STANTON BREAKS TWO GAME WINNING STREAK WITH LOSS TO MENENDEZ

BY TY’HANA ALDRIDGE | JAN. 20, 2021 | SPORTS

Stanton College Preparatory School’s varsity girls basketball team fell to the Pedro Menendez High School Falcons of St. Augustine, Fla. 42-21 at home Wednesday.

The Blue Devils started the first quarter off with poor defense; Menendez was able to score eight points, while Stanton gained only four points two minutes before the buzzer. 

Going into the second quarter down four, Stanton was able to score a few minutes in, bumping the score to six. The Blue Devils’ defensive skills came alive in this quarter, as they were able to keep the Falcons from scoring. Entering halftime, the Falcons ended the second half with a 12-10 lead, leading the Blue Devils by just two points.

As the Blue Devils entered the third quarter, freshman Stanton guard Gabrielle Fajardo made a steal, hyping the crowd and giving the Blue Devils their first points in the second half. With 30 seconds on the clock, sophomore Falcons leading scorer Robin Stewart managed to steal the ball and score a layup ending the quarter at 24-15.

Nine points down, the Blue Devils headed into the fourth quarter. Running down the court, sophomore guard Charlee Evoniuk shot a three-point moving the score up to 18, closing the distance between the teams. But Menendez ultimately scored 18 points as a result of an outburst of energy by Stewart and guard Mahaley Dodson. Stewart and Mahaley combined rallied 24 points for the Falcons, more than half of the total score.

As the time remaining decreased, the Blue Devils began to struggle keeping the ball on their side, allowing Menendez to steal the ball more than twice in this quarter. Although they were behind and their defense was outmatched, the Blue Devils continued to fight to the end. Just when the Falcons thought they were going to score again, senior Gianna Pierre-Louis was there to secure the block in the paint. With an attempt to add onto the Blue Devils’ low score, Fajardo went in for a three-point shot bouncing off the rim, ending the game with a 21-point loss for the Blue Devils.

Stanton (8-8) falls back to .500 and will next play Thursday at rival Paxon School for Advanced Studies. Menendez (6-11) snaps a three game losing streak and will play at Ponte Vedra High School Thursday.