Sacred Heart Prep’s Holland sisters led the Gators in a 76-16 victory against the visiting Prospect in a Saturday non-league game.
Junior guard Meghan Holland scored 15 points -- nine on three-point field goals alone -- and had eight assists to lead the Gators (12-2). Her older sister, senior guard Melissa Holland, scored 14 points and had five steals against Prospect (4-6).
“We set our own team goals for this game, and I was proud to see the girls carry them out so well,” Gators coach Ann Tafolla said. “They came out and executed everything perfectly.”
SHP took the advantage early when the opening tip went out on the Panthers. Junior forward Caroline Cummings capitalized on the opportunity with a snappy pass to Meghan Holland, who opened the scoring with a three-pointer seconds into the game.
The Gators then kept the ball from Prospect for nearly the entirety of the first quarter, intercepting passes, leaping for rebounds and piling up points to lead 21-0. Forward Jessica Koenig led with five offensive rebounds, while forward Ma'ata Makoni took four defensive rebounds.
“The team just ran the ball through and kept their dominance throughout,” Tafolla said. “They scored and maintained their composure, which was fantastic.”
Panthers coach Chris Valentino burned through three timeouts in the first quarter, but the Prospect players proved unable to adapt to the aggressive SHP style. Finally, Panther senior Ayla Reed took control after Meghan Holland made another three-pointer with a three of her own.
Prospect had difficulty in containing the likes of the Holland sisters and freshman Riley Hemm during the rest of the half as SHP took a 45-5 lead into halftime.
Down 40, the Panthers retired to the locker room to talk strategy while the Gators stayed loose on the court. The halftime chat seemed to pay off for Prospect which made its first significant dent in the Gator lead during the third quarter.
With Prospect fans shouting support, a medley of Panthers -- including Tandun and junior Sarah Miller -- put up nine points in the first three minutes of the second half to make it 55-12.
Two free throws by sophomore Samira Memic with 1:17 left in the third quarter nudged the Panthers slightly closer.
But then SHP zipped away again in the fourth quarter with a 17-0 streak, benefiting from short, precise passes around the three-point arc.
Hemm demonstrated the Gators' savvy and unselfishness toward the end, driving the lane and then passing to Koenig for a three-pointer which she sank.
Tofolla wasn't satisfied, despite the blowout.
“We’re starting league next week, and there are definitely still areas for improvement,” Tofolla said. “We’ve got to work on both offense and defense, particularly focusing on just managing our matchups and working on our box outs. It’ll be hard but rewarding work.”
The Gators are scheduled to face the visiting Pinewood Panthers (10-3) on Wednesday, while Prospect meets host Willow Glen (7-5).
