The Class 2A No. 2 University girls basketball team defended its championship at the Monrovia Holiday Classic Monday, defeating Bishop Chatard 63-54 in the first round and South Putnam 62-46 in the championship.
The Trailblazers had their hands full with South Putnam in the championship game, trailing at the end of the first quarter for the first time this season and holding only a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter. University held the Eagles to just seven points in the fourth quarter and turned to their post players on offense to win the game going away. University is now 16-0 on the season
Seniors Maddi Sears and Lindsey Syrek had 17 points each with freshman Kelsey DuBois adding 16. DuBois had eight points in the decisive fourth quarter and Sears had seven.
The first quarter was a back and forth affair with neither team leading by more than four. DuBois tied the game at 17 with a basket with seven seconds left, however South Putnam’s Alex Bratcher was fouled as time expired and made both free throws for a 19-17 lead at the end of the quarter. Sears had seven and DuBois six in the opening period.
University turned up the defensive intensity in the second quarter, holding South Putnam to just seven points. Trailing 26-24 with two minutes remaining in the quarter, University went to Syrek for seven straight points, the last three coming on a basket and free throw with 12 seconds remaining. Payton Seay closed out a 9-0 run to end the quarter with a buzzer beating shot after making a steal near mid-court Syrek had nine points during the second as Univesity led 33-26 at the break.
Baskets by Syrek and Sierra Hinds had University in front 37-29 with five minutes remaining in the third period. The Eagles scored the next five points to cut the lead to three. Seay answered with a rebound basket and DuBois scored to put University up 41-34, however South Putnam scored the last five points on the quarter to cut the lead to 41-39 after three.
Fourth quarter baskets by Syrek and DuBois and a Hinds free throws had University up 46-43 with six minutes remaining. The Blazers outscored South Putnam 16-3 the rest of the way. A basket and two free throws from Sears and two DuBois foul shots had the lead at 52-45 with 3:45 remaining. Two more DuBois baskets pushed the lead to 11 with 2:52 remaining and University controlled the ball and made enough foul shots to close out the win.
University pulled down 41 rebounds, including 11 offensive rebounds. Sears, a 5-7 guard, had a team-high 13 rebounds. Syrek had 12 boards and DuBois 10. The Trailblazers assisted on 17 of their 22 made field goals. Freshman Jordan Patterson led with five assists, Seay had four and Sears three.
Syrek had seven blocked shots. Seay had three steals.
South Putnam is 9-4 on the season. Lexi Vanihel led the Eagles with 15 points.
University advanced to the championship game with the win over Class 3A No. 19 Bishop Chatard.
Syrek had 21 points and Sears scored 17 to lead the Trailblazers. Sears was 8 for 8 at the foul line in the fourth quarter, extending her streak of consecutive made free throws made to 20.
A 13-0 run in the first quarter put the Trailblazers in front and they withstood several Chatard runs to close out the win.
Trailing 6-5, Hinds hit University’s only 3-point basket of the game for an 8-6 lead. Syrek scored inside before Hinds stole the ball, passed ahead to Syrek who found Sears for a lay-in. Patterson hit a baseline jump shot before Syrek had a pair of rebound baskets for a 18-6 University lead. Moira McGinley hit a three pointer at the buzzer for Chatard to leave cut the lead to 18-9 at the quarter.
The scoring pace slowed in the second quarter. A Syrek basket and an old-fashioned three-point play by DuBois had University ahead 23-13 with 1:10 remaining. Syrek scored before four straight Chatard points cut the lead to eight. Sears made a steal and basket at the buzzer to give the Blazers a 27-17 lead at halftime.
University opened the third quarter on a 9-1 run. Baskets by Seay, Syrek and Hinds and a three-point play from Sears put the Blazers up 36-18 with four minutes left in the third. Chatard battled back, scoring ten straight and pulled within six with a minute remaining the third. Hinds made a free throw and Sears scored with two seconds left for a 40-33 University lead at the end of the third.
After a Syrek basket and Seay free throw put University up by 10, Chatard pulled back within 43-38. Sears hit a pair of free throws with five minutes remaining and added two more just 20 seconds later. Hinds made a foul shot and Syrek scored off a Seay pass for a 50-42 lead with 3:38 left.
Chatard scored to cut the lead to 50-44 before University scored the next 11 points to put the game away. Syrek scored on a rebound, DuBois made a basket and Syrek hit two foul shots. Foul shots from DuBois, Sears and Hinds put University up 61-44 with a minute remaining.
Syrek had 11 rebounds, DuBois nine and Sears seven. Sears had a team-high four assists.
Zakia Rasheed had 19 for Chatard, which has a 7-6 record. McGinley had 15 and Erika Pemberton 13.
University is off until Tuesday when it hosts New Castle at The U Center.
UNIVERSITY 62, SOUTH PUTNAM 46
University FG FT TP PF
Kelsey DuBois 7-11 2-5 16 4
Sierra Hinds 3-9 1-2 7 4
Lindsey Syrek 5-9 7-7 17 3
Peyton Seay 2-6 1-4 5 2
Maddi Sears 5-13 4-6 17 0
Jordan Patterson 0-1 0-0 0 3
Elise Nachlis 0-1 0-0 0 0
Totals 22-50 15-24 62 16
Score by Quarters
South Putnam 19 7 13 7 – 46
University 17 16 8 21 – 62
University 3-point shooting (3-11) Sears 3-8, Hinds 0-2, Seay 0-1.
University rebounds (41) Sears 13, Syrek 12, DuBois 10, Seay 4, Hinds 1, Patterson 1.
UNIVERSITY 63, BISHOP CHATARD 54
University FG FT TP PF
Kelsey DuBois 1-6 5-7 7 2
Sierra Hinds 3-7 4-6 11 4
Lindsey Syrek 9-14 3-4 21 4
Payton Seay 2-10 1-2 5 1
Maddi Sears 4-7 9-9 17 1
Jordan Patterson 1-2 0-0 2 1
Totals 20-46 22-28 63 13
Score by Quarters
Bishop Chatard 9 8 17 21 – 54
University 18 9 13 23 – 63
University 3-point shooting (1-3) Hinds 1-2, Seay 0-1.
University rebounds (33) Syrek 11, DuBois 9, Sears 7, Seay 3, Hinds 2, Patterson 1.
The University girls basketball team defended its championship at the Monrovia Holiday Classic on Monday. The Class 2A No. 2 Trailblazers beat Bishop Chatard in the first round and South Putnam in the championship. (Photo provided)