Kerkulah
Thomas Jefferson freshman forward Kaiden Kerkulah (13 points, 13 rebounds) operates in the post Thursday night versus Hayfield.

12-0 run sparks TJ second half rally, victory over Hawks

Down nine at halftime, Thomas Jefferson began the second half on a 12-0 run and held on to defeat Hayfield, 54-52 in a National District clash Thursday night.

It was essentially a tale of two halves for the host Colonials. TJ shot 30% from the field in the first half and scored 20 points. TJ shot 47% from the field in the second half and scored 34 points. Hayfield star senior guard Ayana Gillen scored 16 points in the first half and got up 12 shots; Gillen still managed 11 points in the second half, but only registered four field goal attempts and was less effective in transition.

“We couldn’t stop their press-break and number four [Gillen] was just tearing us up,” said TJ Head Coach Cameron Johnson of the first half. “I told the kids we’ve got to stop her and also, stop turning the ball over. I kind of lit a fire [at halftime]–I may have yelled here and there.”

TJ's Tanvi Bhave (team-high 16 points) helped spark TJ's run with three quick baskets.
TJ’s Tanvi Bhave (team-high 16 points) helped spark TJ’s run with three quick baskets.

There was no doubt her kids came out inspired after halftime, down 29-20. The run started with four TJ buckets off four assists–three scores by junior Tanvi Bhave and an “and-one” by freshman forward Kaiden Kerkulah. Hayfield called time out, but the Colonials scored three more points before a basket by Hayfield senior Kristina Ta ended the 12-0 TJ spurt.

“Coming out and blowing away that nine-point deficit, that was huge,” Johnson said. “We’ve gotten into deficits and we’ve struggled, this time [the kids] came out and said ‘we’re going to do this’.”

The game stayed close the rest of the way, but Bhave, Kerkulah, and the rest of the Colonials were clutch down the stretch. Below, late in the fourth quarter TJ calmly breaks the Hayfield press, and senior point guard Eleanor Kim finds Bhave for a clutch jumper just inside the arc.

The hosts went up by two possessions late in the fourth quarter, but Hayfield clawed to within 53-52. After a free throw by TJ senior Erin Brodnik, Hayfield had a chance to take the tie or take the lead with seconds remaining, but freshman Josephine Clayton denied a Gillen shot. Subsequently, a three-point attempt by the Hawks’ Carolyn Wilson was just off the mark.

 

Bhave scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the second half. She, Kerkulah, and Brodnik were effective on the boards, totaling 32 rebounds between them. Brodnik added 14 points and Kerkulah 13, with most of those points coming in the second half.

Gillen’s 27 points led Hayfield (7-2, 8-4). Ta added nine points and sophomore Adriana Albritton added eight, while Kaia Lyons had a dominant night rebounding the basketball. The junior forward had eight points to go along with her game-high 20 rebounds.

It wasn’t enough against a Thomas Jefferson (4-5, 5-10) team playing inspired ball on its home court. Even after playing a game the night before, the Colonials somehow found the energy to get the win against the Hawks, who had previously lost only to Edison within the National District. In the two teams’ earlier meeting at Hayfield, the Hawks had won by double digits.

TJ's Erin Brodnik (14 points, nine boards) prepares to defend Hayfield's Ayana Gillen (27 points) down low.
TJ’s Erin Brodnik (14 points, nine boards) prepares to defend Hayfield’s Ayana Gillen (27 points) down low.

“This team is so capable…there were a lot of great individual performances tonight,” Johnson said. “I give a lot of credit to Eleanor Kim, she kind of just controlled the pace.”

“Helena Johnson did a fantastic job guarding Gillen, she did exactly what I needed her to do. Erin Brodnik, Kaiden Kerkulah scoring at the basket, getting rebounds…and then Tanvi Bhave, her clutch shots at the end. Just the confidence she had to take those shots–it was awesome.”

–Chris Jollay

all stats are unofficial

JEFFERSON FG FT TP REB AST
BHAVE 7-12 2-3 16 10 0
CLAYTON 0-4 0-0 0 2 1
AWOFISAYO 0-2 0-0 0 0 0
KERKULAH 5-12 3-6 13 13 2
JOHNSON 1-9 0-0 3 4 4
Kim 1-4 2-4 4 1 5
Brodnik 6-10 2-5 14 9 0
Saraf 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Lobana 2-4 0-0 4 3 2
Maddipatla 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Everhart 0-1 0-0 0 0 2
TOTALS 22-59 9-18 54 42 16
Threes: Johnson 1-4, Maddipatla 0-1, Bhave 0-3, Clayton 0-4
HAYFIELD FG FT TP REB AST
TA 3-13 3-4  9  1  4
GILLEN 10-16 6-8  27  4  3
ALBRITTON 2-9 2-2  8  4  4
LYONS 2-12 4-10  8  20  0
WILSON 0-6 0-0  0  6  3
Bisrat 0-1 0-0  0  1  0
Dixon 0-0 0-0  0  0  0
TOTALS 17-57 15-24 52  36  14
Threes: Albritton 2-6, Gillen 1-2, Bisrat 0-1, Wilson 0-2, Ta 0-5