John Jay Wins Fox Lane Tip Off Tournament

After defeating Poughkeepsie in a tight back and forth game in the semifinals of the Fox Lane Tip Off Tournament on Thursday Night, Saturday afternoon’s start looked like it would be a cruise for the John Jay girls. But a 20-5 first quarter lead against Blind Brook turned into some pretty choppy water for Indians. “Our girls would go on a run, Blind Brook would battle back and then we would make big shots,” said John Jay Head Coach Matt Gallagher. Of course, somebody had to laugh last when all was said and done.

“It feels great,” said Gallagher of his team’s 61-52 victory. “These girls make it a lot easier for me to coach. They come to play and compete every single day.”

On Saturday, Sarah Pieratti was the first to arrive. The tournament MVP’s two threes and two free throws put John Jay ahead for good at 10-0. She also hit a buzzer beater above the arc to build the 15 point lead.

In between, Center Kendall Miller dropped a jump shot and four foul shots, but Blind Brook’s guard play turned out to be a real eye opener going forward. Amassing 12 second quarter points, Gabriella Tucker opened the period with a three and closed it with a buzzer beater of her own. “She’s a really strong player, has a great step back and is hard to keep up with whether you go under or over the screen,” said Pieratti.

Kaitlyn Tangney also added six, and Blind Brook was very much alive. The 33-26 halftime score didn’t last, through.

Containing the momentum, Pieratti suffered no lay over after the half time intermission. The underclassman stepped right into another three ball and then left it to Miller’s offensive rebounding. Two free throws on the foul down low and a put back by the towering senior extended the lead to 14 with four minutes left in the third.

Of course, Blind Brook stuck to the script, and Tangney held off the run away again. Her six third quarter points had Blind Brook within eight at 43-35.

But Shannon Nolan’s foul shots to close the quarter set the tone for another punch back by John Jay. Miller calmly hit two short jumpers and gave the Indians a 48-35 lead with 6:30 remaining in the game. “She a very special player with so many amazing qualities and is always ready to compete,” Gallagher said of Miller, who put a good deal of calm into Friday night’s win against Poughkeepsie.

A lot of pace on both ends, only 10 total points were tallied in the first quarter, “They played frantic so we played frantic,” Gallagher said after the Poughkeepsie game.

The second quarter had Gallagher imploring his girls to get back into their game. “We need to play relaxed and composed,” he told his girls. “We have to find the open space and attack.”

In turn, Miller made the most of the game plan and sunk Poughkeepsie with a number of key jump shots. But any hope for Peekskill had Miller stepping up on the defensive end. Tucker making yet another run at the hoop at 57-47, the little guard was no match for the John Jay giant and the rejection set Pieratti up for the last two nails in the coffin.

The finality probably didn’t hurt in the MVP voting either, and the senior’s overall game and 23 points drew praise from Gallagher. “She’s someone we’ve been hoping to have a game like this. I give her a ton of credit,” concluded the winning coach.

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