SPRINGFIELD — When the Cybercats took the courtroom on Friday, it felt protected to imagine that Da’Naysia Banks would finish the night time because the group’s main scorer.
But regardless of Banks’ off-shooting night time, Sci-Tech girls basketball pulled collectively and defeated Ludlow, 45-40.
Within minutes of the opening tip, Banks may really feel this won’t be her night time. She missed a couple of photographs early on however didn’t press the difficulty and as a substitute obtained her teammates concerned.
Five gamers in whole obtained on the scoreboard for Sci-Tech within the opening quarter, holding a two-point lead over Ludlow.
“I was very proud of them because when my shot doesn’t fall, I need them to pick it up so we can build something,” Banks stated.
Banks continued to battle from the sector within the second quarter, however she saved discovering her teammates for open photographs they usually responded by knocking them down. After helping Ja’Nina Diaz along with her first three-pointer of the night time, Banks scored a driving layup to place the Cybercats up by six with 2:20 left within the second. But the Lions pulled it again to inside three simply earlier than the half.
“I could tell Da’Naysia was having an off game, so I contributed with the whole team,” Diaz stated. “I made sure I got assists and I stepped up, made the points and be aggressive.”
Diaz saved it rolling within the third, scoring eight of Sci-Tech’s 17 factors because the Cybercats’ lead grew to double-digits. Banks won’t have contributed as a scorer, however she assisted on a number of baskets and her protection held the guests down.
“These are kind of the things we talk about, to prepare them and to get them ready,” Sci-Tech girls basketball coach Jasmine Lovejoy stated. “We always tell them that we have to be ready to step up.
“Every night’s not going someone’s night and whenever your number is called (or) whenever your shots not falling, those are the things we want to just make sure (we are doing) at all times — being aggressive and just having fun.”
The Lions climbed back in the fourth quarter, getting to within six with five minutes remaining. A three from A’Marii Hickson restored a nine-point lead, but Ludlow responded.
Banks later found Diaz open for her third three-pointer of the night, but the Lions refused to lie down. They got within four points of the hosts, but the Lions could not stitch together enough baskets down the stretch to complete the comeback.
Diaz finished with a game-high 18 points, helping the Cybercats clinch their first win of the season without Banks leading the team.
“It feels good, because from last season, I went from not playing half of the season because I wasn’t eligible, to barely playing off the bench — and now I’m starting,” Diaz said.
“I’ve been playing with (Banks) since I was in sixth grade, so I know we have good team chemistry. I look up to her because she’s the top scorer on the team and when she graduates, I want to be another Da’Naysia. I want to (score) 1,000 points like her.”
Sci-Tech (6-8) will look to construct on this win when the Cybercats go to Amherst for his or her subsequent sport on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 1 p.m.
This matchup begins a three-game highway journey earlier than the Cybercats’ last dwelling sport of the season on Monday, Feb. 8 towards Ware for Sci-Tech’s Senior Night.
“We just take it one possession at a time, taking one practice at a time and we just want to make sure we’re falling back and hanging our heads on defense,” Lovejoy stated. “Ware is a great team, but we also have … Granby, we have Putnam coming up, we have Amherst tomorrow afternoon.
“We don’t want to look too far ahead, but we just want to make sure that at all times we’re hanging our heads on defense. Regardless of what the outcome is, a win or a loss, we just want to make sure that we can say we played 110% defensively.”
With the Cybercats’ postseason prospects trying slim, this can seemingly be the ultimate stretch of video games for this senior class of Banks, Nyima Brown and Liary Guzman.
“These last games are very important for me,” Banks stated. “(Tonight’s) game, it wasn’t for me, I wasn’t playing my best. So now these last few games, I feel I just have to play better.”