Newark Academy (N.J.) Girl’s basketball team used a strong fourth quarter, led by senior Katerina Dakos, to upend Mount St. Dominic, 61-47, in the Essex County Tournament’s (ECT) quarterfinal game and advance to the semifinals next Saturday.
“Once we got our energy up, and we realized Erica (Reed) was hitting her shots, taking my pullups that were hitting, just knowing your teammates and what to look for,” Dakos said of what proved to be the difference-maker in the deciding fourth quarter. “I knew that we would come through with the win. I really wanted to win; we wanted to win.”
Clinging to a 37-36 lead at the start of the final period, Dakos drained a bucket to give the Lady Minutemen a three-point advantage. Reed followed with a basket of her own to make it 41-36 with 6:48 left in the game.
Mount St. Dominic freshman Ava Kelshaw cut the lead to three on two successful free throws with 6:42 remaining in the contest.
But Newark Academy (11-6) went on a 16-9 run, with Dakos dropping six of those points during the stretch, to seal the victory for the home team.
The Lady Minutemen jumped out to a 17-12 advantage in the first quarter. Then, Newark Academy went ahead by eight points heading into the break.
Refusing to surrender, the Lady Lions valiantly battled back to tie the score at 33 and pulled ahead, 35-33, with 1:35 to go in the third period. But Newark Academy knotted the affair at 35 all with 1:15 remaining in the quarter. The rest was history.
Dakos, who is committed to Division III Christopher Newport University, totaled a game-high 21 points and added six rebounds. Reed, a sophomore forward, scored 17 points and had five assists and four boards in the win, while senior point guard Dagny Slomack, a Central Connecticut State commit, poured in 14 points, dished out eight helpers and made four steals.
Junior guard Maddie Natale poured in 12 points for Mount St. Dominic.
The Lady Minutemen travel to Montclair Immaculate on Saturday (time TBD) for the ECT Semifinal Round matchup, a first for the program.
The opportunity to play in the program’s first ECT final four is not lost on Dakos and her teammates.
“This never happened in our history before, and we’re real excited,” the Mountville, N.J., native said with a wide-eyed grin.
Newark Academy head coach Liz Bona made it a point to tell her girls to stay cool and play within themselves. She said she was adamant about not letting this one slip away from their collective grasp.
“Last year, we came up short, so we were just concentrating on not letting that happen again,” Bona explained. “I reminded them about composure. It was a one-point ball game going into the fourth. So, we were back at square one, so it was time to amp it up a little bit, be a little more controlled on defense, not take too many risks, just be patient and play our game.”
The Lady Minutemen host Princeton Day School in the Prep B Tournament tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.
— Jerry Del Priore
Photo: Dagny Stomack (l) flanked by Katerina Dakos (r).
NY NJ Sports World/Brooklyn Sports World 