City of Basketball Love

By Brooke Ackerman
—

This isn’t Grace Maloney’s first time on the varsity stage. It’s just the Haverford sophomore’s first time owning it. 

“She got a lot of experience last year with a senior laden team, but she knows her role is expanding this year,” Haverford head coach Lauren Pellicane, said. “She knows what she has to do [this season] and when she has to be more of an offensive threat for us.” 

In the first game of the day at the Hoops for Hope Showcase at Arcadia University on Sunday, Maloney led the Fords to a 39-35 victory over Phoenixville. 

The sophomore standout had a game high 19 points and went 8-9 from the free throw line, which also marked a career high in scoring. 

“I do take pride in my free throws,” Maloney said. “This season I'm not shooting as well as I'd like to, so if I can get the easy buckets at the line, then I'll take those free points.” 

For her performance, Maloney was awarded MVP of the game for the Fords. 

“I feel like [senior forward] Maura [Gilroy] was getting doubled a lot today, and she needed to kick it out,” Maloney said. “They were rough on her, so just being able to make the plays when she couldn't do what she usually does meant a lot.” 

Gilroy, who is already committed to play basketball at Scranton next year, was the other Ford to put up double digits, contributing 12 points in the win. 

But it was Maloney who stepped up, with 10 of her 19 points coming in the fourth quarter alone, the majority coming from a perfect 7-of-7 effort at the line. Heading into the final eight minutes of play, the Fords were down by three, and Maloney took matters into her own hands. After sinking three free throws, Maloney followed it up with a three pointer and an assist that gave Haverford a five point lead.

The Phantoms went scoreless in the first four minutes of play in the last quarter. 

“She made some big shots when it mattered,” Pellicane said. “We need to get the ball in her hands to put games away and she did a nice job of securing the ball and not turning it over.” 

Besides averaging 25 minutes during her freshman season on varsity, Maloney has had plenty of experience playing with the big kids. She has played a year up for her travel team, the Delco Goats, since third grade, which was a key factor in adjusting to the changing pace of play at the high school level. 

“She's an old-school point guard,” Pellicane said. “She's got a high IQ and she's fun to watch.” 

Last season, Maloney started alongside four other seniors, but this time around it’s a much younger group of girls on the court. 

Haverford has five sophomores out of a rotating lineup of seven. With the exception of Gilroy, Maloney shares the court with four other Fords in her grade — starters Keira Hanson and Taylor Gleason plus reserves Janie Johnson and Scottie Capella. 

“We have inexperienced players, but we're growing,” Pellicane said. “We’ve seen significant growth since the beginning of game one, so we just take one game at a time. We focus on who's ahead and nothing more. And I think that helps a team that is inexperienced, is just growing together with each practice, each game.” 

For the Phantoms, it was senior and Wesleyan commit Kayden Baratta who gave the Fords a hard time. Baratta put up a team high sixteen points, earning Phoenixville's MVP of the game. 

By Quarter
Haverford:  7  |  19  |  25  |  39  ||  39
Phoenixville:  10  |  15  |  28  |  35  ||  35

Scoring
H: Grace Maloney 19, Maura Gilroy 12, Taylor Gleason 6, Lucy Ardizzi 2

P: Kayden Baratta 16, Riley Ford-Bey 6, Taylor Schneider 6, Maggie McCoy 3, Allyson Turner 2, Olivia Clark 2

~~~

Game 2: Archbishop Carroll 67, Germantown Academy 43

After just one quarter of play in the second game of the day, it was clear that Archbishop Carroll was in control. The Patriots posted 17 points in just eight minutes of play and at halftime, they had a comfortable 20 point lead over Germantown. They maintained a 20-plus point lead for the remainder of the game.

Archbishop Carroll junior Abigail McFillin led all scores with 22 points, but she wasn’t alone in her efforts. Senior Alexis Eberz put up 10 points in the first quarter alone, including two from behind the arc and the Villanova recruit finished with 20 overall. 

With a definitive lead, Carroll head coach Renie Shields started to clear the bench, with just one starter remaining on the court. 

For Germantown, junior Claire McKee put up a double digit performance, leading her team with 10. Sophomore Taylor Williams was awarded MVP for GA.

By Quarter
Archbishop Carroll:  17  |  30  |  51  |  67  ||  67
Germantown Academy:  5  |  10 |  23  |  43  ||  43

Scoring
AC: Abbie McFillin 22, Alexis Eberz 20, Kayla Eberz 8, Bridget Grant 6, Cate Schumacher 4, Evie Lawrence 3, Haley Clark 2

GA: Claire McKee 10, Molly Beggs 7, Jo Owens 6, Taylor Williams 4, Olivia Smith 4, Anaya Days 3, Sylvie Harrington 3, Emma Seckinger 3, Chloe Armenakis 2, Luccia Bibro 1