Dulaney girls basketball grinds out 37-35 win over New Town behind strong nights from Elizabeth Ceesay, Kiri Faimanifo
Midway through the fourth quarter of a tight game Friday night, Dulaney guard Heidi Schmidt missed a deep 3-point attempt early in the shot clock. Her coach’s message came next — and it radiated throughout the gym: “Be disciplined and win the game,” Dulaney coach Kourtney Lewis-Orr yelled to her team.
Her message resonated well with Dulaney, who held on to defeat New Town, 37-35.
Dulaney (8-3) led most of the night, but New Town (9-3) fought back to get within a point with a minute remaining in the game. However, the Titans missed two free throws that could have tied or given them the lead. The teams traded turnovers late, but Dulaney stayed together and played as a team.
“Our coach was able to keep us grounded; we were able to keep each other grounded,” Dulaney forward Elizabeth Ceesay said. “Communication was great on the floor; that’s something we’ve been working on recently, and it definitely worked.”
With 32 seconds left, Dulaney guard London McFarlane went to the free throw line for two shots with the team up by one point. The shots didn’t fall but freshman Kiri Faimanifo was there to collect a clutch offensive rebound.
Ceesay added a foul shot and the Lions fended off New Town’s last chance in the final seconds.
“We played Pikesville on Wednesday and they crushed us; a great Pikesville team crushed us,” Lewis-Orr said. “[The players] hated that feeling. I told them, ‘You know how we felt Wednesday; you don’t want to feel that way when we leave today. Make sure you leave it all out there, make it count and make sure everybody is all in.’”
Dulaney started the game strong despite a physical defensive attack from New Town. The Lions held a 12-4 lead after the first quarter, but it quickly diminished as New Town hit shots and Dulaney went cold at the foul line. After going 3-for-4 from the stripe in the first quarter, the Lions shot 9-for-26 the rest of the game.
New Town fought back in the second quarter with a balanced scoring attack. Guard Makiah Pollard scored six for the Titans in the first half as they got with two, 21-19, at the break.
Ceesay scored nine of her 13 points in the first half. She also pulled down nine rebounds on the night.
“I think this is one of my best games of the season and definitely the rest of the team, too,” Ceesay said. “We went into this game really focused on discipline and heart, and I think that’s how we won this game. We were able to keep it together under pressure.”
Ceesay said the game, which included four technical fouls in the first half, was the most aggressive and intense game Dulaney has faced this season.
In the third quarter, Faimanifo came alive. She had two points at halftime before scoring seven in the third quarter alone. She ended with a double-double, 11 points and 10 rebounds. Her presence was also felt on the defensive end with two blocks and one steal.
“[Faimanifo] has a huge impact on us,” Lewis-Orr said. “We go to the locker room, we talk her up, and I don’t think she realizes that even though she’s a freshman and she’s new to the team, the other girls all look up to her.”
Dulaney ended the third quarter with a seven-point lead. New Town again mounted a comeback using physicality and a swarming press defense. Dulaney, however, was able to fend off the surge.
“It was a really aggressive game, but I feel like we kept our end of it,” Faimanifo said. “We didn’t let them take a toll on us and we kept fighting back.”