Huskies' Bench Gets Plenty of Opportunities in 69-20 Win Over Trinity

Two days after giving up a four-point lead going into the fourth quarter and eventually falling to Bullis by a point, Flint Hill responded the same way they always have: with a blowout victory.

That meant trouble for Trinty Episcopal on Saturday, as Claire Doyle scored 14 and the Huskies cruised to a 69-20 victory.

The Huskies’ 10 wins have come by an average of 26.5 points. Their three losses, meanwhile, have been by a margin of just 4.7, and in avoiding consecutive losses, the Huskies’ wins following a loss have come by an average of 40.3 points.

Such is life in the Independent School League, where teams often struggle to find quality opposition for non-conference games. The result today was another big effort from Flint Hill’s bench. Nicole Freeman scored 12 points and Claire Romansky added 11, including three plus-one opportunities, two of which she converted.

Flint Hill coach Jody Patrick pulled her starters near the end of the first quarter with the Huskies leading 18-2 and in the midst of a 28-1 run that put the game away early. It was the earliest this season she had gone to the bench, but she eventually rotated her top five back in.

“I wanted to let the bench know ‘you’ve got to be ready,’” Patrick said. “This is a long season, you have to be ready, and you’re only going to be able to [succeed] if your bench is going to be there.”

Trinity’s Emily Wilkinson scored her team’s first seven points and keyed an 8-0 run in the second quarter, but the Husky starters returned to start the second half and held the Titans to two third-quarter points, after having already held them to two points in the first quarter.

The defense was keyed by deflections and blocks that prevented the Titans from getting many quality looks at the basket. Audrey Dotson scored a season-low four points in her limited action, but had four blocked shots and six rebounds. Alex Long kept Trinity’s offense from finding any rhythm by knocking several passes out of bounds.

Initially, Patrick was subbing all her starters out at the same time, but as the game went on, she began to mix up her lineup.

“They help them. They remind them of plays,” she said of the mix between starters and bench. “Sometimes the bench players haven’t done the reps, and they don’t have answers out there if a question comes up.”

While it may seem like a blowout like this wouldn’t prepare a team much for a stronger opponent, Patrick insists that staying disciplined late in the game will pay dividends.

“I didn’t want us to get sloppy, so I really reiterated that at halftime,” Patrick said.

It’s an idea her players have bought into, as the Huskies have outscored opponents 337-228 in the second half of the 11 games for which the scores of individual quarters were kept.

Elena Rosenblum added 11 points for the Huskies.

Shea Patrick missed her first game after suffering a concussion against Bullis. Jody Patrick said Shea woke up today without a headache and has done well with baseline testing, but there is no timetable for her return.