Kristin Smith was holding her side when she heard a question that raised a smile.
What was it like out there tonight?
"It was a little painful," Smith said. "I'm not going to lie - there's some bruising after a game like this."
For Smith, it was easy to smile through the pain after withstanding four quarters against a 6-foot center who thrives on physical play.
In a game in which Seneca center Brittany Snow did everything but stay out of foul trouble, Smith - a freshman forward - held her own. She came off the bench to score 13 points, grab eight rebounds, and make a strong statement in Rancocas Valley's 56-52 home win over Seneca on Monday.
"She's a beast," RV coach Anthony Corrado said of the 6-0 Smith. "One of the strongest players I've coached, if not the strongest. She's just physical all the time, and she's only going to get better with age."
RV (8-0), ranked No. 1 in South Jersey by The Inquirer, struggled from the field and committed several costly turnovers but managed to keep Seneca at arm's length for most of the game.
Senior guard Natalya Lee led the team with 14 points, including four three-pointers, and senior point guard Brianna Logan netted 11, including shots at the buzzer in the second and third quarters.
"This was a playoff-type atmosphere," Corrado said. "And it was a big win for us. Give Seneca credit - they came with their 'A' game."
There were several big individual performances by Seneca (6-2), ranked No. 8.
Senior guard Taylor Watson scored 15 points, including eight in a third quarter that ended with RV up by just 41-40.
Sophomore guard Erica Snow contributed seven points, including a long-range trey with 1 minute, 3 seconds left to cut RV's lead to 52-50.
But no performance was bigger for the Golden Eagles than Brittany Snow's. The senior center finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. She battled like a prize fighter for most of the game with Smith and RV center Lauren Moses.
"This is one of the best games our team has ever played," Brittany Snow said.
The center said she enjoys competing against physical players, particularly Moses.
"I like [Moses] because I can play physical with her and she doesn't take it personally," Snow said. "We can both go hard, but at the end of the day, we're still OK."
