After not making a basket in the first half, Jackie Browne stuck to a simple theory:
"A shooter's gotta shoot," she said.
The senior guard on the Bishop Eustace girls' basketball team scored 21 points in the second half, 15 in the fourth quarter, in Tuesday's loss to Washington Township.
Browne's mentality, and ability, are common among the Crusaders' three guards.
Bishop Eustace (6-3) is off to a solid start this season largely because of its backcourt's ability to keep shooting.
Senior guards Browne and Alyssa Cirucci and junior guard Taylor Hudspeth are pacing the Crusaders, who have yet to lose to a team outside of The Inquirer's South Jersey Top 10.
"We came into the season knowing that we had a nice offensive threat in the three guards," Eustace coach Kat Burke-Esposito said. "Alyssa, Jackie, and Taylor are a trifecta that I'm very fortunate to have.
"A lot of teams in South Jersey have the good fortune to have one or two solid guards. I have three that would perform anywhere. And it's tough for teams to match up with that."
The Crusaders are one of the few area teams with three players averaging double figures in scoring. Browne averages 15.8; Cirucci, 11.7; and Hudspeth, 12.1.
"We know each other pretty well," Cirucci said of the three guards. "We've been playing together for a while now, and that helps.
"And we're young at other positions. But it also helps that we usually have five solid players on the court."
In Tuesday's 67-53 loss to the No. 7 Minutemaids, all three Eustace guards recorded their highest shooting percentage during the team's second-half comeback attempt. Browne hit four three-pointers in the second half, and Hudspeth drained two of her three treys in the fourth quarter.
"They are the kind of players who, when their backs are against the wall, they put the team on their shoulders," Burke-Esposito said. "I would love to tell you that a performance like that is rare. But they hit threes. And they hit them when it counts."
Burke-Esposito, who started as the Crusaders' head coach in 2008-09, is back this season after taking last year off because of the birth of her second child.
"It feels great being back," Burke-Esposito said. "I thought it was so important for my sons to see that you can be a mom and be a basketball coach and be a strong influence in more kids' lives than just your own."
