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Girls basketball: Carrollwood Day 68, Brooks DeBartolo 58

 
Published Dec. 8, 2017|Updated Dec. 8, 2017

TAMPA — Not even two weeks ago, Carrollwood Day School traveled to take on Brooks DeBartolo in the Patriots' second game of the season. The Phoenix gave the Patriots all they could handle, notching 20 steals on the way to a seven-point victory.

"We couldn't hit the broadside of a barn that night," CDS coach Karim Nohra recalled. "(We were) 0-for-6 from the line, missed layups. Just awful."

In the days that followed, Nohra's young team — the Patriots have no seniors and just one junior on the roster — played three games, winning all of them. And when CDS hosted the Phoenix for a rematch Thursday, the seasoned coach was prepared to see that streak continue.

"He reminded us to just stay calm, just move through the press, don't try to dribble through," guard Tarriyonna Gary said. "Just pass and try to find open people."

And in the early going Thursday, there were quite a few options for the Patriots.

In the first quarter, Carrollwood Day jumped out to a big lead from which the Phoenix could never recover, and CDS staved off a Brooks DeBartolo fourth-quarter rally on the way to a 68-58 victory.

Behind a balanced, first-quarter effort from Weeyah McGill, Gary and CC Mays, the Patriots wasted no time taking a sizable lead. The Phoenix had six turnovers in the first quarter alone, and Carrollwood Day couldn't seem to miss a shot. CDS led by as many as 16 points in the first half.

Before the break, Carrollwood Day (6-1) put its depth on display, getting points from five of the 10 girls on the roster. Gary finished the night with 20 points, and two other Patriots had double-digit performances.

"That's a great thing," Gary said about her team's depth. "We don't want just one player who can score 30 points. We want a whole team that can score all around the perimeter — the bigs, the guards, everyone."

In the second half, Brooks DeBartolo (3-2) made adjustments. Carrollwood Day's shooting began to suffer, and Constance Thomas, who led the Phoenix with 18 points, began to find her stride.

And so, too, did Brooks DeBartolo's offense from deep.

The Phoenix had eight 3-pointers against CDS, six of which came in the second half. Once leading by 16, the Patriots found themselves with just a four-point advantage in the third quarter as Brooks DeBartolo's threes continued to fall.

Three times in the fourth quarter, Maliyah Perry would close the gap with a basket from long-range. Much to Nohra's delight, however, Carrollwood Day responded each time, unwilling to make the same mistakes in a much-awaited rematch.

And to Nohra, who's watching his young team grow every day, that takeaway is almost as valuable as the final score.

"I would have been disappointed in them if they didn't make a few little adjustments from the last game," Nohra said. "I made some adjustments, they made some adjustments, we took care of some things at practice to get them to understand the game better. We're just maturing, that's all."