BROOKLYN, NY- Especially in the Fall Season of the Rose Classic you can walk into the gym at JHS 113 and get a chance to see a preview of what may be to come in the upcoming high school season.
That was exactly that case on Saturday as Positive Direction (The Mary Louis Academy) took on Craig's Lady Terriers (St. Francis Prep) which meant a matchup of BQGCHSAA teams with high hopes for a possible title run.
From start to finish in this one it was TMLA that had firm control as the backcourt duo of Khya Hough '21 and Breauna Ware '22 proved to be too much for the Terriers to handle as they would combine for 36 points in Positive Direction's 44-36 victory on Saturday morning.
Right out of the gate the Mary Louis backcourt jumped on SFP as Hough and Ware combined to score the first 9 points of the game putting the Terriers in an early hole before JeAnna Cunningham '20 got in good position down low to finish and score her team’s first points off the game with 11:28 to go in the half.
While a sluggish start for sure, St. Francis Prep was able to claw back into it with MacKayla Scarlett '20 connecting on a three to cut the Terriers deficit to just 10-9 with just 8:12 to go, but Ware's explosiveness proved to be difficult to contain as off the dribble she was more than a handful not allowing the Hilltoppers to surrender the lead.
Ware showed her range from the outside was just as strong as her ability to attack and beat defenders one on one as she had 12 opening half points to help Positive Direction take a 23-17 lead at the break, with the Terriers not leading at any point over the first 16 minutes of play.
That fact didn't hold true for very long as St. Francis Prep went on a 7-0 run to behind the second half as Scarlett drained a three ball, and then Cunningham was able to finish with her back to the basket on back to back possessions putting the Terriers in front for the first time at 24-23 with 11:56 to go.
Hough made sure that SFP lead was short lived though as she was able to push in transition and get the lead back for the Hilltoppers, a lead that wouldn't relinquish as St. Francis Prep led for a total of 7 seconds the entire game.
Mary Louis didn't have many others find offensive opportunities before Ware and Hough but that didn't seem to matter as they did a good enough job as a team on the boards with Ciarra Quinn '21 and Kate Hughes '20 both proving to be valuable assets on the glass and finding teammates in second and third chance situations.
The closest St. Francis Prep would get in the final 5 minutes of the game as 36-34 when Scarlett hit a midrange jumper with 1:54 to play, but Hough was unflappable after that going 8-8 from the FT line, not giving the Terriers any chance to get closer. Defensively, Positive Direction was sound and they were able to make enough plays late to hold off a very talented St. Francis Prep team while opening some eyes in the process as the group from The Mary Louis Academy found a way to pull away late for the 44-36 victory.
Leading all scorers with 19 points was Hough for TMLA, 13 of which came in the second half, while Ware added 17 as they look to be a very formidable duo that will give all the CHSAA problems this season.
For St. Francis Prep it was Scarlett who had 14 points with Cunningham chipping in with 12 in the defeat, though playing without an important piece in guard Skye Owen '22 on Saturday it's easy to see why the Terriers will be in the mix for a championship with their size, speed, and depth combination across the floor.
On this day at the Rose Classic though it was Positive Direction and the Hilltoppers that proved they will be a team to watch moving forward this season with head coach JoAnn Arbitello-Pinnock poised to have another group that should make a good amount of noise in the rough and tough CHSAA "AA".
