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KING OF PRUSSIA – Jessica Moore felt a little more emotional than usual when she took the court for Upper Merion’s ‘Shoot for the Cure’ contest against Radnor on Monday night.It was easy to understand why.
“My godmother died from breast cancer last year,” the Vikings’ senior guard said. “I’ve known her all my life, so it kind of makes me sad when I think about her, especially tonight. This meant a lot.”
Upper Merion’s gymnasium was a sea of pink on a night set aside to promote breast cancer awareness.
Many in the large crowd wore the pink tie-dyed t-shirts the team had sold. Others were disappointed to discover that all of the 475 shirts had been sold before the two teams took the court.
“I think we’re a small and really close-knit (school),” senior Lisa Ridgeway said. “You walk through the hallways, and you know everyone.
“People look to sports for leadership, and everybody follows that. We have done this for three years, and even the boys are buying the pink t-shirts every year. That’s dedication.”
And if the Vikings needed a boost when they squared off against a Red Raider squad in a battle for seeding position in the upcoming District One AAA Tournament, they got it from their dedicated and vocal fans.
“They mean everything,” Ridgeway said. “You could even tell they affected Radnor – one time they threw the ball off the back of a girl’s head, and that’s very uncharacteristic of them.
“I think they were overwhelmed with the fans the whole night.”
Buoyed by their fans, the Vikings exploded for 22 second-quarter points en route to a 37-24 halftime lead. They led by as many as 19 midway through the third quarter before the Red Raiders staged a ferocious comeback, trimming the Vikings’ lead to five before they regrouped for an important 55-45 win.
Last year, the Red Raiders routed the Vikings 63-38 in a late-season contest.
“I think we gave them a payback,” Moore said. “We wanted to win really, really bad, especially in front of our home crowd.”
“Last year we were struggling, and that was the deciding game whether we would get to the playoffs,” Ridgeway said. “Last year, we just blew it. They creamed us.
“I think this was about getting the respect back. It was imperative that we win. We had to win. They’re a good team. If they sense you’re a little bit tentative, they will take advantage.”
There was certainly nothing tentative about Ridgeway, who scored a game-high 21 points. She scored nine of those in the pivotal second quarter when the Vikings seized control of the game.
The Vikings, who found themselves deadlocked with the Red Raiders 17-17 early in the second quarter, went on top 22-18 after Paola Tinari took a steal coast-to-coast. Then it was Ridgeway scoring on a nifty baseline drive under her defender.
The Red Raiders interrupted that run with a bucket by Alison Heath, but freshman Cassidy Koenig, who was just getting warmed up, answered with a trey that put the Vikings on top 27-20. Another Koenig three-pointer – she had four treys and scored 13 points off the bench – gave the Vikings their first double-digit lead (30-20).
A Radnor turnover resulted in a Ridgeway bucket at the other end, and after the Red Raiders’ Hannah Rose Nussbaum connected on one-of-two from the foul line, Alex Galdi turned a Moore steal into a basket. Another Red Raider turnover resulted in a Ridgeway three-pointer, putting the Vikings on top 37-21.
The Vikings extended that lead to 45-26 when Koenig buried a trey at the 4:38 mark of the third quarter. The Red Raiders used a 10-1 burst to make it a 10-point game, but Koenig closed out the quarter with a trey from the top of the circle, sending the Vikings into the final quarter with a 49-36 lead.
The Vikings did not score again until 1:42 remained in the game. By that time, the Red Raiders had made it a 49-42 game.
A three-point play by Kelyn Freedman with 1:11 remaining cut the Vikings’ lead to 50-45, but Moore, who had 11 points, sank both ends of a one-and-one.“There were intervals, we started separating, but we came back together,” Ridgeway said. “As long as we stay together as a team – you don’t want mistakes, but if you’re playing as a team and you have those mistakes, you’ll pull through.”
Seconds later, Moore came up with a steal on the defensive end that – thanks to a nifty fake at the end of a fast break - she turned into a three-point play to put the Vikings on top 55-45 with 51 seconds remaining. They went on to win by that score.
“We stuck together,” Moore said.
Schurtz was pleased to see his team finish strong.
“When we got up by (19), there was a moment we stopped playing to score,” the Vikings’ coach said. “The one thing I was really proud of was they didn’t quit. They got it as close as five – we bent, but we never broke. That’s a testament to our senior leadership. We have three very good senior leaders.”
Two of those seniors – Ridgeway and Moore – combined to account for 32 of their team’s points. The third, Katie Boyk, gave the Vikings important minutes off the bench defending the dangerous Freedman.
The win upped the Vikings’ record to 15-5. The Red Raiders are also 15-5.
“This is a really big win for us,” Shurtz said. “We’re both AAA teams. I don’t know exactly how it will shake out. I would like to get a home game, but you don’t know. There are so many good teams in AAA.
“Tonight was a big step, but it doesn’t mean as much if we don’t come out and play well against Wissahickon and we don’t come out and play well against Upper Dublin. There will be no easy games in our last two games.”
EXTRA SHOTS: In addition to the fans, the cheerleaders also wore the pink tie-died shirts, the coaches were attired in pink and the players wore pink socks. As part of the fund raiser, a raffle was held for pink hoodies that had been donated, donations were accepted at the door, and all the proceeds of the snack stand were donated to the cause. Although Schurtz didn’t have a final tally, the sale of t-shirts alone had netted $2,000, and the joint venture – which also will include the girls’ soccer team this spring – is expected to raise the total that has been donated to the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition over the past three years to $15,000.
UPPER MERION 55, RADNOR 45
Radnor (45) – Cunilio 0 0-0 0, Gallagher 0 0-0 0, Freedman 7 4-5 18, Ganger 2 0-0 5, Lally 2 0-4 4, Buckley 2 1-4 5, Martin 1 0-0 2, Evans 0 0-0 0, Nussbaum 0 1-2 1, Heath 5 0-0 10. Totals 19 6-15 45
Upper Merion (55) – Briana Alvarez 1 1 1-3 3, Paola Tinari 1 1-3 3, Lisa Ridgeway 7 6-13 21, Jess Moore 3 5-9 11, Alex Galdi 2 0-0 4, Katie Boyk 0 0-0 0, Cassidy Koenig 4 1-2 13. Totals 18 15-30 55.
Radnor 13 11 12 9-45
Upper Merion 15 22 12 6-55
Three-point goals: Radnor – Ganger. Upper Merion – Cassidy Koenig 3, Lisa Ridgeway 1.
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