Mike Junsch was unsure if his team was going to be able to beat St. Francis Prep for the second straight year after falling behind by seven with two minutes left in the game. His team on the other hand was not.
Poly Prep senior guard Katie Friel had words of advice and confidence for her coach.
“She said, ‘Coach, we need to press right now and Coach we are going to win this game on the press,’” Junsch said. “We did and we won the game.”
The Blue Devils were able to turn the Terriers over and make their free throws down the stretch to secure a 48-44 win in non-league girls basketball Wednesday in Fresh Meadows. The Blue Devils won last year’s meeting 40-39 on a Lily Donahue buzzer beater.
Friel scored 10 of her game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter and was 8-of-10 from the free throw line for the frame. Jacquie Kennedy had 12 points, Kerri Saputo added eight points and Anna-Lisa Westfield had 12 rebounds. Poly shot 24-of-32 from the charity stripe in the contest.
“We forced them to turn the ball over and got a couple of steals and got a couple of baskets,” Junsch said.
The Blue Devils (3-0) led 26-11 at the half thanks to some St. Francis Prep (0-2) foul trouble that put them in the double bonus just 2:00 in the second quarter. The Terriers, who were not making their 3-pointers in the first half, did so after the break and outscored Poly, which was pushing off misses, 17-7 in the third quarter. Veronica Ganzi scored all 13 of her points in the second half, including two 3-pointers and Chelsea Brandamart had nine points on three treys for SFP.
“I’m very pleased, to beat St. Francis Prep at St. Francis Prep is a great win,” Junsch said.
The coach has stressed the importance of free throws in winning close games since Poly’s NYSAISAA semifinals loss to Staten Island Academy last season. His players have been forces to take it extra serious at practice and that time has been nicknamed “study hall.”
“This was very good for us, because I think they are buying into this,” Junsch said. “They just said, ‘Coach, ‘study hall’ seems to be working.”