Grand Street Campus’ girls basketball team notched its biggest victory of the season on Jan. 20, taking down Murry Bergtraum 64–56 and handing the Blazers their first loss of the season.
The Wolves relied on their dominant backcourt throughout the matchup, but it was the late-game performance of point guard Asinae Johnson that made the difference. The junior controlled the tempo down the stretch, sparking her squad on both sides of the ball as Grand Street held on for a statement-making win.
“[Johnson’s] performance today was ordinary,” said Grand Street head coach Corey Mcfarlane. “She’s done so much that this is ordinary. We constantly encourage her to push the envelope.”
Johnson scored 18 of her team-high 27 points in the first half, but saved her best work for the fourth quarter. Her attacking style drew fouls and padded the Wolves (7–1) lead, answering each one of Murry Bergtraum’s (9–1) late-game pushes.
Infinity Hammonds’ pull-up jumper made it a five-point game with 4:20 left in the fourth, but Johnson answered on the other end driving hard to the rim and drawing the foul in the process.
She converted on both her free-throw attempts to put the Wolves back up by seven, a comfortable lead that gave Grand Street Campus a bit of breathing room down the stretch. Johnson scored nine fourth-quarter points.
Grand Street Campus opened up the fourth quarter strong as junior forward Lakeisha Officer found Shanice Graves in the corner for an open three that broke a 43-all tie, giving the Wolves a lead just 10 seconds into the period. The Wolves went on a 7–0 run at the 6:00 mark, capped off by Maia Fawcett’s open three, at the top of the key, which gave the visitors a 52–45 lead with under five minutes left to play.
The Wolves pushed the tempo in the fourth quarter, working their way into the lane and forcing Murry Bergtraum to get just a bit desperate on offense. The Blazers settled for a handful of three-pointers, going 2–5 from behind the arc in the final three minutes of the game.
Murry Bergtraum closed the gap to 55-51 with a little over three minutes left in the fourth, but the Blazers inability to rebound cost them.
“We didn’t rebound and we didn’t play defense,” said Bergtraum coach Curtis Luck. “We gave up five offensive rebounds on one possession. You’re not winning like that at all.”
He also noted that Grand Street’s late-game momentum forced the Blazers out of their game plan. In the end, the Wolves backcourt strength was simply too much for Murry Bergtraum.
“We rushed,” Luck said. “Instead of us taking our time, swinging the ball around like we were in the third, we rushed.”
Fawcett added 18 points, hitting a couple of timely threes, and senior guard Shanice Graves scored 10 steady points, chipping in on the Wolves’ free-throw barrage in the fourth.
Grand Street will look to keep the on-court consistency going this week, hosting Manhattan Center for Science & Math on Jan. 27 as they head into the final stretch of the regular season.
