The Thomas Edison girls basketball team started its matchup with Hayfield nearly perfect. The Eagles held the visiting Hawks scoreless through the first six minutes of the game, a dominant 18-0 run.
And yet, somehow Hayfield battled its way back, and even held a nine-point lead late in the 4th quarter. Unphased, the host Eagles ended the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run to force overtime. In the extra period, Thomas Edison again held Hayfield scoreless, to earn a 59-53 win and move into first place in the National District.
Sophomore guard Kennedy Marshall led Thomas Edison with 21 points, including starting the game 5/5 from three-point range. Marshall credited her team’s composure to its coaching.
“We learn to stay focused,” Marshall said. “Like Coach Lewis says: ‘games are always about runs.’ When you get in a situation when you’re behind you can’t let that get to you emotionally, you have to play your game. It’s really nice to have a coaching staff that knows how to stay calm and help us. We feed off of their energy.”
So, sophomore Kennedy Marshall is now 4-4 from long range…Eagles lead Hayfield 36-30, 3:32 left third quarter. pic.twitter.com/vDs0wswqD1
— Novahoops.com (@novahoopsCom) January 27, 2024
Thomas Edison Head Coach Dianne Lewis said that heading into overtime she wanted her team to be tough with the ball.
“Our focus going into overtime was being strong with the ball,” Coach Lewis said. “They were very aggressive in defending us, so it was – be strong with the ball. Cut, get open, let’s just make things work for us.”
The Eagles (10-0, 15-3) were also led by junior guards Sarah Chawki and Shannon Heiner. Chawki had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and Heiner posted 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Heiner also said the team felt prepared for the adversity because they practice these scenarios.
“We’ve been in that situation before, and we’ve also practiced situations where we’re down one and we have to run plays to get back up,” Heiner said. “Since we practice so much, it doesn’t phase us. We were going after loose balls, we were diving on the floor, we were going after the rebounds. We just wanted it more than they did.”
Both teams were undefeated in district play heading into the game. The Eagles got on the scoreboard first as Heiner kicked a pass to Marshall for an open three-pointer. Thomas Edison started the game with the 18-0 run largely due to Marshall draining four three-pointers and offensive rebounds. Edison’s Caroline Wells had a lot of those rebounds, and finished with 15 on the day.
“Going into the game we knew that this is the game that people come to see,” Heiner said. “There’s a certain mentality that we have to have playing teams like this, and in an environment like this. You can’t let all the outside get in your head.”
But Hayfield (9-1, 15-3) finally found a rhythm as the Hawks ended the first quarter on an 11-2 run.
The second quarter was another momentum shift in favor of the Hawks. Hayfield rallied to tie the game with less than two minutes remaining in the half. Heiner sunk another three-pointer, giving Thomas Edison a 31-28 lead at halftime. At half, Coach Lewis reminded her team to stick with the gameplan.
“It’s always 0-0,” Coach Lewis said. “I focused on the fact that it’s going to be a game of runs. They are a good team. So we knew that we had to stay focused, do what we’ve been practicing all this week, and stay with our game plan. If we didn’t deviate, we knew we’d be okay.”
The Eagles gained some separation early in the third quarter with a 39-33 lead, but the Hawks again rallied back to enter the fourth quarter trailing 41-43. At the start of the fourth, Chawki had a bad fall, and left the game for most of the quarter.
Hayfield then proceeded to go on a 10-1 run, to take a 51-42 lead halfway through the quarter. But Chawki returned and immediately gave the team a boost as she contributed five points to a 11-2 run that tied the game at 53.
“I was ready to get the W,” Chawki said with a smile.
Both teams had a possession and chance to take the lead in the final 30 seconds, but neither converted and the Eagles went on to win in overtime. Marshall credits the team’s continued success to their chemistry.
“We love each other,” Marshall said. “We play as a family and we play as one. We’re all on the same page.”
–TJ Davis
@Ttown316
all statistics are unofficial
| EDISON | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| WELLS | 0-8 | 2-2 | 2 | 15 | 2 | |
| HEINER | 4-12 | 3-6 | 14 | 6 | 5 | |
| MARSHALL | 8-13 | 0-0 | 21 | 3 | 1 | |
| MASSEY-THOMPSON | 2-4 | 0-0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | |
| CHAWKI | 5-14 | 5-8 | 16 | 5 | 5 | |
| Fakulujo | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
| Kauffman | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Henderson | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 20-55 | 10-16 | 59 | 39 | 13 | |
| Threes: Marshall 5-7, Heiner 3-8, Chawki 1-3, Henderson 0-1 | ||||||
| HAYFIELD | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| PHILIPS | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| COX | 2-11 | 0-2 | 4 | 7 | 2 | |
| BRELAND | 3-9 | 1-5 | 7 | 5 | 0 | |
| ALBRITTON | 4-8 | 2-2 | 11 | 2 | 3 | |
| DAVIS | 1-14 | 0-2 | 2 | 8 | 1 | |
| Hansford | 3-6 | 0-0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | |
| Carter | 4-8 | 0-0 | 9 | 6 | 4 | |
| Oboite | 1-3 | 1-2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ngalieu | 3-4 | 2-2 | 8 | 2 | 1 | |
| TOTALS | 22-65 | 6-15 | 53 | 35 | 11 | |
| Threes: Carter 1-1, Hansford 1-3, Albritton 1-4, Philips 0-1, Cox 0-1 | ||||||