By: Patrick Louer
BROCKPORT, N.Y. - The Brockport Golden Eagles came out the gates scorching hot, knocking down four threes in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles didn't let up, hitting 14 threes en route to a 93-86 win against the Nazareth Golden Flyers in the Empire 8 semifinals.
"I write on the board, 'create our best shot,'" Brockport head coach Corinne Jones said. "They know our best shot is the open shot."
Senior guard Harmony Philo led the way, hitting Brockport's first shot from beyond the arc. Philo kept the pace throughout, going 4-5 from deep. Philo finished with 12 points in the game but knows the Golden Eagles are after a championship.
"We like to have chemistry with each other," Philo said. "We know that these games, as big as they are, we know each game is just another game."
Philo's barrage was accompanied by Sophomore guard Mandy Brink, who continued her outstanding February. Brink came off the bench firing, hitting two first-quarter threes. Her two triples were part of a 17-point night, a career-high. Brink has scored in double figures in five of her last six and helped Brockport get out to a 23-19 lead after one quarter.
Nazareth answered back with a three-point clinic of their own. Leading the way was Sophomore guard Madalyn Kelly. The Empire 8 Player Of The Week tallied three of the Golden Flyers' four triples in the second quarter.
Nazareth got open shots in favor of their ball movement. The Golden Flyers tallied 12 first-half assists, led by junior guard Katie MacLachlan. MacLachan probed in the paint, finishing the half with four assists, a team-high at the break.
Keeping the Golden Eagles afloat was standout junior guard Stephanie Jean-Baptiste. Coming off a 20-point first half a game ago, Jean-Baptiste found similar success in the first half against the Golden Flyers. The Jersey City native knocked down three of Brockport's nine first half threes on the way to a 14-point effort at the break, which saw Brockport clinging on to a 45-39 lead.
"I told them the old Pat Summit at half," Jones said. "Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, and rebounding wins championships. We came out of the half ready to do that."
Brockport came out in the third quarter working on all cylinders defensively. The Golden Eagles got back to their style of play, closing out on shooters and pushing the ball in transition. Brockport held Nazareth to 4-17 shooting in the third quarter, resulting in 20 points off fastbreaks.
The Golden Eagles offense leaned on senior guard Kaileigh Hunt in the third quarter. Hunt, who had 12 fourth-quarter points in Brockport's last outing against Nazareth, knocked down her 10th triple of the season in the third. Hunt's hit from beyond the arc was part of a nine-point third quarter as Brockport led 67-51.
Brockport's big second half had a lot to do with the scoring output of senior captain Shannon Blankenship. The guard ran the floor well and found an open jumper for Brockport's first field goal of the fourth quarter.
"She's on that court flying around and her shots are going in," Jones said. "She's having fun, and she's letting it fly."
With it, Blankenship tied a career-high with 14 points. Blankenship also went 4-4 from the free-throw line. It contributed to a 23-32 (71.9%) night from the charity stripe for the Golden Eagles.
"Free throws can win games," Philo said. "We've tried really hard to shoot them in practice every day."
Stephanie Jean-Baptiste had two of her five assists in the fourth quarter. It was part of a 22:9 assist-turnover ratio, along with five assists in every quarter for the Golden Eagles. Freshman guard Peyton Maneri led Brockport with seven assists.
Nazareth scored 35 fourth-quarter points behind the shooting of Katie MacLachlan and freshman guard Peyton Littlefield. The two combined for 13 fourth-quarter points and four three-pointers. However, it was too little too late as Brockport held on to take a 93-86 win.
The win advances Brockport to the Empire 8 championship game where they'll face SUNY Geneseo for a third time this season on Saturday. The former SUNYAC rivals meet in both their inaugural seasons in the Empire 8 to compete for a championship. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
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