by Michael Beaumont

The time has finally arrived for the torch of alumni Ke’airah Massiah (Former #24) to be passed onto the next generation. Starter Jaelyn Henry (#11) led her team as playmaker alongside senior captain, Kylah Perez (#20), new “big man,” Emily Pitcherello (#25), forward Theresa Lavenhouse (#24), and hidden prodigy Madison Cockerill (#10) under new coach Dominic Doyle.

The game started off rough with PACS dominating the inside game with sharp passes to the middle and good ball movement, however the strong man-to-man defense really created an immense amount of pressure. Rising star Henry sniped down PACS’s defense with three pointers and penetrated the small openings allowing her to draw contact and really get the ball inside the box. For the first half,The offensive strategy consisted of mainly Henry taking the offensive by distributing the ball around only to cut through enemy lines and take the ball to the basket herself. She shocked the crowd in the last 4 seconds when she blasted a three point buzzer beater from deep.

The anxiety of a first game with new teammates was still strong in the second corner, with newcomers still nervous to shoot their shot and feeding the ball to Henry, but this was the quarter where Henry decided to play more like a playmaker more so than a shooter. She began to lead the ball around the court more, allowing center, Perez (#20) to score from underneath the basket, using her towering height and extended reach to her advantage.

The limitless potential of our Lady Knights became evident in the third quarter. Point guard, Henry, continued to distribute the ball to her teammates and constantly awaited any potential to snatch the ball if she could. The difference here was, newcomer Cockerill (#10) decided to stop playing in the shadows and force the audience to keep their eyes on her. She began to become more vocal to her teammates, allowing them to send the pass her way. What happened when she received the passes was the biggest shock. Cockerill blew by the defenders and picked up layup after layup. Her ball handling was on par with Henry, but her shot was more accurate mid-range. Cockerill even led a fast break by intercepting a pass and finishing with  beautiful form. Together with her teammates, she attempted to stop PACS’s scorers, but it was inevitable after their three pointers really began to add up in the fourth quarter and the gap only increased.

In the end, PACS conquered the Lady Knights with a score of 47-38 in their favor. Losing isn’t the main focus of what happened tonight. Unbounded potential was discovered tonight. Once the team chemistry between Henry and Cockerill (#10) really came into effect they were a fearsome combination. Henry shows the most similarities to former 1000 point scorer and alum, Massiah due to her role as playmaker and bravery to dive right into enemy lines and draw the contact. However, despite never personally playing alongside Massiah, Cockerill (#10) also possessed these same exact qualities and for that reason the Lady Knights will become a fierce competitor once they get more comfortable trusting each other in game. If coach Doyle can really emphasize on an offense centered around Cockerill (#10) and letting Henry make these plays a reality, we’ll be looking at a very terrifying combination.