By Chris Stevens, Editor
In a season of unknowns and variables, Mount Pleasant girls’ basketball head coach Carey Berry figured she could always count on senior guard Brennah Scott in the clutch. Sophomore guard Mikiya Smith’s play in the waning moments of Friday night’s DIAA third round game was a much-needed and appreciated bonus.
Scott pumped in a team-high 26 points and Smith’s intentional foul shots and layup with just over a minute to go helped the Green Knights hold off Appoquinimink for a 69-60 win, advancing Mount to their first quarterfinal spot since the 1980-81 team made it to the Final Four.
“For Brennah to step up and make the shots when we needed them, it showed great leadership,” Berry said. “She came up big for us all night, especially in the fourth quarter.”
“It was just great passing from my teammates that got me those shots,” Scott said of her two three-point bombs in the first 90 seconds of the fourth quarter that gave Mount the lead for good. “I knew as soon as they left my hands, those shots were good.”
Before Scott’s heroics, Mount Pleasant (10-2) was locked in a tie game, fittingly with the team they shared the Flight A championship with. After an 8-0 start by Mount, senior guard Delaney Christopher shot the Jaguars into a 36-34 halftime lead with 13 of her team-high 26 points in the second quarter. A nip and tuck third quarter saw it end at 52-all. That’s when Scott took feeds from Smith and Kaya Frutchman for two three-pointers from the top of the key for a 58-52 Mount lead.
Appo (10-3) clawed back to within two points when Smith was fouled from behind on a drive to the basket, a play referees ruled intentional. She made two free throws and sprinted to the rim on the ensuing inbounds pass from Frutchman for a layup and 64-58 Green Knight lead with a minute to go.
“Mikiya is our most improved player,” Berry said. “She came to us in January and tonight showed how hard she’s worked and how far she’s come. This hopefully lets her know that she can do anything she puts her mind to.”
“It feels good to know that we have another game to play,” Smith said. “We want to win that game and the next one and the next one until we win the championship.”
Next up for Mount is a visit to top-seeded St. Elizabeth Monday night at 6:30 pm.
