After losing to Flushing High School by one point the previous day, the girls varsity basketball team faced off against Richmond Hill High School on Wednesday, January 7th. The team thoroughly controlled the game throughout to sweep Richmond Hill 67-35.
This game was the team’s second and final game of the season with Richmond Hill High School. In their first matchup, the girls blew out Richmond Hill in a crushing 74-27 victory. Wednesday’s game would follow suit as Townsend Harris buried Richmond Hill by putting up a formidable offensive and defensive performance.
For the first quarter, only word could describe THHS: Dominating. Within the first three minutes the team jumped to a huge 10-0 start thanks to three quick steals. It seemed that at any given moment, THHS guards would be rushing down the court to score an easy two points. By the three minute mark the team held a 21-2 lead over Richmond Hill. At the conclusion of the quarter, the score was 27-9.
The second quarter was filled with blunders on both ends. Both teams struggled to score. Turnovers plagued both sides and five minutes into the quarter, the score stood at 29-14. The girls then proceeded to embark on a 8-0 run to increase the lead to 37-14 by the time Richmond Hill took its first timeout with 1 minute and 45 seconds left in the quarter. After a buzzer beating layup by Richmond Hill, the second quarter ended with THHS leading 39-18.
The second half of the game followed in a similar fashion. While turnovers continued to plague the Richmond Hill offense, offensive rebounding helped them to earn a number of points during the half. In the meantime, THHS continued to quickly earn points from a number of three pointers and fast break layups. Despite some amazing defensive plays from Richmond Hill High school, including a huge block in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, THHS easily charged to a 67-35 victory.
The win played a huge role for the team’s morale. As senior guard Debra Chan explained, the game put the team “on a more positive note than had been for the past couple of games.”
Overall, senior Natalie Gomez noted that the game was also a great experience for the team’s rookies who got “valuable court time” and “played well” during the game.
