SGHS basketball season ends in state quarterfinals

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

The Saint Gertrude basketball season has been a fruitful one, with moments both high and low as they claimed a runnerup spot at the LIS Tournament, finished the regular season with a 24-6 record and earned the fourth seed in the VISAA State Tournament.

After starting strong with a state tournament-opening win against St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, it came to a halt in the quarterfinals, when they matched up with Catholic despite having the homecourt advantage at the McMurtrie-Reynolds Pavilion.

The Gators wrapped up their season with a 25-8 record and saw contributions on the floor from seniors Erin Woodson, Elise Hickman, Sam Smith and Madelyn Mitchell for the last time in Gators green.

Woodson ended her illustrious Saint Gertrude career with some more dazzling basketball, putting up 33 points on 13-of24 shooting in the 63-36 win over St. Stephen’s and scoring her 2,000th career point late in the game when she squared up and fired from the right wing for a 3-point make that temporarily stopped the game and had her honored with an inscribed ball.

The moment was one of many special ones of Woodson’s career as she has grown into a star talent that’s led the charge for one of the top teams in the VISAA. With opportunities on the basketball court still awaiting her at the collegiate level, her story with the game of basketball is far from over.

Everything was going right for the Gators in that matchup against their opponent from Alexandria, though the Saints were able to keep it close with a 12-8 deficit with just a few minutes remaining in the first half.

With a man-to-man press setting the tone, the Gators defense was what got them run - ning away with momentum, as they shut down the Saints’ halfcourt offense and went on a late surge to take a 25-9 halftime lead after Ava Fulkerson hit a late shot clock corner 3-pointer with under a minute to go.

In the third quarter, Woodson took charge to ensure the game continued trending in the blowout category. She hounded the ball on each and every inbounds pass, recording three consecutive steals at one point, with buckets generating off those turnovers and leading to a 35-13 Gators advantage.

It was 45-20 by the end of the third, with Woodson ultimately finishing the game with eight steals, showcasing her ability to be a constant pick-pocket that left Saints ballhandlers in the dust as she created possessions with an open hoop staring back at her.

The Gators were able to hold onto the double-digit lead in the fourth, with the defense easing up and the bench clearing so everyone could see the floor as they guaranteed themselves a spot in the quarterfinals the next day.

Against Catholic, it felt as if the roles might be reversed on

Saint Gertrude, with the Crusaders controlling the game through some airtight defense of their own.

Despite a 14-10 Crusaders lead at the end of the first that indicated a potentially close matchup, the team from Virginia Beach was swarming the Gators on every offensive possession in the second quarter, holding the Gators to two points in that quarter while they put up a respectable 13 of their own to take a 27-12 lead into halftime.

Woodson, Smith and Fulkerson accounted for 32 of Saint Gertrude’s 36 points on the day, with Catholic consistently forcing them to make tough, contested looks with their highenergy defensive display. The Gators ultimately played better after a tough second quarter, even outscoring the Crusaders 14-10 in the fourth quarter, but that big first half proved too much to overcome, and the season ended with a 5236 finish.

Next season, the Gators will have the unenviable task of filling the roles of players that have helped shape the culture of success that has defined the team the past few seasons.