By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
NOBLESVILLE – Last night was just the third meeting between Guerin Catholic and Peru. The Golden Eagles won the previous two seasons by 19 and 17 and Wednesday was eerily similar.
The closest that the Tigers would get was 3-2. From that point on, Guerin sped up the game and Peru en route to a 54-32 victory.
Guerin got started with a three from the left corner by senior Dana Dues. After a Peru basket, GC went on an 11-6 run to end the first with a 14-8 lead.
Emersyn French ended the first with a two and started the second with a three from the top of the key to make it 17-10.
Three Caroline Ford free throws, along with a Cecilia Titus triple and another corner three from Dues helped cap off a 9-0 scoring spree to extend the lead to 26-10.
“There aren’t a lot of teams that can compete with our energy,” said Guerin Catholic head coach Danielle Cardinal. “We can do it for four quarters, so I think that was a part of it.”
Guerin grabbed its largest lead at that point (32-14) just before halftime on a Lillian Behrle make.
“Defensively, I don’t think they were as prepared. I think it’s one thing to scout us and it’s another to feel that pressure,” Cardinal continued. “That really helped get us going, even when we made mistakes in the press, we could still make it up in the halfcourt.”
They certainly did make up for it in their half court sets. Lorigrace Rockwood scored the first seven of the third for a commanding 39-14 advantage. French kept the lead near 20 at the end of the third. The freshman drilled a left corner three at the buzzer for the 42-23 score.
Ford started the fourth with a steal and basket on a fast break. She would score again on a transition bucket for the largest margin of the night at 51-25.
French sank her third three that would be Guerin’s final points in the 22-point blowout.
Selfless basketball was what the Golden Eagles played. A majority of their made field goals were from a great pass. They didn’t care who scored, as long as they did.
Peru (9-11) was led by Addison Robbins, who scored 24 of their 32 points. The Tigers host Pioneer (8-12) tonight.
“It’s interesting. I’ve had a lot of comments about how disciplined they are,” added Cardinal. “When you probe a little further, you find out that there is nobody going one-on-one and taking bad shots, for the most part. Most of our possessions are hitting the paint and coming back out. It’s driving and kicking. They’re really okay with someone different being the leading scorer every single game.”
And that’s exactly what happened against Peru. It was somebody different that led them in scoring.
Emersyn French came off of the bench to lead the way with 13. She was joined in double digits by Caroline Ford’s 11 and Lorigrace Rockwood with 10. Cecilia Titus had seven and Dana Dues six to balance the Guerin scoring.
Guerin Catholic (14-7) hits the road Friday at Brebeuf Jesuit (10-10) at 6 p.m. in the first game of a girls-boys doubleheader.
