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Ines Goryanova. Photo by Trent Peters.
Ines Goryanova doesn’t typically get nervous before games. She didn’t think Friday’s season-opener for the Putnam Science Academy girls’ Prep Black team was any different.
“But a lot of people were telling me I looked like I was,” said Goryanova, a first-year player at PSA who hails from London. “Maybe there were some nerves but I thought things went all right.”
That they did. Goryanova led the Mustangs to an 84-47 thumping of CCRI, finishing with a team-high 17 points plus four assists and seven steals. Her first bucket came after her first steal, deep in the backcourt, a lefty layup right around three minutes in. And it set the defensive tone for PSA, which harassed and pressured CCRI into turnovers, contested shots, and bad shots.
“I think it’s because on defense we’re a loud and energetic team and communication helps,” Goryanova said. “We’re just a strong team on defense. We like getting stops and steals and then running the floor. Defense is one of our biggest strengths for sure.
“As a team for our first game, we played well. There are obviously things that we need to sort out, like boxing out and rebounding, but for our first game, I thought we did really well. We ran well, we took shots we normally shoot, we defended. Overall, I thought it was good.”
Goryanova is a player whom PSA coach Devin Hill was excited to land a commitment from over the summer. As a member of the Class of 2024, Hill can build some culture and consistency with her for two more seasons beyond this one. And she is someone who has plenty of experience playing in high-pressure games. In fact, she led her British national U16 team to a national championship in February 2020 at the age of 14, a memory that is forever burned into her memory. The experience is something that can help her at PSA as well, particularly in terms of playing styles.
“Just playing with a lot of different people and meeting people at camps, it just helps you understand that everyone has a different playing style,” she said. “And learning to play with those different styles just makes you such a better player. For me, it was just developing new skills. So here at PSA, when we’re on the fast break, I know Janeya Grant) is a shooter, I know she’s going to be in the corner, so if I can drive it in a few more meters, and kick it to her, I know she’s there.”
Goryanova was one of, if not the best player on the team throughout the preseason, then carried it into Game 1. She could also end up being the team’s leading scorer this year with her well-rounded offensive game. Goryanova knocked down three 3-pointers, hit a couple of free throws, and then scored on drives and mid-range jumpers Friday. PSA was in control of CCRI throughout, leading 51-28 at halftime. Any time CCRI made a little run to get itself back in the game, Goryanova, Genevive Wedemeyer, Paris Kirk and others were there to answer back with a larger run of their own to balloon the lead some more.
Grant and Kirk both finished with 13 points, while Wedemeyer added 10 points and four steals. The Mustangs next game is November 11 against Vision Academy.
By Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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