was coming. There were moments when our momentum was there and then it would slow down, but by the second half we figured out how to keep it going.”
“We realized we had to play together. I know if I drive, the defense is going to collapse on me so I can kick it out. We were hot today, hitting our threes,” added sophomore forward El-Anita Joe-Samuel, who matched Watkins with 18 points. “And my teammates know that if they drive they can kick it out to me. We played together. We just had to be a little more confident (after the first quarter).”
Alexa Henry got things going by scoring on two straight possessions, giving Lenape (5-2, 1-0 Olympic American) a 16-14 lead midway through the second quarter and forcing Bishop Eustace (5-3, 1-0 Olympic National) to call a timeout. Things didn’t get better for the Crusaders after the break in action, as Joe-Samuel nailed a three before Watkins hit two straight long-range shots to push the Indians’ advantage to 29-17. Henry added a jumper and sophomore Shelby Croly added an inside bucket to help Lenape carry a 14-point lead into halftime.
The Crusaders got to within 10 points, 37-27, early in the third quarter on a three from Imani Dennis and a jumper from Isabella Serano, but that’s as close as Eustace would get the rest of the way.
Lenape, ranked No. 18 in the state by nj.com, now faces a tough stretch the next two weeks that includes a home game against Cherokee on Tuesday and road games at Cherry Hill East and Paul VI, which is ranked No. 4 in the state.
“We try to think about being 1-0 each game,” Einbinder said. “Even at halftime, coach McAneny always says, ‘hey, that was a good half, but we’re not done.’ We’re just trying to stay hungry and take the step that’s in front of us before we look down the road.”
“I want us to keep playing together. We’re off some days and on some days. I want us to be playing together as a team every single game,” Joe-Samuel said.
Added Watkins, “it was nice to play a team that matched up pretty well against us. They have some pretty good players, so this was a good win. We’re excited to have a lot of the same group back coming into this year, and we want the same thing — we want to win another state championship. We just have to keep working. We have a family vibe going on with this team, and if we can keep that up that’s what will get us there.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Lenape hosts Cherokee on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Bishop Eustace hosts Cherry Hill West on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
