Tuesday night in the season opener for both teams, Woodson junior Emma Komaily hit the game-winning free throw and scored 24 points to lead her team to a victory over host South Lakes, 43-42.
It was a very uneven performance by both squads–a typical reflection of it being November, not February. Even the star of the game, Komaily, didn’t have a great shooting night.
“I felt like I was rushing my shots early,” Komaily said.
Both teams did play solid defense, applying full-court pressure virtually the whole game. South Lakes led much of the first three quarters, and a quick 5-0 run toward the end of the third quarter put the Seahawks up 33-27 and forced a Woodson timeout.
That timeout seemed to compose Komaily and her teammates, and shortly thereafter South Lakes senior point guard Bridget Brennan picked up her fourth foul. Brennan, a defensive ace who also led her team in scoring, went to the bench and her absence clearly hurt her team. The Cavaliers promptly went on a 14-0 run spanning into the fourth quarter, taking a 41-33 lead.
A Mackenzie Kingswell feed to fellow Seahawks senior Sophia Abrahams ended the run, Brennan returned, and the Seahawks defense tightened. Two clutch free throws by South Lakes senior Idinah Williams-Baffoe eventually knotted the game at 42-all with 33.4 seconds left.
But as good as South Lakes’ defense was down the stretch, holding Woodson to a single point for almost five minutes in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks failed to stop Komaily when it mattered most. Komaily drove the ball into the lane, as she had been able to all night, and was fouled. She only made one of her two free throws, with 22.5 seconds left, but her tenth made free throw on the evening was enough.
“I knew I could get to the basket,” Komaily said. “I had been able to all night and was looking for my spot.”
The other hero on the evening was the entire Woodson team defense. The Cavaliers’ pressure consistently forced turnovers and prevented the Seahawks from getting shots up, and after Komaily’s free throw the Seahawks couldn’t get a clean look at the basket. On the evening, Woodson got 21 more field goal attempts than South Lakes, in no small part to its stifling defense.
Most of the Cavaliers had off shooting nights, but found key ways to contribute. Senior guard-forward Sabina Niedrick grabbed 10 rebounds. Kelsie Chang dished out three assists, while juniors Annie Madison and Katie O’Connor hit all six of their free throws. The Cavaliers shot over 70% from the line on the evening, while the Seahawks shot 50%.
That, and Komaily, was ultimately the difference.
Brennan, despite her foul trouble, led the Seahawks with 12 points, plus three assists. Williams-Baffoe and Abrahams added eight points apiece, while Kingswell contributed four blocks.
–Chris Jollay
all stats are unofficial
| WOODSON | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| CHANG | 1-4 | 2-2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | |
| KOMAILY | 6-20 | 10-15 | 24 | 3 | 0 | |
| MADISON | 1-2 | 2-2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| NIEDRICK | 1-11 | 2-4 | 5 | 10 | 1 | |
| Swaminathan | 0-6 | 2-4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| O’Connor | 0-6 | 4-4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | |
| Ke | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Alvarez | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Williams | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 9-53 | 22-31 | 43 | 24 | 7 | |
| Threes: Komaily 2-7, Niedrick 1-6, Chang 0-1, O’Connor 0-2, Swaminathan 0-2 | ||||||
| SOUTH LAKES | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| TERRELL | 2-7 | 0-2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | |
| BRENNAN | 3-6 | 5-10 | 12 | 5 | 3 | |
| KINGSWELL | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| ABRAHAMS | 4-6 | 0-2 | 8 | 4 | 0 | |
| WILLIAMS– BAFFOE | 1-2 | 5-6 | 8 | 9 | 1 | |
| Cole-Reeder | 2-4 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | |
| Sirivath | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Lsmbert | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Ketelhut | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Neill | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 14-32 | 10-20 | 42 | 28 | 9 | |
| Threes: Terrell 2-7, Williams-Baffoe 1-1, Brennan 1-2, Cole-Reeder 0-1 | ||||||