John Jay girls basketball rally falls short against Croton

Lina Halaifonua tries to block a shot for the Wolves. Avery Bisignano shoots a lay up for John Jay. Bea Hill shoots a jumper in the lane at Croton. Jim MacLean Photos

By Jim MacLean

Three shots in the final 22 seconds of the game, hitting the rim and coming oh so close, but none of them fell through the hoop as the John Jay girls varsity basketball team suffered a tough 43-41 setback on the road at Croton-Harmon on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

John Jay had staged a huge comeback in the third period, rallying from an 11-point deficit to the host Tigers to tie it up at 36-36 heading into the final quarter. The Wolves had their chances throughout the fourth, but the shots just wouldn’t fall as Croton held on for the win.

“We played hard, they always play hard, but we just couldn’t make a couple of shots when we really needed them to fall, just one of those days,” explained John Jay coach Matt Gallagher. “We battled to the end, but just couldn’t finish. It just didn’t roll our way today, even though we got a lot of shots and opportunities.”

John Jay got off to a hot start as Avery Bisignano hit a three-pointer for the Wolves, but Croton used its size advantage inside to take the momentum and build a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Wolves responded and took the lead early in the second quarter as Gianna Pelosi scored and Gabby Camaj hit a three-pointer to make it 12-10, but Croton answered inside as Julia Junkovic scored 13 and Johanna Hough scored 11 by halftime for a 26-23 lead.

Croton came out strong to start the second half on a 10-2 run to build a 36-25 lead, but then John Jay got hot as Charlotte Omin hit a three pointer and Camaj scored the next six points of the game. Helena Schembri then finished off the 11-0 run for John Jay as she came up with a steal and scored at the buzzer to tie it up at 36-36 at the end of the third quarter.

“We constantly tell them to do it on the defensive side of the ball and turn that into offense,” Gallagher said of the third quarter run. “We picked it up defensively and put the pressure on them and were able to make a big run. We did a much better job on their big girls in the second half, the girls stepped up in a big way on defense and I’m proud of them for that, they worked hard.”

Croton opened up the fourth quarter with a three-pointer and another hoop to take a 41-36 lead as John Jay went cold and came away empty on numerous opportunities before Camaj hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to three points at 42-39. The Wolves had to keep fouling to save time on the clock and that resulted in Pelosi and Camaj both fouling out in the final minutes.

Kylie Bishop came through with a hoop in the final minute to cut the lead down to 43-41, and John Jay regained possession for the final 22 seconds of the game, but could not get the tying shot to fall.

Camaj led the Wolves with 12 points, while Pelosi and Omin each scored eight points. Schembri finished with six points, Bisignano scored three points, and both Bea Hill and Bishop added two points to round out the scoring for John Jay.

“Gianna and Gabby, when they go we go,” Gallagher said of Pelosi and Camaj. “When they’re scoring and moving the ball, we just flow so much better and play with more confidence on the floor. Everybody else follows along and feeds off of their confidence.”

John Jay did score an impressive win on the road last Wednesday at Edgemont as the Wolves dominated in the second half to come home with a 61-33 victory over the host Panthers. It was a balanced attack with three players scoring in double figures for the Wolves. Pelosi finished with 15 points to lead the way, while Omin scored 13 points, and Camaj was also in double figures with 11 points. Bishop added eight points for the Wolves.

“This is a tough one to swallow, but we’re moving in the right direction and we’ll get there,” said Gallagher. “We just have to keep working and get right back after it tomorrow.”

John Jay was set to face Rye Neck on the road on Wednesday, Jan. 21, and the Wolves then host Pleasantville on Friday, Jan. 23, to start a four-game home stand.