After both teams struggled offensively through the opening eight minutes of play on Tuesday combining for a mere seven points, the Thomas Stone High School girls basketball team used a solid second quarter en route to a 51-15 victory over visiting Patuxent High in their 2A South Region playoff opener.
Neither Stone (10-13) or Patuxent (4-19) were able to score in the first two minutes of play and the visiting Panthers actually got on the board first when senior Ailish Fockler hit a free throw with 5:28 remaining in the first quarter to give the visitors their only lead of the night at 1-0. Stone’s Makaiya Tucker countered with two buckets inside to give the hosts a 4-1 lead they would actually never relinquish.
“I think the girls still had a little case of butterflies, nerves, early in the game,” Stone coach Taneisha Matthews said. “It took them a while to settle down. But once they did they really played well together. Makaiya had a great game for us. She has not been accustomed to playing inside, but I’ve asked her to play more of an inside role lately and she’s stepped up to the challenge.”
Tucker, Michaiah Smith and Michaela Williams each contributed for the Cougars during the opening stages of the second quarter and within minutes an 11-0 run by Stone gave the hosts a 15-3 lead. Fockler promptly ended that skein, but the Cougars again responded with an 11-2 run over the last four minutes of the first half to take a 26-7 advantage into the intermission.
“I think this team played hard for me all season and they have a lot of potential,” Patuxent coach Glenn Larnerd Jr. said. “The key is tapping into that potential. We only lose three seniors and most of this team is back next season. The potential is definitely there and I think the future looks bright for this program.”
Stone continued to increase its advantage throughout the second half as the Cougars also got three-point field goals from Smith and Gabriella Malone. Tucker connected on one in the fourth quarter, but the loudest ovation of the night came courtesy of the game’s final bucket, a three-pointer from freshman Sahnya Cooper which proved to be her first points of the season.
“I was glad to be able to play more of an inside role for us,” Tucker said. “I had not done it a few years, but once I got back inside I felt pretty comfortable doing it again. I think we were all so excited when Sahnya hit that three-pointer. We’re always encouraging her to shoot.”
SMAC runner-up Leonardtown saw its season come to an end on Wednesday in a 50-49 setback against Annapolis.
On March 1, SMAC champion North Point will travel to Broadneck in Anne Arundel County after the Eagles defeated Suitland 57-36 on Tuesday. Also, McDonough will host Thomas Stone in a 2A region contest, while Huntingtown will host Westlake in another 2A region clash.
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