BG v. Portsmouth: It’s Muller Time!

Photo: JT Shotz

Bash Hudson

February 4, 2022 @ 02:00 PM

After a crushing loss earlier in the week to Dracut, Bishop Guertin bounced back with a big road win vs. a Portsmouth team that was 15-1 entering Wednesday night’s contest. Bishop Guertin cranked up the defense in the second quarter holding the Clippers to 2 points in the period. Bishop Guertin won 53-21 and got a big performance from their freshman big.   Player of the Game: [caption id="attachment_384405" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/85EA9E9B-24D7-4FE1-AF89-0BC616E2FAF4-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1644003642.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-384405" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/85EA9E9B-24D7-4FE1-AF89-0BC616E2FAF4-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1644003642-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: JT Shotz[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="301095" first="Brooke" last="Muller"] - Bishop Guertin - 6’2’’ - PF - ’25 Wednesday night’s game was not about Muller’s stats but more about her ongoing activity on both sides of the floor. Muller can post up and put the ball on the deck from the outside. She is an active rebounder, has a solid defensive presence inside, and runs the floor well. Muller’s high motor and rim running make her one of the biggest mismatches in transition, whose skill set also compliments Bishop Guertin’s lethal guard play. Muller just being on the court and giving max effort will draw so much attention to her and open up the rest of the court for Bishop Guertin. If Muller plays like she did against Portsmouth, Bishop Guertin will be hard to stop in the tournament.   Bishop Guertin Standouts: <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-384409" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/58ECED20-497B-4047-9159-DD1F63225D4D-scaled-crop-1673x1098-1644003728-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="295936" first="Molly" last="Smith"] - 5’8’’ - G/F - ’23’ Smith was one of the players who got the team going on defense with her relentless activity and ball pressure. She was flying all over the court and made Portsmouth uncomfortable on offense. Smith got several deflections and made the opposition rush passes, leading to many turnovers. I also thought overall, Smith outworked and played harder than everyone on the court.   [caption id="attachment_384427" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/57F4DBFD-0339-48DE-A648-DE99F196FB1D-scaled-crop-1660x1090-1644004667.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-384427" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/57F4DBFD-0339-48DE-A648-DE99F196FB1D-scaled-crop-1660x1090-1644004667-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: JT Shotz[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="269920" first="Hannah" last="Lynch"] - 5’11’’ - SF - ’24 Lynch got Bishop Guertin off to a good start with 6 points in the first quarter. She also set the tone on the glass and defensively for her team and has been an excellent do-it-all wing this season. Lynch doesn’t need to dominate the ball to be impactful. She will guard multiple positions, play hard, and take what the defense gives her on offense. Lynch’s size, length, and athleticism allow Bishop Guertin to mix it up on defense and suffocate opponents.   Portsmouth Standout: [player_tooltip player_id="282806" first="Avery" last="Romps"] - 6’0’’ - CG - ’24 Even though the outcome wasn’t in favor of Portsmouth, I left that game Wednesday night highly impressed with [player_tooltip player_id="282806" first="Avery" last="Romps"]. At her position, there are not many prospects in her class who have the lateral quickness and shot-blocking ability that she possesses. Romps slides her feet well and can swat shots with her off-hand, which I rarely see. The fact that Romps can track down a quick and shifty perimeter player, time her jump and alter/block a shot with her left hand to avoid a foul call speaks volumes to how valuable she is on defense.