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When PSA’s Prep Black teams take the court for this weekend’s Independent Schools National Championships in North Carolina, Molly Moffitt wants her teammates to remember something very basic: Have fun.
“It sounds so simple,” said Moffitt, the Mustangs’ second-leading scorer this season, “but it’s so easy to lose sight of that. We need to remember – me included – why we even play this game and why we love it.
“I love it for all the things it’s given to me. Basketball is a chance to compete, to go out and get better, a chance to meet incredible people, and to play with teammates I love. Yes, we’re going there wanting to win a national championship, and we have talked about that since the first day, but I think if we can go and just play, and just have fun, then the moment doesn’t get too big and I think we’re going to be OK.”
The Mustangs had one game scheduled this week before heading to Mooresville, N.C. (about 30 miles north of Charlotte), Wednesday at Winchendon. Minus the outcome of that game, PSA enters nationals with momentum. They fell to 5-5 after losing at St. Andrew’s in late January; another late loss for PSA, which has led in the second half of each game it has dropped. But since then, the Mustangs had rolled off five straight wins.
The fifth of those was Friday, 57-53 at Brewster.
“It wasn’t pretty but we will take it,” coach Devin Hill said after Moffitt scored 18 and Ines Goryanova had 17. “We’re still learning how to finish games. But I always tell them that good teams find a way to win, and bad teams find a way to lose. So we found a way to win.”
The night before, a 30-point win at Monroe College, might have been the season-turner. Goryanova had 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, and Paris Kirk had 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench to pace a balanced scoring attack in which nine players scored at least five points.
“Best game of our season,” Hill said. “It’s the first time we’ve put together a complete game. I told them afterward that our energy and effort was there from start to finish and everyone contributed to the win.
“We’ve won lately but have not played our best. This felt different. Hopefully we’re peaking at the right time.”
Tuesday night, Jada Mills and Goryanova had 14 points apiece in a 64-58 win at Storm King School, while Janeya Grant finished with 13.
“I think we’re in a good spot mentally going into North Carolina,” Grant said. “There are definitely some things we need to clean up and get better at on the court, but I like where we are a lot better than before we won these five in a row.
“We’ve led in every game we’ve lost. For us, I think finishing games is just being on the same page and executing what we want to do when we have that lead. I think we’ve been better at that, and I hope we get a chance to show that this weekend.”
Said Moffitt: “It’s about the moment. I think at times the moment may have gotten too big for us and we’ve lost leads and lost games. So if we are able to just stay in the moment, and not treat every mistake like it’s a huge deal, that’s when we’re really good. We have fun and just play.
“We’re excited to go play for a national championship. It’s been our goal since the beginning. It’s going to be a great experience for us to go out and be together one more time.”
PSA’s Prep Red team, which is also heading to Mooresville for the weekend, went 2-1 last week, with road wins Hoosac (67-53) and Vermont Academy (77-25) sandwiched
around a road loss to Bradford Christian Academy (63-57). Zuza Komor had 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists against Hoosac, while Zoé Bayer had 10 points and a pair of steals. Alice Meunier finished with eight points and seven rebounds, Astou Ndiaye nine points and six rebounds, and Lilly Krysinski seven points for the Mustangs. Bayer continued her outstanding season with another big game against Vermont, tallying 22 points, six steals, and four assists. Thompson native Hailey Johnson had her best game of the season, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the year, and Komor added 14 points and four steals for the Mustangs (7-5). Meunier chipped in 11 points, six boards, three steals, and a pair of assists in the win. Komor had 13 points and Meunier grabbed 12 rebounds against Bradford.
By Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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