The preliminaries are out of the way for the Norfolk Collegiate girls basketball team.
Bring on the big battles.
Friday night the Oaks concluded a TCIS regular season in which they thrashed everyone in the conference. This time, it was Norfolk Christian’s turn. The young, feisty Ambassadors made a game of it for two periods, but the second half was all Norfolk Collegiate as the Oaks posted a 71-46 victory.
“We started out slow, kind of sleepy,” said Norfolk Collegiate freshman Markell Smith, who scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. “But in the second half, we came back ready.”
Especially She’la White. The dynamic UNC-bound point guard crammed 11 of her game-high 36 points into the third period and delivered numerous passes that were converted into easy baskets as the Oaks (22-1, 9-0) turned a 29-24 half-time lead into a 50-33 advantage.
“She’la knows when to take over a game,” said Smith. “If she sees you are open, she’ll get the ball to you in a heartbeat.”
“We were sluggish in the first half and I felt we had to push the ball more,” said White, who also had four assists and eight rebounds. “That gave us better scoring opportunities.”
Jordhan Peterson (14 points) was among those who capitalized on the Oaks’ better opportunities.
Norfolk Christian coach Kayson Stoner felt his Ambassadors (13-7, 6-3), with only two seniors on the team, simply couldn’t keep pace with their more experienced rivals.
“We weren’t able to sustain our defensive intensity,” he said. “They’re a tough team to handle for a whole game.”
“Norfolk Christian did a great job of disrupting our gameplan,” said Norfolk Collegiate coach Suzanne Midkiff. “At the half we talked about regaining our composure and playing our style of basketball.
“Once we got it going, it made it more difficult for Norfolk Christian.”
The Ambassadors were led by eighth-grade guard Galaisha Goodhope, who scored 23 points and played head-to-head against White at both ends of the floor, challenging her nearly every step of the way.
“She is a great competitor,” White said of Goodhope. “The toughest I have gone against this year. She was more aggressive than anyone else who covered me. She plays big, too.
“If she keeps working hard, she’ll develop into a great player.”
Stoner was not discouraged by the defeat. Norfolk Christian had a six-game winning streak before losing to Norfolk Academy and Norfolk Collegiate this week.
“This team has really come along, especially with its fundamentals and camaraderie,” he said. “I’m looking forward to winning a game in the TCIS tournament and then getting a rematch.”
The Oaks are also ready to look ahead.
“Winning the regular season does mean something to us,” said Smith. “But now we want to win the TCIS tournament and then go far in the state.
“We have a lot of unselfish players. We play and win together as a team. We’re excited to do more.”
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