In the fourth quarter of the game, junior Jordana Dauber rose up, finishing a layup over her defender and propelling her forward as the night’s leading scorer. The JDS bench exploded with cheer as this bucket sealed the 47-31 victory over the Washington International School (WIS) Red Devils on Jan. 14.
The game started with Dauber winning the opening tip-off for the Lions, but an early turnover and a transition layup by WIS gave the first lead to the Red Devils. After buckets by Dauber, junior Caroline Salz and senior and captain Tali Loeffler, the Lions finished the first quarter leading 13-9.
JDS began the second quarter with junior Liana Lesser scoring a three-pointer and Dauber and Loeffler adding six points each. The Lions also played hard defense in the second quarter, holding the Red Devils to only three points, a layup and one free throw. The Lions’ first half defensive effort was spearheaded by Salz, who had two steals and a block in the first two quarters. JDS entered halftime with a 28-12 lead.
“I think in the beginning, we kept getting lost on the back door cuts in the back screens, and I just reminded them that they have to always keep their eye on the ball and the player they’re guarding,” head coach Becky Silberman said. “… Offensively, we just had to slow things down and find the best shot, which usually was not the first shot.”
This effort to pass the ball around until the best shot possible showed, as 37 of JDS’s 47 total points came off assists. Loeffler was also focused on the ball movement and chemistry between her and her teammates, something she’s especially appreciative of about this team.
“I think we’re all really close friends, whereas, in years past, it hasn’t always been the same, but where we’ve all grown up together,” Loeffler said. “A lot of us came from Milton and played together in middle school, and so we’re really tight-knit, and I think we really care about each other, and we trust each other, and we play for each other, which really helps us.”
Loeffler continued to demonstrate that connection with her teammates in the second half, assisting each of the players points in the third quarter. The Lions were outscored in the third quarter, but continued to show their rebounding dominance, recording five offensive rebounds, despite having trouble finishing their shots. JDS ended the third with a smaller 33-21 lead.
The short cold streak for the Lions in the third quarter was brushed off quickly in the fourth quarter by Dauber, who started the quarter off with a mid-range jump shot. The Lions and Red Devils then traded points, both scoring four quick points each. Senior Gila Safra then quickly got a steal and transition layup. Silberman attributed this refocusing to stepping back and resetting.
“It’s controlling what you can control,” Silberman said. ”And 100% of the time they can go for the rebound, 100% of the time they can go for the loose ball. And I think sometimes they feel a little bit more confident.”
Although JDS didn’t score much towards the end of the game, their rebounding, led by senior Amalia Netter, who recorded 16 rebounds, eight of which came in the fourth quarter, helped minimize the scoring of their opponents. The prevention of a comeback sealed the Lions’ 47-31 victory.
Loeffler attributed the Lions’ victory to the smaller details, which the team has been working hard to perfect. Their next opportunity to showcase these practiced details will be on Jan. 18 in the Capital Jewish Hoops Tournament.
“I think the [little differences] are the key to winning these kinds of games,” Loeffler said. ”I think we came off a loss against Berman, and it was a lot of those little things that really messed us up and caused us to lose the game. And I think all of those offensive rebounds are second chance points, or on defense, working on trying not to foul too much, we really worked on our defense this past practice.”
