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Girard christens new gymnasium with big win
By john bassetti
GIRARD
In wedding lore, a bride is supposed to wear something old and something new.
The superstition applied to the inaugural basketball game in Girard’s new gymnasium Friday night.
On the sidelines were Girard High’s girls coach Andy Saxon in his 26th year and McDonald’s Rob Hilbun in his 10th.
Their combined 36 years ensured that both requirements were met.
All that remained was the reception.
Girard threw a party that the guest Blue Devils may want to forget: a 63-36 defeat.
Katelynne Brainard had 16 points and eight rebounds while Desiree DeFrank had 12 rebounds for Girard, which, according to Saxon, improved in two areas since last season.
“We handled the ball fairly well and we made some shots,” Saxon said of deviations from recent seasons.
“We weren’t turning the ball over like we had in the past and we shot a lot better than in the past.”
Of Girard’s 63 shots, however, it made 26. But McDonald was troubled by turnovers, committing 14 through the first three quarters.
“Girard’s a very good team and we knew they’d be hyped-up with their new gym,” Hilbun said. “We tried to stop them, but they were just too big inside for us to control anything and their pressure is good.”
Hilbun said that several Blue Devils players were making their first varsity starts.
The only returning starter was Jamie Stellmar, while point guard Taylor Stanley was sidelined with a finger injury. Hilbun said Stanley should be back next week.
Saxon emphasized the value and versatility of the 6-0 Brainard, who, in the third quarter when Girard outscored McDonald, 20-13, had five offensive putbacks.
“The thing about Katelynne is that she can play as a point guard as well as she can under the basket,” said Saxon. “She’s an inside-outside player and she’s our best 3-point shooter.”
Brainard had to contend with McDonald’s box-and-one coverage, but her teammates picked up the slack.
“We know we’re going to see some of that [box-and-one and double-teaming] on her [Brainard] during the year, but we have some [other] girls who can score.”
Brainard played primarily in the center, but she also moved to the block because the box collapsed at times.
“But we were able to hit the outside shots,” Saxon said of teammates such as DeFrank and Miranda Boyle with 10 and nine points, Caroline Standohar with nine and Lindsay Durkin with seven.
Brainard and Standohar had four steals apiece.
Sofia Accordino led McDonald with nine points.