St. Anne’s-Belfield’s girls basketball team likes to upend and exceed expectations.
“Every year you hear we’re not going to be as good this year as we were last year,” said STAB senior Scottie Hull. “We’ve heard that every year that I’ve been here and we’ve proved them wrong every year. Hopefully we can do that again.”
They’re on their way to doing the same this year. They rolled 68-38 past Flint Hill Tuesday in the VISAA Division I quarterfinals, punching their ticket for their eighth-straight state final four.
“We really wanted to get to states this year and get to the final,” said STAB freshman Kymora Johnson. “We’ve been talking about getting a ring this year and we’re really hoping to do so.”
STAB will take on Bishop O’Connell Friday at 1:45 p.m. in the VISAA D1 semifinals.
Johnson led the Saints’ offense with 18 points and 10 rebounds, her ninth double double of the season. Hull boosted STAB’s effort with 15 points, all on 3-pointers. She went an electric 5-for-6 from beyond the arc. Hull has come on strong of late with some highly efficient work on the offensive end. She’s been shooting nearly 60 percent from the field over the last five games.
“She’s really stepped up this year, she’s been a big part of our team,” Johnson said. “I’m hoping she can continue to do what she’s doing — she’s a great player.”
While Hull’s outside shooting was big, it was STAB coach Phil Stinnie imploring his squad to get into the paint that helped them transform a slow start with a seven-point advantage at the end of the first quarter into a 24-8 lead early in the second quarter.
“Coach pulled us in at the end of the first quarter and said ‘get to the paint, get to the paint’,” Johnson said. “We started driving, getting to the basket and getting easy shots.”
The Saints cruised from there, keeping Flint Hill at arm’s length while slowly extending its lead. Daija Bennett finished with seven rebounds while Maddie Rice notched six rebounds and four steals while Sallie Vick, Khamare Steppe and Sabrina Lewis each had five boards.
Now STAB gets a chance to confound expectations again as they lock up with a strong O’Connell team in the state final four Friday.
