ATHERTON, Calif. — Maggie Goldstein was not going to allow Sacred Heart Prep to lose to its biggest rival.
With teammates Katherine Baron, Jocelyn Jones and Bella Jansen-Olliges in early foul trouble, Goldstein had the hot hand, scoring 13 of her game-high — and career-high — 21 points in the first half. Once Menlo’s defense started paying her more attention, Goldstein helped distribute the ball to Baron and Jones, helping the Gators open up a 15-point lead after the third quarter.
And after the Knights trimmed the deficit to just five with two minutes remaining, Goldstein stemmed the tide with a clutch 3-pointer as No. 21 SHP held off No. 17 Menlo’s late rally with a 54-46 victory.
“She’s been through plenty of ups and downs that we’ve had,” Gators head coach Kaailau Bell said. “She’s just a tough-as-nails athlete. She definitely brings all that toughness from the lacrosse (field) onto the floor here, and it’s been a huge deal.”
Goldstein, a junior committed to play lacrosse at Stanford, has been a starter on the basketball court since her freshman year, but missed almost two months to start this season due to a back injury. She has played in seven games since returning on Jan. 13, and it’s no coincidence that SHP, which has just eight players on its roster, is undefeated with her in the lineup.
Tuesday’s win was the Gators’ eighth in a row following a 2-7 start.
“I always look out for my teammates,” Goldstein said. “I’ve seen how big of an impact good leadership and encouragement can have. That full attitude throughout a game can make or break a team, and I just want to be that force and charge our team forward with that leadership.”
SHP led from late in the first quarter on, with Goldstein scoring nine of her team’s 13 points in the first eight minutes. Sophomore Anika Shah helped the Knights (14-6) hang around with seven of her 10 points in the second, but neither team could sustain much flow with whistles blowing frequently on both sides.
Ava Allen took over in the second half for Menlo, with all 18 of her points in the last two quarters, but she did not have much help. She beat the shot-clock buzzer for an off-balance 3-pointer to cut the Gators’ advantage to three early in the third, but SHP responded when Goldstein drove into the lane and kicked out to Gianna Camus for an open 3 of her own. That kicked off a 19-7 run for the Gators, giving the hosts their largest lead.
“We thought we had a great defensive possession there,” Bell said. “It would have been really easy to hang your heads. That next possession, we got the movement we wanted, we got a great drive by Maggie, she kicks it out to Gianna and Gianna nails that 3, that was the sort of answer you have to have in these games.”
Menlo made its run in the fourth, forcing 18 SHP turnovers in the game and finding success from beyond the arc in the form of Allen. Goldstein, though, kept things from spiraling out of control for the Gators. She was a vocal leader on the court for both her teammates and coaches, even telling Bell to use a timeout when she sensed fatigue starting to set in.
Goldstein had nine rebounds in addition to her scoring prowess, was 6-for-7 at the free throw line and did not turn the ball over once. Most importantly, she helped SHP snap an eight-game losing streak against Menlo and earn its first win over the down-the-street rival Knights in six years.
