Kelly helps St. Anthony's stun SJB girls

If you took off the names on the jerseys and walked into the gym in the second quarter Tuesday and saw the score, you would say that's a typical St. John the Baptist team. Intense man-to-man pressure defense, easy baskets in transition and good ball movement were some of the things on display.

But it was St. Anthony's that gave St. John the Baptist a dose of its own medicine. The Friars jumped out to a 23-point halftime lead and defeated visiting St. John the Baptist, 52-39, in a battle of two of the top girls basketball teams on Long Island.

Symone Kelly had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Rebecca Musgrove had 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and Kerrin Maurer added 10 points for St. Anthony's (3-1, 1-1 CHSAA). St. John the Baptist has won six of the last seven CHSAA championships and brings back most of the team from last season's championship squad. Alexis Smith had 12 of her 14 points in the second half for SJB.

"We were ready for everything they were going to throw at us," St. Anthony's guard Kerrin Maurer said. "We know they are a top team. If they're the top team, we wanted to see where we rank. We were composed when they put the pressure on."

The Friars could do no wrong, while the Cougars could do nothing right. The Friars opened the game with a 19-2 spurt aided by six points from Kelly and seven from Musgrove. SJB (3-1, 1-1) didn't get its first field goal until 1:46 remained in the quarter.

Maurer capped the quarter with a fast-break layup, extending the lead to 21-5. The lead expanded to 38-15 at the half.

"It was a surprising first half," St. Anthony's coach Ken Parham said. "St. John is really good and they weren't playing as good as they are. We were able to take advantage of that early. They had good shots and they weren't falling."

SEE PHOTOSSt. Anthony's 52, St. John the Baptist 39

SJB couldn't get into a flow offensively and looked lost. The Friars defense totally flustered the Cougars.

"We could not even get an entry to start our offense because they overplayed really well," SJB coach Ted Oberg said. "We forced penetration. We became stagnant and looked ugly on offense. Credit them playing real aggressive man-to-man. St. Anthony's came out with a good plan and played harder than us in the first half. Maybe it's better we learn a lesson early in the year."

St. Anthony's scored just four third-quarter points, but the Cougars couldn't take advantage with just four themselves. "We made sure we got on their big shooters," Musgrove said. "Kelly always stepped in when someone got beat to take charges."

Kelly took three charges and hopes the Friars could be in charge now. "It's always big because for years St. John's has been pounding it on us," she said. "Hopefully, this is our year."