The Blue Jays picked up a win in the West County/Kingston Tournament over Kingston with a 54-42 win to move to 5-4 for the season.
After trading baskets with each other for the first eight minutes of play, Catryn Cattoor and the Blue Jays offense exploded in the second quarter while keeping Kingston’s offense silent.
While Cattoor led the way with seven points in the second, Morgan Fuller, Reagan Kennedy, and Peyton Weiler added in buckets to help Jefferson push their lead out to 26-16 heading into halftime.
“The girls executed the defensive game plan well in the first half holding Nelson to 9 points,” said head coach Zac McVey. “Laney and Reagan did a fantastic job slowing her down while others were active scrambling defensively.”
Kingston would try to make a comeback in the third quarter, getting eight of their 13 third quarter points from Nelson. However, the Blue Jays offense continued to shine. Cattoor could not be stopped, scoring seven of her team-leading 18 points in the quarter, while getting scoring help from Fuller, Smith, Kennedy, and Weiler to extend their lead out to 44-29 heading into the final minutes of play.
Jefferson’s lead would help them keep Kingston far enough away to not make a comeback, despite getting outscored in the fourth quarter.
Nelson contributed 10 of Kingston’s 13 points in the final eight minutes, but Smith and Cattoor would lift the Blue Jays offense to give them the 54-42 win.
“We all are happy with how we started this tournament. After Christmas break it can be hard to come back with energy, but we played the game with the energy and effort we wanted,” explained Raegan Kennedy, who scored nine points in last night’s win. “What really worked for us today was getting the ball to the posts if it was open. We had some really good looks which really helped us on the offensive end.”
Catryn Cattoor led the way offensively for Jefferson scoring a team-best 18 points.
“I feel like we really needed this win,” said Cattoor. “We had great energy going into the second half and a lot of opportunities to work on things going into tomorrow’s game.”
“Cattoor continues to be consistent on both sides of the ball. She’s grown into a big-time impact player for us. I’m so impressed with her attitude and effort,” said head coach Zac McVey.
Along with Cattoor and Kennedy, Smith added in 10 points while Morgan Fuller chipped in seven.
“Our teamwork was really good,” explain Fuller. “That’s definitely something we need to bring into the next round. There were a few fundamental things that we need to fix for next round that will help us”
