Dominant third quarter sends Cardinal Gibbons past Coral Springs Charter

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – The Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs used a blistering 37-2 third quarter behind relentless half court defensive pressure to defeat Coral Springs Charter, 82-27, in the Class 4A state quarterfinals. The Chiefs’ intensity began right off the inbound as the Panthers turned the basketball over while struggling to advance past the midline.

Cardinal Gibbons’ 16-2 start to begin the quarter switched a six-point halftime advantage into a route. The Chiefs, who are the top seed in region four, led the eighth seeded Panthers 27-21 at the break. Coral Springs Charter’s next field goal would not come until the 4:33 mark of the third quarter.

Cardinal Gibbons received contributions from ten different scorers led by Taylor Williams. The senior point guard finished with 14 of her 21 points in the second half by using her athleticism to score in transition and off turnovers near the rim.

Senior forward Brooke Buckman added 11 points and eight rebounds while wing/guard Kayla Greyvensteyn used her length and versatility in transition to score 11 points. Cardinal Gibbons also received strong play from freshman point guard Makayla Midgett with nine points and sophomore point guard Savanna Nicholson with eight points on two 3-pointers.

“I didn’t have to say much,” said Cardinal Gibbons head coach Kevin Gordon on the second half surge. “We didn’t have a good day of practice yesterday, but I didn’t have to say much. Every single team in the round of 32 are going to play hard no matter what. Our ladies finally got an understanding of that in the third quarter.

"We didn’t take them lightly, it’s just that we didn’t execute certain things and we had a lot of turnovers in the first half. No matter who you play, if you turn the ball over, it’s going to be a ball game. Kudos to Coral Springs Charter, they have a good young team. Second half, we did switch up some things but it was mainly effort and intensity that ultimately changed the game. We know that moving forward, anybody that you play you can’t do that in the first half or you’re going home with a loss.”

Coral Springs Charter, with five sophomores and two eighth graders on its roster, went step for step with the more experienced Chiefs in the first half. Led by sophomores Zylaah Marders and Ariana Irizarry, the Panthers were able to connect in the mid-range while finding some success on the glass. Minus a few late turnovers, Coral Springs Charter could have gone into the half down a possession or even with the lead.

The Panthers’ inexperience in dead ball situations would quickly unravel any chance of pulling the upset. It’s initial pass off the inbound or further sequence off the dribble would quickly result in a turnover. Led by Williams, Cardinal Gibbons would take advantage of Coral Spring Charter’s miscues with easy lay-ups and lay-ins near the rim. The Chiefs also received strong on-ball defense from senior point guard Konstantina Mantziori and junior guard Jordan Kosoy. Cardinal Gibbons’ core of veteran leadership, especially from its backcourt, proved too much in the end for the Panthers.

“We knew we were the better team and we could score,” said Williams. The first half wasn’t really our game, but we brought the energy in the second half. Once we get going, we get going. It was a good game for me. I know I have to do better on some things. I had a lot of turnovers, but we keep going as the season goes on.”