The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School women’s varsity basketball team went head-to-head against the Piper High School Bengals on Monday, Jan. 13. The Eagles went into the match looking to avenge their last game against South Broward High School, which they lost 28-40. Meanwhile, the Piper Bengals entered the game with a 7-5 record. The Eagles beat Piper 64-27.
As the match got underway, both teams started out slow and struggled to score consistently. The Eagles were playing tough defensively, forcing turnovers and bad passes. Piper was also applying pressure to the Eagles, full court pressing them nearly every possession. By the end of the first quarter, the Eagles led 15-11.
“We really focus on defense and passing during practices, and it feels good to see it translate in game,” center Joni Van Eck (10) said.
The second quarter saw a lot more points, especially in favor of the Eagles. MSD started to beat Piper’s press effectively, and it led to a fast start. Point guard Eversekai Benjamin (11) started the quarter with back-to-back layups, and continued to make plays throughout the quarter, dishing out assists.
“I was happy we won, but I always want to strive for my team to do better each time we play [and] step on the court,” Benjamin said.
The Eagles kept up the pace all quarter long, out-rebounding and out-playing the Bengals. Center Brianna Rutecki (25) was dominating in the paint, constantly getting rebounds and layups. At halftime the score was 32-15 in favor of the Eagles.
The third quarter was similar to the second, with the Eagles dominating the paint and rebounding at a high level. The Bengals could not get anything offensively as they looked to take as many three pointers as they could. Heading into the final quarter, MSD led 50-25.
“I think what really showed is the girls have been practicing really hard on defense, and they’re starting to find their chemistry together as a team,” coach Amy Carr said.
Piper had almost no chance of scoring in the second half, putting up just 12 points. The Eagles coasted to a victory, with a final score of 64-27.
