by Parma Heights, OH- Holy Name defeated Horizon Science Academy 65-12 behind double digit point performances from Mary Elise Rispoli, Honesti Williams, and Claire Coljohn.
The first quarter started off slow for both teams with the Dragons and Green Wave trading turnovers. It wasn’t until Alyssa Forgach drained 2 free throws to open the scoring. This opened the floodgates as Holy Name would record a kill shot before Horizon even had a point on the board. The run would get to 12-0 before Donshanay Ellis sunk 2 free throws of her own. However, Holy Name’s offense kept their foot on the gas by ending the quarter on a 9-2 run to extend their lead 21-4 going into the second quarter.
The second quarter brought more of the same for both sides. Horizon was able to score a few more buckets as Ty’Shyra Ward posted 5 points in the first half. For the Green Wave, the 3-ball along with defense stops turning into offense dominated. Rispoli, Breanna Minch, and Noemi Cartagena all converted from downtown. The Green Wave put together hustle play after hustle play which led them to a 23-point second quarter. Going into the half, Holy Name led 44-10 with Rispoli posting 10 points.
The second half had one major theme throughout—defense. The Green Wave converted a shot quick from the free throw line to introduce the running clock. Because of this running clock, Holy Name was only able to score 8 points in the third. However, it was Angelina LaManna who took on the role of making hustle plays. Her first involvement was blocking a shot inside the paint while grabbing the rebound off of the missed second effort. Soon after, she would draw a foul driving to the basket. This led Holy Name to a 42-point lead heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter once again saw more of the same as Holy Name would outscore the Dragons 13-2. These 2 points would be the only ones scored by Horizon in the second half. The quarter would start with Coljohn driving to the hoop to record her only 2 points in the final frame. Williams’ presence was also felt in this quarter for the Green Wave as her tall frame allowed her to score putback opportunities at will. She went on to score 8 of her 12 total points in the fourth. Talking to Holy Name’s head coach Chris Petitti, he said that Williams has been working hard at practice to earn more time on the court. He also reiterated Williams’ stellar play underneath the hoop. One final rebound from Cartagena led to the Green Wave dribbling out the clock to seal their 65-12 victory.
This loss dropped Horizon Science Academy to 1-2 on the year. They return to the court on Monday night against Our Lady of the Elms at 5PM. Holy Name improves to 3-1 for the first time under Coach Petitti as they will host Lakewood Saturday afternoon at 12:30PM who enter the contest with a 1-3 record.
Horizon Science Academy Key Players:
#2 Ta’Shyra Ward: 5 Points
#3 Donshanay Ellis: 2 Points
#10 Maya Weekly: 4 Points
Holy Name Key Players:
#10 Mary Elise Rispoli
#25 Honesti Williams
#35 Claire Coljohn
Player of the Game: Mary Elise Rispoli
