Sometimes, a player reaches their 1,000th career point in an atypical way.
Not St. Anne’s-Belfield girls basketball’s Jovia Winkey.
“She got her 1000th point the way she plays,” said STAB coach Phil Stinnie. “She hustled, she was on the floor, she got up, she got a steal, went in and made a shot with contact. That’s her. That’s the way that kind has been since she’s 13 years old.”
And she reached the milestone in the kind of game she’s thrived in over the last four years, a hard-nosed LIS battle with Trinity Episcopal, helping lead STAB to a 66-51 win the Saints needed to stay in control of the league championship race.
“We really needed this win and we finally got momentum tonight and pushed through,” Winkey said. “It was a big one for us.”
The Saints, who have now moved to 16-1 on the year, took apart a talent-laden Trinity Episcopal lineup with a balanced offensive effort and their trademark aggressive defense. The Saints created several turnovers in the half court trap, pressuring out on Trinity’s guards. Winkey and Vanessa Woodfolk have never been ones to back down from a battle and Winkey finished with 19 points. Woodfolk finished with 13 points and 12 boards in a double double effort, rising to the occasion against Trinity’s talented set of post players.
“When we needed a big rebound she got it, when we needed a big steal she got it,” Stinnie said. “Her tenacity on rebounds, she was going at it.”
Eighth-grader Kymora Johnson also gave the Saints a huge spark down the stretch to help put away Trinity. Johnson scored 10 of her 14 total points in the fourth quarter including a pair of 3-pointers with the last 3-pointer set up by a slick move from Jada Bennett along the baseline.
“She’s the oldest 13-year old I’ve ever met,” Stinnie said. “She’s learning every day and she’s constantly making an effort to not make the same mistake twice. That’s huge.”
The Saints jumped out to a 13-9 lead against the Titans in the first quarter and extended that lead to 32-24. Woodfolk did the bulk of her offensive damage during that second quarter, scoring 10 of her 13 points in that frame. The Saints’ supporting cast was also solid in that first half, with Scottie Hull and Bennett contributing buckets while Bailey Cullen, who finished with four points, battled hard under the boards against the Titans’ tall frontcourt.
The final blow came with Johnson’s run in the fourth though as it put the game out of reach while Winkey hit four critical free throws down the stretch. The win puts the Saints in control of the LIS race with a win over perhaps its most dangerous challenger, and it’s a big step in what’s shaping up to be another special season.
“We’re a good team — we’re a really good team,” Stinnie said. “I’m not saying we’ve got a whole lot of high end players but we’ve got high end characters and that’s why we’re so good.”
STAB takes on Middleburg at home Thursday.
