Francis Scott Key girls basketball shakes off cold stretch, rallies back to defeat Manchester Valley, 54-51

After seeing a double-digit lead slip away into a tied game at Manchester Valley with just four minutes left, Francis Scott Key senior Drew Watkins begged coach Mitchell Walther for a timeout.

Walther obliged, leading what may have been a season-defining huddle for the defending Carroll County champion.

“We talked about communicating with each other and trusting who we are,” Walther said. “We just had to go back to what we have been doing.”

The Eagles recovered, going back to the two things they had been doing well all night: defending and rebounding. Thanks to clutch play down the stretch, the Eagles defeated the Mavericks, 54-51, Friday night.

“It was stressful, but it was fun,” Abby Rieger said. “It was intense, but we kept our heads and worked together to beat a good team.”

With Walther smartly taking Watkins’ advice, the first-year coach was able to lead the Eagles to a big win by putting his trust in a dynamic duo: the guard tandem of Rieger and Summer Brooks.

While some coaches stress “the system” or rely largely on plays that they claim can be ran with the right pieces, Walther’s faith in his guards never wavered. He encouraged his girls all night to do what makes them great, empowering them and giving them the reins down the stretch.

“I will always give them that freedom,” he said. “We are at our best when they create and give us opportunities to score.”

Brooks led the offense down the stretch, taking control of the ball and finding the open girl with some pinpoint passes.

Wanting to work the ball inside, Watkins and Caroline Kohr became her top targets, as the Eagles looked like a well-oiled machine when they went on game-defining runs. A Brooks pass through three defenders to set Kohr up for a basket with less than a minute left sealed the win.

The junior guard was able to adjust on the fly during possessions when the Mavericks had them stifled, displaying the chemistry she’s developed with all of her teammates.

“Me and Abby’s court vision is great,” she said. “Everyone knows where to be and we just connect and make the plays together.”

From the start of the game, it was a uncharacteristic night for the Mavericks as the Eagles defense constantly created turnovers. A normally confident Mavericks attack became timid, hesitating to dribble up the court or take advantage of some open looks deep. A Rieger steal was often the result of some great team defense from the Eagles.

“I like to bring the energy,” Rieger said. “It all starts with talking on defense so I like to run around and do whatever I can.”

Desperate to find something offensively, the Mavericks woke up as the Eagles got sloppy and careless with the ball themselves at times in the second half. Reese Kresslein rebounded after a slow start, hitting the game-tying 3-pointer that preceded the timeout Watkins urged for in the fourth quarter.

Lilah Kresslein and Brenna Murphy each stepped up off the bench for the Mavericks, hitting shots that kept them in the game and stopped things from getting out of hand.

With the Eagles trying to bounce back from a loss against Westminster that caused a bit of a log jam at the top of the county standings, Walther refocused his team, urging them to lock back in and focus on rebounding.

“There were some things during the Westminster game that I kind of let slide,” he said. “I went back to stressing rebounding in practice specifically because when we rebound, we win.”

The Eagles responded as it was the tremendous rebounding effort that made the difference during the game’s final stretch.

Despite being guards, Brooks and Rieger were in the mix, not allowing themselves to be bullied inside. Watkins, Kohr and Kensi Bancroft let a frontcourt that pulled down board after board, stealing extra opportunities offensively and putting the finishing touches on well played defensive possessions.

Jayla Watson got in and made plays as well. Blocking shots and rebounding, the junior made the most of her time on the court, buying in to Walther and doing whatever it took to win.

Now back atop the county standings, Walther and his team walked away with confidence sky high and most importantly, the goal of repeating as county champs still well within reach.

“We have to keep telling ourselves to stay the course,” he said. “If keep playing how we know we can play every night for 32 minutes, we can still do everything we set out to do this season.”

Francis Scott Key 54, Manchester Valley 51

FSK- Drew Watkins (18), Summer Brooks (16), Abby Reiger (9), Caroline Kohr (8), Kensi Bancroft (3)

MV- Reese Kresslein (14), Brenna Murphy (10), Autumn Stottlemire (9), Molly Smith (5), Lilah Kresslein (4), Haylee Bittinger (3), Maya Trump (2), Emma Shaffer (2), Gabby McCarthy (2)