Their once-comfortable lead was quickly dwindling, and the momentum which the Collegiate Cougars had so skillfully generated in the first half of their matchup with visiting St. Catherine's Friday night was shifting just as quickly in the Saints' direction.
There was no panic, though. No feeling of desperation.
Just calm. Just poise. Just joy.
Intensity and equanimity, you see, are in no way contradictory concepts.
What specifically, though, inspired the Cougars to stand steady when their longtime League of Independent Schools rival whittled their 11-point third-quarter lead to one in a shade fewer than four minutes?
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Motivational words during a timeout? A strategic masterstroke that snatched victory from imminent defeat?
Hardly.
As they savored their 50-40 triumph on the Steve Hickman Court, they reflected on the importance of the quiet time they'd spent together early that morning at a simple potluck breakfast in Charlie McFall Hall that set the tone that they would carry with them through the day.
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"That put us in a good place," said Clare Aman, a 5-11 junior, whose ledger read 15 points, nine rebounds, four steals, two blocks, and one assist. "Honestly, we didn't talk about basketball much at all. We just talked about things that were going on in our lives. We were there as a group of friends more so than as a basketball team.
"It grounded us by taking our minds off the pressure of the game and brought us back to remembering that basketball is a fun team sport and an opportunity for us to work together. We came in feeling, not that it didn't matter, but that it wasn't such a stressful situation and we were just there, in the moment."
Working inside against the SC zone and playing a harrying man-to-man, the Cougars built a 14-9 lead after a quarter and extended it to 25-16 at the half.
Aman opened the third quarter with a putback off an offensive rebound to extend Collegiate's advantage to 27-16, but the Saints, now also playing man-to-man, launched into a 14-4 run, and cut their deficit to 31-30 when Eliza Cochran nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing at 3:20. Along the way, Laila Britt drained a 3, Lindsay Paullin and Lura Lovette scored from close range, and Abby Foster contributed a putback and two free throws.
"First half, we moved the ball pretty well," said Collegiate coach Kevin Coffey. "We got everybody involved early. That was a key. We pushed the ball inside like we normally do and took the time to make the best choice. We found open players, and they hit open shots.
"They (the Saints) hit some big shots to start the (third) quarter. Then, we settled down and got in our flow, started moving and setting screens, getting open looks, and getting to the free throw line. We made our adjustments defensively and forced them to take one shot, and we started to get rebounds. Our defense gave us good offense."
Aman's two free throws at 2:50 and a layup by 5-7 point guard Mia Shrestha followed by an and-one gave the Cougars a 36-30 lead as the quarter ended.
Celie Shield, a 5-11 senior, opened the fourth with a short jumper off Aman's assist and a layup through traffic to put Collegiate up 40-30 a minute in.
"Clare passed out to me, boxed her player out, and told me to shoot it," said Shield, whose line read 15 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. "Whenever Clare tells me to shoot it, I feel so confident."
Savannah Spaulding's bucket from close range gave the Saints their first points in a 4:43 span before Aman scored on a sweet inside move and Shield scored from inside off a Shrestha assist to expand Collegiate's lead to 44-32 at 5:39.
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"We'd started working with each other better," Shield said. "We were seeing the open players. We were looking for each other. We were totally looking to assist."
With Shestha running the show, the Cougars worked the shot clock and kept the ball out of the Saints' hands as much as possible. An 8th grader, Shestha scored 10 points and dealt eight of her team's 11 assists.
In the last 11:20 of the game, Collegiate's defense surrendered just 10 points.
The Cougars (7-8) connected on 19-of-47 shots, scored 24 points in the paint, collected 32 rebounds, and surrendered nine turnovers. The Saints (6-10) shot 15-for-46 with 29 boards and 11 turnovers. They scored 12 points in the paint. Britt, a junior, led SC in scoring with 12.
"We've prepped for these situations before," Coffey said of his squad's ability to fend off the Saints' comeback attempt. "You just focus up. Do what you need to do, collectively as a unit, to get back on track Play now. Play the play now. That's what kept us going."
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Glen Allen center Makayla Louis (10) tries to defend the ball during a basketball game against Deep Run, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
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Glen Allen center Makayla Louis (10) and Deep Run forward Hannah Cook (23) fight for a rebound during a basketball game, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
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Deep Run guard Oluwatoyin Igberase (3) drives with the ball during a basketball game against Glen Allen, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
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Glen Allen guard Lindsey Shoulders (20) tries to defend the ball from Deep Run guard Holli Hopkins (24) during a basketball game, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
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Deep Run center Ann Duncan (30) shoots the ball during a basketball game against Glen Allen, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
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Glen Allen basketball players cheer from the bench during a basketball game against Deep Run, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
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