MANCHESTER, NH – The Griffins just kept battling back
Down, repeatedly, throughout Friday night’s Division-IV quarterfinal matchup, the Holy Family Academy girls basketball team (16-3) kept giving the home fans something to cheer for.
With chants of “H-F-A” filling the gymnasium, the Griffins’ never-say-die attitude carried them into overtime.
There, however, the reality of having four of their top players foul out in the the last six minutes of the contest proved too much for the third-ranked hosts to overcome, and visiting Farmington (17-3), the tourney six-seed, was able to pull off the 51-47 upset to advance to the state semifinals.
“It wasn’t just playing without four of our best four players. You know, our bench is one (player) and then we have two eighth graders, who have very little, almost no experience, so it was 4-on-5 at the end of overtime,” said Holy Family head coach Joseph Williams. “It’s amazing that it was only a four-point game, when you think about it.”
Down, 10-5, after the first quarter, Holy Family stormed back before halftime, scoring 14 points in the last four minutes of the second, including 12 from Ryenn Pedone, to head to the locker room with a 19-17 lead.
“She’s a big-time player. You know, we did everything we could to stop her and she was still really, really tough,” said Farmington head coach.John Simmers. “We chased her around a little bit tonight.”
After a back-and-forth third, the Griffins entered the fourth quarter with a 32-26 advantage.
The Tigers clawed back down the stretch, taking the lead just before the four-minute mark. They were winning by three with 30-seconds before Holy Family forced OT.
Center Liz Kenza Yonkeu pulled down countless rebounds throughout the game to keep her team in the game, and scored two of her four points on free throws in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter to extend the game.
Grace Thibault, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, finished with 13 points, while Pedone netted a game-high 19 points in the contest, including a big coast-to-coast layup – off a Yonkeu defensive rebound and assist – late in the fourth quarter to help force overtime.
Both Pedone and Yonkeu, as well as senior spark plug Mariana Vicinanzo, were forced out of the game after collecting their fifth fouls in the extra frame.
“They gave everything they had,” said Williams. “Before the game, I was talking to them and told them, we can’t control outcome, but we can control effort, we can control what we’re adding to the game, and these girls, they went out there and they literally poured themselves out on this court.”
For the victors, Shaylee Diprizio provided 16 points, while Zoey Johnson led Farmington with 17. Anna Cardinal added eight markers to the winning effort, including two in overtime.
“Zoey and Shaylee did a great job handling the ball and handling the pressure for us tonight,” said Simmers.
While the Tigers now head to the state semifinals where they’re scheduled to face No. 2 Groveton at White Mountains High School at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Griffins bid farewell to senior captains Vicinanzo and Annie McGee.
“Annie has a lot going on. She may not have the same love and passion for basketball that some of her teammates, but her schedule is such that she wasn’t going to be able to be able to play … and she made a really sacrificial decision to commit and play, and that was enormous,” said Williams. “Not only did she carry us through to getting Liz back (from injury) but then she was asked to be kind of a utility player and get out of her comfort zone. She played up high, she played down low, she was everywhere we needed her to be.”
Like McGee, Vicinanzo has been with the program for six years and had her best season as a senior, Williams added.
“Mariana had such a good attitude. Just a quiet example, never a complaint, and you see how she hustles, she’s one of the smallest players on the court had more rebounds than most of the girls out there,” he said. “And she does it all with a big smile on her face.”
Though the attitude’s and commitment of both seniors will be tough to replace, the Griffins are likely to bring back the talented trio of Thibault, Pedone and Yonkeu, all with another year of playoff experience under their belts.
“They’re just going to keep getting better,” said Williams. “We’ve got a lot of promise coming up for next year.”