John Jay Turns Full Court Press into Blowout over Greeley

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On January 10, John Jay spent Friday night at North Salem High School and a 4-3 deficit made for an unassuming start versus Greeley. The first round of the North Salem Booster Club Tournament, the Wolves proceeded to turn up the intensity and the Quakers really felt the heat.

On the full court press from the outset, the first of many turnovers came on a traveling call, and back the other way, Sela Halaifonua nailed an open three that exploded the girls to a 60-38 victory.

No respite for the Quakers, another traveling call positioned Halaifonua for another made three, and a possession later, pressure yielded an actual steal. Halaifonua again, she missed the layup, but Jane Brennan was fouled on the follow.

One for two, the lead was 10-4 at 2:53 and after both sides went cold, the Wolves got into the pass lanes. Above the arc, Halaifonua spotted Jordan Kauftheil on the cut and the senior opened a 12-4 wound on the Quakers.

One quarter in the books, Halaifonua was their first to turn the page. Left alone in the corner, the three point precision was no surprise to Brennan. “She’s got a great jump shot,” said the senior. “It’s so reliable. She works so hard at shooting, and it’s clearly evident when she’s sinking them.”

No doubt, John Jay didn’t need defense to run the break. After Caroline Negrin hit two from the line, Brennan baited her defender into the corner, and as she took off running, Halaifonua’s inbound pulled the hook with an overhead loft to half court.

Running under on the bounce, Brennan had a clear path, and there was no reason to fret her miss. Kauftheil chased for the follow, and the defense didn’t stand around to celebrate the 17-6 lead. Halaifonua intercepted the inbound, bounce passed to a trailing Brennan, and the easy layup opened a 19-6 lead with 6:15 left.

Timeout for Greeley, the Quakers were able to reach the front court, and Negrin made the most of a post up chance on the baseline. She backed down and threw a little hook shot off the glass to stop the bleeding.

Unfortunately for Greeley, Halaifonua had terrible bedside manner. After making one from the line, her double team with Kauftheil forced another half court turnover, and the ensuing layup had Coach Gallagher spreading the praise for the determined defense. “They’ve been working hard on the press over the last couple of weeks,” he said.

Of course, full court pressure can leave a team susceptible to the fast break, and Greeley was able to do just that on the subsequent inbound. An occupational hazard, the girls don’t miss a beat in that regard, according to Brennan. “If they get a fast break one time, we don’t let it affect the next,” she said.

The proof came next. Greeley did pass midfield, but the chase led to a turnover and Halaifonua started to bring the curtain down on the Quakers. First, she ran a picture perfect pick and roll with Brennan and then teamed up with Kauftheil. The defensive rebound pulled down, Kauftheil quickly dumped to Halaifonua, and she went coast to coast for a 26-12 lead.

The trio wasn’t done either. Kauftheil tipped the defensive board to Halaifonua, she passed to Brennan and her baseline drive netted two from the line.

Then came the dagger and Charlotte Omin held the knife. Twice left open above the arc, Omin made her mark, which had Gallagher beaming his bench player’s tunnel vision. “She’s locked in,” he boasted.

And no surprise, defense closed the half. Brennan refused to give any ground to Claire Reynolds in the back court and got the steal. Falling out of bounds, Brennan found her anticipating running mate, and Halaifonua made the open layup

A 22 point lead, John Jay kept up the pressure, and when Greeley got back to within 15, the girls went back to the drawing board. Natalie Ellrodt stepped in with a steal on the sideline, went on the break, and with Greeley in pursuit, she hit an open Halaifonua for the layup.

Not done with the larceny, John Jay engaged again, and Halaifonua’s steal put Brennan on the line. Two for two, Brennan let Omin put on the finishing touch.

Another open chance, the sophomore let fly for three, and with the deciding moment dropping, good shooting, passing and defense weren’t necessarily the most important factors. “We work hard everyday. I hold them accountable and they hold me accountable. That’s really important and today was a testament,” concluded Gallagher.