Fontbonne wins ‘David and Goliath’ match-up
There was no question that this would be an uphill battle for Fontbonne as the visiting 4-6 Bonnies warmed up on the court before the St. Jean Baptiste game at The Post BK in Greenpoint. After losing 42-29 to St. Jean Baptiste three weeks ago, the Bonnies were now missing four players going into a game against an undefeated 10-0 team with a full roster. Reiterating his pre-game mantra, Fontbonne Coach Steve Oliver told his players, “Play hard and good things will happen,” as the team broke their huddle to take the court for the looming “David and Goliath” match-up.
Despite the apparent disadvantage, co-captain Aaniya Telford (10 points, 8 rebounds, 7 steals and 7 assists) set the tone for the Bonnies from the outset as she captured the tip-off for the first score of the game. Following Telford’s opening score, freshman Noelle Polanco (24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists) teamed up with her senior sister to star again as the varsity’s top-scoring tandem to score 34 of their team’s 46 points. Energized by Telford’s three baskets in a row at the end of the second quarter, the Bonnies kept pace with the Jeanites to trail by just one point, 21-20, by the end of the half.
Fontbonne then went on a 14-9 scoring run in the third quarter that saw Kristen Russo (9 rebounds and 4 points) and Stephanie Morris (2 rebounds and 4 points) out-rebound the Jeanites for second-chance scoring opportunities. Co-captain Eleni Sipp also contributed on defense with 6 rebounds. On offense, Sipp sank a critical 3-point basket to conclude the third quarter for a much-needed 35-31 Fontbonne lead.