Stanton Bests Clay in the Battle of the Blue Devils

FABRIZIO GOWDY | JAN. 12, 2021 | SPORTS

The Stanton College Preparatory School Blue Devils varsity girls basketball team held off the Blue Devils of Clay High School 47-36 at home Tuesday.

Clay's offense, which averages less than 30 points per game, once again struggled early; Stanton led 13-6 at the end of the first quarter. 

Led by junior forward Gabriella Lonsdale and sophomore guard Charlee Evoniuk, Stanton went on a 10-0 run midway through the second. Lonsdale's nine points and Evoniuk's 10 points helped Stanton grow its seven-point first quarter lead into a 25-12 halftime lead.

The two sides traded baskets in the evenly matched third quarter. Clay had its best quarter offensively, but was only able to cut its deficit by one. Stanton got hot from beyond the arc, with Lonsdale hitting two threes and Evoniuk adding another. 

Clay scored six unanswered points to open the fourth, cutting Stanton's lead in half and forcing a timeout.

Several key plays allowed Stanton to hang on. Freshman guard Gabrielle Fajardo saved a ball from going out of bounds, batting it to senior forward Giana Pierre-Louis, who hit an eight-foot jumper. Moments later, it was Fajardo's turn to score; her "and-one" basket with 2:35 to go in the game put Stanton up eight. For its part, Clay did itself no favors by shooting poorly down the stretch.

Clay (4-11) will travel to Wolfson High School on Thursday. Meanwhile, Stanton (7-7) continues its four-game stint against out-of-county teams, traveling to Baker County High School Thursday before hosting Nassau County’s Yulee High School on Jan. 19 and St. John County’s Menendez High School on Jan. 20.