Charlie Hawkins recently decided to work on her shooting. Against St. Vincent’s Friday night, it was apparent that Hawkins’ work paid off.
The sophomore guard scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the first half to help Savannah Country Day to a 55-41 victory over St. Vincent’s in a game that had postseason ramifications for both teams.
Savannah Country Day will be the number two seed in the upcoming A DI Region 3 playoffs and will receive a bye, while St. Vincent’s will be the number three seed and likely will be in action Tuesday. Due to their size of their gym, St. Vincent’s will play their games at Country Day, as the Hornets offered to host their games.
Hawkins tallied eight points in the second quarter, mainly on jumpers and bank shots in the paint, as she and the Hornets buzzed out to a 31-23 halftime lead.
Savannah Country Day's Charlie Hawkins #20, drives to the basket against St. Vincent’s in a key region matchup. Hawkins led the Hornets with a game-high 18 points in the victory. (Photo by Prep Sports Report)
From there, the Hornets took control of the game in the third quarter, as they found their rhythm with a solid defense effort that forced turnovers and opened their floor game.
The Hornets stormed out to a 7-0 spurt in the third stanza, and they went on to outscore the Saints, 15-2, to take control of the game at 46-25 heading into the final eight minutes.
For Hawkins, it was another night of progression.
“I feel like I have improved my overall game this season,” noted Hawkins. “I really have been concentrating on my shooting. I know if I get a good pass from a teammate, I have to make the shot. I felt pretty good out there tonight.
“We work on playing good defense and that helps to get our offense going.”
SCD head coach Joe Nero confirmed Hawkins’ evaluation of the team’s defense, which opened the game up for them. He also has continued to be impressive with Hawkins, who can be labeled a gym rat.
“Charlie has been developing, and she is only scratching the surface,” stressed Nero. “She lives in the gym all summer and all fall. She plays AAU and is a trainer. Any chance she gets, she is in the gym. Charlie is a really gifted scorer, and her athleticism is only going to improve. She is also incredibly fluid.
“She set a great example with that because we started to see other girls stay after. Between her and Madison Bueno, another sophomore, we also have some sophomores coming off the bench. We have some juniors, and we’ll bring 10 girls back next year. It will be exciting.”
St. Vincent’s head coach, Fallon Page, watched her club reel off a 7-0 run in the opening quarter to close to within 15-14 after one quarter. But the Saints had trouble maintaining their consistency the rest of the way.
Yet, Page was pleased with her team’s ball movement and overall defense.
Elsie Thompson topped St. Vincent’s with 14 points.
“I think we got a little tired, got flat, and then we had turnovers,” offered Page. “They got going, and it was hard for us to come back.
“We had multiple stops, but we just couldn’t convert on offense,” added Page. “We couldn’t come back with all of their possessions.”
With her team’s regular-season behind them, Page saw her team reach another level in her fourth season at the helm.
“Where I started with the program, this has been our best season,” she beamed. “I’m really happy and proud of our girls. I wouldn’t say we’re peaking. What you see is how it has been all season.
“Our shooting percentage has been better in some games, but we have to lower our turnovers. If we can make a few more shots and lower our turnovers, we’ll be money.”
As far as his team peaking at the right time, Nero recalled the team’s 11-game win streak in December and January, and she hoped his team didn’t reach its pinnacle.
Savannah Country Day’s Olivia Aliotta rises for a floater in the key against St. Vincent’s in a crucial region matchup. (Lead photo by Prep Sports Report)
With their win, the Hornets bumped their mark to 18-3 overall, and they’ll close out the regular season with Toombs County with a noon tip-off Saturday.
“My biggest fear was that we would peak too early,” stated Nero. “But we got our teeth kicked in by Vidalia on Monday, and I was really happy we came back and beat Swainsboro on Tuesday. I was really happy with how they responded.
“With all the emotion around this game being an inner-city rivalry, I was really happy how we got things together. We may see them again, and I’m hoping we can keep this going.”
SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY 55, ST. VINCENT’S 41
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Vincent’s | 14 | 9 | 2 | 16 | 41 |
| Savannah Country Day | 15 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 55 |
ST. VINCENT’S (41)
Spisso 0, Summerlin 7, Upchurch 0, Pigman 2, Harris 2, Hines 7, Crossley 2, Albert 7, Thompson 14.
SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY (55)
Bueno 8, Gilpin 6, A. McCray 4, Semones 0, McCorkie 2, Aliotta 6, Myers 0, Hildebrandt 4, Hawkins 18, M. McCray 0, Barrow 2, Sussman 5.
Records: Savannah Country Day 17-3, 8-2 A D1 Region 3, St. Vincent’s 11-7, 8-3 A D1 Region 3.
Photo Credit: Prep Sports Report
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