Mary Louis guard Karin Robinson’s 25 points weren’t enough for the Hilltoppers. (Damion Reid)
Francis Lewis didn’t look like it was playing shorthanded Wednesday morning.
Without Kelly Robinson, the star guard headed for UMass in the fall, Francis Lewis strolled into Lower Manhattan and handled Mary Louis, 72-63, in the Bergtraum Holiday Classic.
Robinson, who injured her left knee in Tuesday’s win over Western (Md.), was missed against the Hilltoppers’ press, but her absence wasn’t nearly as debilitating as once feared, for one day at least. Coach Steve Tsai rotated Tatiana Wilson, Jasmine Davis and Shenita Urquhart at the point, and received contributions from nearly his entire roster.
Wilson led the charge, scoring 25 points, dishing out five assists and grabbing four rebounds. Ayana Duncanson had 10 points and 10 rebounds, Davis had nine points and Sabrina Jeridore had 8 points – all from the free throw line – 16 rebounds and nine blocks. Tyese Purvis added eight points and Urquhart had seven.
Said Tsai: “I’ve been telling them this isn’t a one-person team.”
“We proved to ourselves and everybody else we don’t need Kelly for everything,” Wilson added. “We can still win tough games.”
This clearly fit into that category, a game featuring a pair of top 10 teams in The Post’s New York City girls basketball rankings. No. 6 Mary Louis routed PSAL power and No. 5 South Shore, last year’s city runner-up, on Tuesday, and led much of the first half. No. 7 Lewis held a 29-27 advantage at halftime, but trailed 42-37 midway through the third quarter before erupting with a 21-2 run that bridged the final two stanzas.
“With them playing a late game yesterday and not having Kelly Robinson, I thought we would be the ones bursting with energy,” Mary Louis coach Joe Lewinger said. “I don’t think it was a lack of effort. I think they played better than us.”
Lewinger was happy the Hilltoppers (5-2) were able to win two of three games in a recent stretch without forwards Andrea Busch, Liz Gully and Julia O’Connor, making life difficult in the paint. Of the troika, only Busch won’t be back this year. He would like to see better ball movement, though, and not Karin Robinson (25 points) dominating possession, as she did in the second half.
“I call it a crutch,” Lewinger said. “I said to them: I don’t know what your college careers will bring, but this is your time. I don’t think they took advantage.”
Wilson was one of five Patriots (10-0) to score in the furious game-turning spurt, tallying seven points. She wasn’t done. After Mary Louis drew within 65-59 on six straight Karin Robinson points, she drained a 3-pointer and sank a pretty runner in the lane.
On the long jumper, Wilson hesitated. Tsai pulled her in the first quarter when she took too many long shots, mistaking aggressiveness for poor shot selection.
“If this doesn’t go in, I’m gonna get in trouble,” she thought to herself. “But I was so open.”
Tsai was pleased with Wilson’s all-around game, particularly that she helped beat Mary Louis’ press, found open teammates, and did a commendable job defensively on Karin Robinson. Wilson averaged 11 points per game as a sophomore, but rarely did anything else but score. This year, her numbers have slightly gone down in league play.
“She’s beginning to understand being a good basketball player is not just about scoring points,” the second-year coach said.
The Patriots grew up on Wednesday, too. While they are hopeful Kelly Robinson will return soon – she has yet to see a doctor – being without the stalwart senior for a couple of games can do her teammates some good. Tsai said Francis Lewis practices without Kelly Robinson occasionally to prepare for such a situation.
“It definitely boosts up our confidence,” Jeridore said. “By not having Kelly and showing we can win a big game like this, we made a big statement.”
Injury status: Kelly Robinson’s physical therapist told her and her family that there is some looseness in her injured left knee and that it’s likely that the Lewis senior guard has an MCL injury — either a sprain or slight tear, Rodney Robinson, Kelly’s father, told The Post.
The Robinsons will schedule an MRI on Monday and Kelly is out indefinitely, but it doesn’t seem like she has torn her ACL. She tore the ACL in her right knee three years ago.
Additional reporting by Marc Raimondi