St. Anne’s-Belfield’s girls basketball team knows that any game in the VISAA’s Division I final four is going to be an absolute battle.
The Saints’ matchup with Bishop O’Connell Friday was no exception and STAB fell 53-43 at the hands of the Knights.
Jasmine Taylor helped Bishop O’Connell pull away down the stretch as the Knights managed to erase an eight-point halftime deficit to snag the win. Taylor scored 12 points in the fourth quarter as STAB sputtered and eventually ran out of gas against Bishop O’Connell.
Taylor finished with 21 for the Knights, who’d clawed their way back into the lead by the end of the third quarter and were up 35-34 going into the final frame.
Bri Tinsley finished with 15 points to lead STAB in scoring and also dished out six assists. But the bulk of those points came before halftime and the Saints managed just 17 second half points. Mailynn Steppe finished with 12 points and Ashley Taylor finished with eight points and six rebounds. Sierra Smith led the Saints in boards with 11 on the night.
The Saints, who’s roster sports just two seniors and should return the core of Tinsley, Steppe, Taylor, Smith and Jayla Davis among others, is primed to be back in contention again next season. Look for this loss to serve as plenty of motivation for this immensely talented squad during the offseason.
