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captions, from left:
Goryanova
Grant. Twin Vizuals photos
Wedemeyer
The brackets are set, the matchups are made. All that’s left is to win four straight games.
That’s the task facing Putnam Science Academy’s girls’ Prep basketball team as it heads to North Carolina for the Independent School National Tournament this weekend. Win four in a row and return national champions.
“It’s a tough bracket,” Mustangs coach Devin Hill said, “but that’s what’s to be expected. Everyone who played big minutes last year are back. And those who weren’t there last year have played in a bunch of big games, so you know, you hope we’ll be OK.”
PSA opens with Legion Collegiate of South Carolina in the first round, at 4:10 p.m. Feb. 17 in Mooresville, N.C. The winners’ side of the schedule would have the Mustangs playing again Saturday at 2 p.m., then again Saturday at 7:20 p.m. in the Final Four, then finally Sunday at 1:40 for the championship.
“This is what we’ve been talking about all year,” said point guard and leading scorer Ines Goryanova. “We were really disappointed in how we finished last year, and this has been our focus since we got back to campus. Since before that, really. We talked last year on the ride home about going back and winning it this year. I like our team, I like our chances, of course. We have to play well, but it helps that we’re finally healthy and have Sophia back.”
Sophia is Sophia Fontaine, the Mustangs’ most accomplished post player who has been in and out of the lineup this year with injuries. But she is healthy now, having returned to practice a week ago, and she is a difference-maker.
The Stetson University-bound Fontaine, a postgrad in her first year at PSA, is a terrific defensive rebounder, and as an older player provides a calming presence. And for a PSA team that is heavily reliant on its 3-point shooting, her physical presence in the post gives the Mustangs something different to look for.
“That’s why I’m so big on Sophia getting back,” Hill said. “We try to make it a point of emphasis to get paint touches and then kick it out. She gives us someone to throw it to on offense to get some points inside and collapse the defense so we don’t go so much into swing, swing, swing, shoot a 3. She gives us the ability to deliberately get the ball inside and play off of her in that way. She may not get 15 shots attempts, but she could surely get 10. She gives us a different look and changes the way we do things.
“But hopefully we’ll be hot this weekend too and make all our 3s.”
The Mustangs are actually a young team, as three of their top four scorers – Goryanova, Janeya Grant, and KC Cedano – will all be back next year. They’re also experienced, as Goryanova, Grant, Genevive Wedemeyer, Jada Mills, and Astou Ndiaye were all on last year’s team that finished fourth in this tournament.
“Ines was good last year in the tournament, but she wasn’t her best. Janeya was good and definitely had some big moments, but she wasn’t her best either,” Hill said. “Gen has gotten so much better than last year, and she had some big moments too last year. You never know who it’s going to be. Last year, it was Paris (Kirk), and she didn’t have the kind of regular season she wanted. So it could be any of them. That’s the beauty of it.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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