St. Peter’s knew full well it was better than the way it played in the first half, trailing by double digits.
“We weren’t able to connect,” junior Jamie O’Hare said. “But once we started getting more aggressive and realizing we shouldn’t have been playing scared we pulled it all together as a team.”
It was the guard that also started connecting from long range. She scored 12 of her 25 points in the third quarter on four 3-pointers to help lead the Eagles to a 67-63 win over East Orange in the A New Years Resolution girls basketball event at John F. Kennedy HS in Patterson, N.J., Saturday.
She hit five treys in the game. Christine Kline tallied 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists. Megan Burns added 10 points. St. Peter’s (6-3) trailed 35-23 at the half and 51-48 after three, but took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter.
“I focused as best I could and started hitting shots that I wouldn’t have hit without the intensity and fire in the team, especially Christine,” O’Hare said. “She played an amazing game from the start.
A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
South Shore 53, John F. Kennedy (N.J.) 42: Jasmine Odom was named game MVP with eight points and four assists, Aliyah Cooley had 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Jenice Winter had nine points and eight rebounds for South Shore (9-3) against the host team.
John F. Kennedy 50, Career (Conn.) 48: Joya McFarland had 17 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead Kennedy (10-6) at Paterson (N.J.) John F. Kennedy. Sarah (Bama) Vann had nine points and Shaquaya Daniels had eight for the Knights against one of the top teams from Connecticut.
PRO HOOPS PHILLY/NEW YORK CHALLENGE
Nazareth Academy (Pa.) 53, Archbishop Molloy 38: Amani Tatum had 10 points despite playing less than a half due to an ankle injury for Molloy (5-5) at Archbishop Ryan. Alexa (Weasel) Dietrich and Kamille Ejerta each had seven for the Stanners, who played at noon and drove down Saturday morning.
“We should have stayed overnight,” Molloy coach Tom Catalanotto said. “We were sleeping the whole first half.”
Catalanotto said Tatum will be icing her ankle this weekend and is questionable for Monday’s big game against Christ the King.
Archbishop Ryan (Pa.) 41, Manhattan Center 26: Brea Castro Gambrell had nine points, but was just 3-of-12 from the free throw line for Manhattan Center (5-9) against the host team in Philadelphia. Kiarah Dunlap had seven points and freshman point guard Cashmir Fulcher added six.
CHSAA STATEN ISLAND
Moore Catholic 59, St. Joseph Hill 35: Taylor Baggs scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds and Christina Rubin had 16 points for Moore Catholic (8-1, 2-0) in CHSAA Staten Island. Taylor Robertson and Nicole Arnone each added eight points. Kelsey Carey tallied 18 points to for Hill (6-5, 1-2).
NON-LEAGUE
Bishop Kearney 58, Kellenberg 47: Sam Retas scored a game-high 26 points and Maureen O’Sullivan dropped in 14 for Bishop Kearney (3-7). The Tigers broke a seven-game losing streak playing its second straight game without Taylor Raccuglia (shoulder). Katie Flynn led Kellenberg (6-5) with 18 points and Geena Maniaci added eight.
Bergtraum, Grand Street game canceled: Grand Street Campus did not show up for a scheduled non-league game against host Murry Bergtraum at noon Saturday. Lady Blazers coach Ed Grezinsky had already paid for refs and instead had an intra-squad scrimmage, according to assistant Kirby Dixon. Grand Street coach Corey McFarlane did not return Grezinsky’s calls, Dixon said.
McFarlane told The Post in December that he was thinking about canceling the game. He did not return a voicemail message from The Post on Saturday.