TOWN AND COUNTRY –The John Burroughs girls basketball team understands how their state quarterfinal game unraveled on them last March.
A shortage of physicality, a decline in togetherness, and an inability to make on-the-fly adjustments all played roles in prematurely bouncing the 2021-22 state champion Bombers from the playoffs last season.
Eight months have passed, and in their long-awaited, season opener against Rock Bridge on Friday, the Bombers ensured that each of those deficiencies were corrected.
Monet Witherspoon set the tone on the offensive glass, and Allie Turner hit seven three-pointers as John Burroughs defeated Rock Bridge 60-44 at the Turkey Day Shootout at St. Joseph’s Academy.
John Burroughs (1-0) began the game with immense full court pressure and quickly put the defending Class 6 runner-up Bruins on their heels. A steal by Breaunna Ward, a blocked shot by Moriyah Douglass and a relentless attack of the offensive glass by Witherspoon kickstarted the Bombers.
Turner drove baseline and found Witherspoon for a corner 3, and moments later, Turner drained a triple from the opposite corner as the Bombers’ opened an 8-2 lead in the opening three minutes.
“We just wanted to come out with the intensity that we should have had in that (quarterfinal) game,” Turner said. “It was a focus to come out fast.”
A Witherspoon putback, a nifty spin move by Ward and another long-range missile from Turner built a 16-4 cushion.
“Their physicality set the tone, and we didn’t match it in the first half. We weren’t the aggressor,” Rock Bridge coach Jill Nagel said.
After Rock Bridge cut the deficit to seven points, the togetherness of the Bombers helped in reestablishing momentum.
Consecutive corner threes by senior Celia Thayer, set up by drives and kickouts from Turner and Witherspoon opened a 22-9 lead for John Burroughs.
“It’s all about knowing who’s on the court with you and what they like to do,” Witherspoon said.
Turner added, “We really want to try to be more together as a team, because last year, I think that’s where we fell a little short.”
John Burroughs (1-0) took a 16-point lead into halftime, but Rock Bridge had its own full-court pressure to unleash in the third quarter. Malia Chievous banked in a floater and a quick steal and three-pointer by all-state guard Mari Miller gave the Bruins five points in the blink of an eye.
Miller led Rock Bridge with 20 points, including four three-pointers.
“Rock Bridge is a great team, and we knew they were going to come out (of halftime) ready to go, but we let them score five points quick, and that was on us,” John Burroughs coach Jacob Yorg said.
Last March 11, the Bombers could not mount a response to a smothering Cape Notre Dame defense and lost 46-35 to end their season. It was their lowest point total since a 35-34 loss to Lutheran North on Feb. 20, 2020 – a span of 79 games.
On Friday, John Burroughs weathered the Bruin second half blitz, made the necessary adjustments, and despite only scoring seven points in the third quarter, regained momentum in the fourth.
“They were making us play a faster game and we were making mistakes,” Witherspoon said. “What we failed to do last (quarterfinal) game was make adjustments in that moment, but in this game, we knew what to correct and we corrected it.”
That correction involved controlling tempo, remaining patient and forcing Rock Bridge to play longer possessions on defense.
“We were able to slow down, get better shots, and we were able to expand the lead a little bit more,” Yorg said.
And every time the Bruins put together a mini-run, a Turner 3-ball squashed the rally.
“We did a lot of good things in the second half, but we were never able to get them on their heels,” Nagel said.
Turner, a Gonzaga commit, scored 24 points, including a sweltering 7-for-8 from three-point range, as the Bombers drained 11 threes in the victory.
Douglass added 12 points and Witherspoon chipped in 10, all during the lead-building first half.
The impressive opening game victory marked an important first step in the Bombers quest to return to championship form.
“We need to prove something. We need to prove that we’re still here, we’re still relevant and we’re still good,” Yorg said.
And the Bombers will carry with them the lessons learned from a shocking and heartbreaking quarterfinal loss last season and the bitter taste that still lingers from it.
“It still motivates us, but it’s definitely good to have a win now,” Turner said.