Fontbonne Hall’s Cindy Henderson had to slow down to deliver the Bonnies an important win.
Henderson failed to convert four fast-break lay-ups after steals during Fontbonne’s 38–35 home win over host Bishop Kearney Wednesday night, which prompted coach Steve Oliver to tell his star guard to pull up for jump shots instead. Henderson listened and went on to hit three key jumpers in the final five minutes including a 3-pointer from the left corner with less than 2:00 to play that sealed the victory
“She redeemed herself at the end of the game,”Oliver said of Henderson, who led her team with 16 points.
Bishop Kearney came into the game at 6–0 in the division and Fontbonne (5–5, 4–1) needed to win to pull even in the standings. Kearney’s sophomore forward Jennifer Kaye made life tough on the Bonnies, until she got into foul trouble in the second half. Kristen Ferrigno lead Kearney with 11 points. Fontbonne is still playing without forward Kristen Sullivan, who could miss two more weeks because of an ankle injury. It’s made playing interior defense more of a chore.
“Jen is definitely a good player and we couldn’t let one possession down, we had to be on her every possession, said Fontbonne guard Kate Oliver, the coach’s daughter. “Without Kristen Sullivan it hurts because she’s an animal down low.”
The Bonnies are hoping they can use this game as motivation for the rest of the season. So far, Oliver says he has not been satisfied with the way they have played, but explained that he saw a lot of positives in game. He feels a win like this can really help his girls’ confidence level.
“I consider us one of the top team when we’re playing on all cylinders,” Oliver said. “We’re still hurting a little bit with Sullivan not playing. But when we’re on all cylinders and shooting [well] then we can contend with the top teams.”
Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.