Zoe Loveman hit three bit 3-pointersfor Riverdale. (Kendall Rodriguez)
Halfway through the first quarter Riverdale was trailing by just a point, but struggling to convert against the Brearley defense. Riverdale coach Carol Pouliot was forced to call timeout.
“This is our third game in five days, and I have a team full of juniors,” Pouliot said. “Most of them just sat through their ACTs yesterday. We were tired. That’s what that was. [After the timeout], that’s when we went inside to Chelsea.”
Chelsea is Pouliot’s junior gem Chelsea Baez. The Division I prospect has been her girls basketball team’s best player all year. It’s no surprise that Pouliot turned to her once again to put Riverdale over the top for a hard-earned, 55-41 win over Brearley at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Fieldston Sunday. She scored five points after the timeout and carried that confidence with her the rest of the way. Baez scored 16 of her 24 points in the second half as Riverdale slowly pulled away.
“My shot wasn’t falling so I knew I had to either attack the basket or find a teammate that could take a better shot,” she said.
Baez is a high school post, but has the talents of a college wing player. She handles the ball well and is an excellent passer. Both are attributes that Pouliot allows her to utilize on the floor for Riverdale (10-6). Baez played on both the perimeter and in the post against Brearley, scoring with both floaters and drop-steps.
She also showed off her skillful passing, putting several fast break bounce passes on the money to open teammates. It’s not surprising that schools such as A-10 power George Washington, along with Siena and George Mason have expressed interest in the 6-foot junior, who plays for New Heights in the summer.
“I feel like I can see people better than most,” Baez said. “I think I have good court vision. That allows me to make passes others can’t.”
Despite Baez’s play, Brearley did not go away quietly. It led 9-5 after one, and only trailed 19-17 at the half. After falling behind by 10 late in the quarter, Shannon Slade picked off a pass and raced down floor for a layup before time expired, cutting the lead to 33-25 after three.
The game was in question until early in the fourth when junior guard Zoe Loveman (13 points) caught fire from beyond the arc. Loveman’s three treys early in the fourth fueled a personal 9-2 run that stretched the Riverdale lead to fifteen at 44-29 with 5:00 left to play, finally putting away persistent Brearley, which was led by junior guard Aiyanna Isom who scored 11.
“Those shots were there in the first half [for Loveman] but they weren’t falling,” Pouliot said. “That was the difference, when she became a scorer for us.”
Poly Prep 44, Friends Seminary 33: Kate Friel scored 14 points and Cherkira Lashley added 11 for Poly Prep (15-1). Jackie Kennedy had six. Leah Allen lead Friends with 21 points.