"We got off to a rocky start," said Ridley's Sam Foy, referring to nonleague back-to-back losses to Abington and Wissahickon. "We're playing very well right now."
In its game against Radnor, which had one of the area's longest winning streaks, Ridley coach Jamie Battineri said her team tried to take advantage of its size. Foy, a junior, stands 5-foot-11, and Michelle Rhine, a senior, is 6-1.
"It didn't always work, but we won," Battineri said.
"We like to switch between high and low post," Foy added. "Michelle's [defender] was shorter Friday night so she was able to score." Rhine finished with a game-high 18 points.
"Ridley's tallest girl was on Sam, giving me the opportunity to go one-on-one with my defender," Rhine said.
The Green Raiders have seven league games left and will face Lower Merion in one of them. They entertain Penncrest Wednesday.
"I think we have a good shot at winning [the league championship]," Rhine said. "It would be a nice way to go out."
There are only three other seniors on the team, Shannon Clark, Megan Jarrel, and Colleen Rumbaugh.
Comeback falls short
A tremendous comeback came up short in the end for Villa Maria Academy, ranked eighth in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer.
The Hurricanes trailed host St. Basil by 38-22 at the end of three quarters Tuesday in their Athletic Association of Catholic Academies matchup. Villa did not score in double figures in any of the first three quarters. Over the final period, the Hurricanes outscored the Panthers, 22-8, but they still trailed by two, 46-44, at the end.
"We were in the middle of midterms, and it's very tough to play on Basil's tight court," said Villa coach Kathy McCartney. "But give Basil credit. They played very well."
The Bulldogs were led by Erin Fenningham, who scored a game-high 17 points (including three treys) and pulled down six rebounds. Fenningham has endured surgery for three ligament tears in her career and is rounding back into shape from her latest one.
