Mary Louis’ Brianna Harris (r.) dropped in 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a win over SFP. (Denis Gostev)
Mary Louis was well aware of St. Francis Prep’s recent propensity for playing spoilers on opponents’ Senior Nights. Last week, the Terriers picked up wins at Bishop Ford and then Archbishop Molloy on the teams’ special days.
“My head went back to when [Amanda Burakoski] was on the team and we played Molloy [and lost] that Senior Night,” Mary Louis star Karin Robinson said. “We couldn’t let that happen again”
The George Mason-bound guard made sure of it by pouring in 17 points, including nine straight over the third and fourth quarters, to lead the host Hilltoppers to a 52-45 win over St. Francis Prep in CHSAA Division I girls basketball Wednesday night. Senior Brianna Harris scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Jasmine Nwajei added seven points for Mary Louis (15-6, 9-5), which also gave Shannon Delfini and Julia O’Connor a fitting send off.
“She sort of took the game over a little bit,” White said of Robinson. “I warned them before the game that Prep had ruined two Senior Nights.”
The Terriers (9-13, 4-10), ranked No. 8 in the CHSAA by The Post, grabbed their first lead since the first quarter on a layup by Shatira Hamlet (13 points) to make it 34-33 with 2:18 left to play in the third. It completed a 14-2 SFP run that included a 4-point play by Jenna Halaby, who scored 10 of her 11 points in the quarter.
Without Harris’ aggressive work on the boards the St. Francis Prep advantage easily could have been more. She had a putback after Halaby’s big play and answered the Terriers, who trailed 25-17 at the half, taking the lead with a 3-point play.
“Rebounds is mostly what I do,” said the Pace-bound Harris, who transferred in from St. Anthony’s. …“In that run we had Karin out, too, so I felt like I had to step up.”
Added White: “I thought this was one of her best games all year.”
When Robinson reentered the game he went right to work attacking the seams in the St. Francis Prep defense. She ended the third quarter with a fancy underhand layup along the left side for a 3-point play, started the fourth by slipping two defenders for a score and fed Harris with a no-look pass for two. It completed an 11-2 run by No. 5 TMLA to make it 49-38 with 5:13 left in the game. SFP, which now places seventh in league play, pulled within 49-43 on a Hamlet 3-point play with 1:44 left and Meghan Erdman added 11 points.
“We told them before that game today that she will carry them,” St. Francis Prep coach JoAnn Wagner said of Robinson. “If she has to carry every person on that team on her back to win this game, her last game here, her senior game, she will carry them.”
The Hilltoppers, who finished third in CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens, will look to carry someone momentum into the diocesan playoffs. They still have non-league games with Shabazz (N.J.) and Long Island Lutheran remaining next week and will try to take the Senior Night mindset into its stretch run.
“Every day could be our last,” Harris said. “We have to play with that mentality.”
