5 Takeaways From the St. Frances Win Over Western

One of the marquee match ups of the Public vs. Private Challenge was the Western versus St. Frances game. The girls basketball community was disappointed when a storm wiped out the game on the original date. Four schools agreed to a make up double header at Pikesville High on Monday evening, with St. Frances and Western opening for the Pikesville-National Christian Academy game. The Panthers blitzed the young Doves with an early dose of Angel Reese. The junior forward immediately made her presence felt with an offensive rebound and put back to open the scoring. Some pressure led to early turnovers and it was 8-0 when Western Coach Tasha Townsend called her first timeout. The Doves did not get their first points until senior Destiny Hawkins made two free throws with 3:04 left in the first. The St. Frances lead was 16-5 after one, and then it ballooned to 40-21 at halftime. The Panthers controlled most of the second half the same way, with their speed and length being the difference. The Doves cut the lead to 14 at one point but could not got any closer and went down 75-60. &nbsp; <strong>Big Time Players Show Up For Big Games</strong> The packed gym, the intensity, the physicality of the encounter is often too much for some players. Nothing was at stake in this one but bragging rights, but it was hotly contested with trash talk flowing. St. Frances was led by their 6'3" junior forward <strong>Angel Reese</strong> and senior guard <strong>Savawn Hughes.  </strong>Western received their spark from freshmen guards <strong>Ny'Ceara Pryor</strong> and <strong>Gabby Johnson. </strong> <strong>Angel Reese Showed Off the Full Arsenal</strong> The Big Ticket was dominant in this one. She scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, many on the offensive glass. She was a terror on defense, either blocking or altering several shots. Her length and ability to close out on perimeter shooters is more than most teams can deal with. She showed off her refined handle by pushing the ball in space and dropping a few dimes to her teammates. She hit a 3 pointer and talked major trash just for good measure. &nbsp; <strong>Savawn Hughes Is The Heart of St. Frances</strong> Savawn recently committed to Georgian Court University. They are getting one of the toughest guards in the area. She is the leader of the team without doubt. She sets the tone on defense and does all the little things a leader should do. In this game she set the press up and scored early and often in transition. Her aggressive and attacking style is perfect for a team with a great help defender like Reese lurking behind her. She finished with 19 points. &nbsp; <strong>Gabby Johnson Is A Gamer</strong> Gabby's nickname is "Showtime" due to her penchant to add flair to the game. That's not all she brings to the table. Gabby is a fierce competitor capable of playing both guard positions. She is an excellent ball handler and passer so she is effective against pressure. She displayed her scorer's mentality in this game by attacking inside and hitting some outside shots, including a big three. She finished with 12 points off the bench. She's having an impressive freshman season so far. &nbsp; Ny'Ceara Pryor Is The Real Deal The 5'1" point guard is fearless. She impacts the game on both ends of the floor. She is disruptive on defense at the point of attack, pestering ball handlers full court. She gets steals by playing the passing lanes and using her speed to sneak up on players from behind. She is always around the ball forcing jump balls and providing help defense. On offense she is a pass first guard but will attack the lane against bigger players. Her jumper is a work in progress but she knocks down enough threes to keep defenders honest. She's unselfish and has a high level IQ. She is starting and playing major minutes as a freshman. She led the Doves in scoring with 14 points.