Maya Motherway leads St. Anthony's girls basketball to win over Kellenberg
St. Anthony's players celebrate after defeating Kellenberg in a CHSAA girls basketball game on Friday at Kellenberg. Credit: James Messerschmidt
Maya Motherway may be a new addition to the St. Anthony’s girls basketball roster, but she’s already made quite the impact on the court.
Motherway transferred from East Rockaway for her junior season. On Friday night, she led the Friars in their 59-28 win over Kellenberg in CHSAA with 14 points with two three-pointers.
“We’re so happy to have her,” St. Anthony’s coach Hugh Flaherty said. “She fits right in. Every day she comes ready for practice, and when we finish, she’s staying after to work on her shot.”
That extra practice pays off. The guard's specialty is shooting: She averaged 12.3 points last season at East Rockaway, and she now averages over 11 points per game with St. Anthony’s. Motherway has become St. Anthony’s leading scorer this season.
“Shooting in rhythm in the biggest part of it,” Motherway said. “Once you’re balanced in a rhythm, it’s easy to just bang out shots. And of course, it helps when your teammates are feeding great passes.”
It was a slow start for both teams at the Thunderbird's home court. There were just 10 points scored in the first quarter with St. Anthony’s leading 6-4.
“We started off a little frantic,” Motherway said. “We tend to do that sometimes; push the ball a lot and play too fast.”
Senior captain Emma Toner scored seven and Motherway added six points to bring the Friars to a 23-16 lead at the half. But a seven-point lead wasn't enough.
“I just told them at the half, we’ve got to light a fire and concentrate on moving the ball,” Flaherty said. “We needed to get everybody involved and have everyone do their jobs.”
Motherway went on to score five more points in the third, and St. Anthony’s was able to pull away and finish the quarter ahead 14 (37-23).
Erin Stroehlein scored six points off the bench, and the Friars outscored Kellenberg 22-5 in the final quarter.
“Once we slowed down and ran a good press, things started working for us,” Motherway said. “Our defense helped us win today, defense converts into offensive plays.”
Toner finished with 11 points and added seven rebounds. Elizabeth Healy had 11 points for Kellenberg (1-11).
“Emma is everywhere,” Motherway said. “Her communication and her energy are always a huge spark for us.”
One of St. Anthony’s strongest suits is the depth of their team.
“We have a really strong bench,” Flaherty said. “We love giving our starters a break and putting them in.”
It may be her first year with the Friars, but Motherway has high expectations.
“Our goal this year is definitely to win a cup,” Motherway said. “I think our communication on the court and our defense makes us a strong contender.”
