MRH Girls Basketball Season Ends With Close Loss to St. Elizabeth, 65-58

Strong efforts from Antonia Lee and Cassandra Goodson weren't enough for girls basketball team on Tuesday night. The young Blue Devils fell to a more experienced St. Elizabeth Academy team in the first round of the Class 3, District 5 tournament, 65-58.

MRH (6-18) was down by as much 17 points in the first half, but a second-half resurgence, led by Lee, sparked a comeback to bring the game within two points late in the fourth quarter. The late rally wasn't enough to overcome a persistent and balanced St. Elizabeth (16-10) offense that featured four double-digit scorers, led by senior Jalissa Watt's 18 points.

Lee's 28 points and six three-pointers led the MRH offense. The junior point guard played every minute of the game and handled the ball for most of the game.

"She always gives a stellar performance," head coach Phillip Crawford said. "She's the physical leader on the team."

Goodson, a freshman, pulled down 19 rebounds and added six points.

Destaney Williams, MRH's only senior, was the second-leading scorer with 15 points and provided strong defense in her last game as a Blue Devil. Junior Priscilla Rice scored six and junior Abby Hodson added three.

After the game, an emotional Williams hugged Crawford on the sidelines. She didn't plan to play basketball this year after enduring a tough season last year, but Crawford—who —asked her to give it another shot.

With tears in her eyes, Williams said she couldn't have been happier with her decision.

"I loved every minute I spent on the team this year; every win, every loss," she said. "I had a lot of problems in previous years, but coach made me stick with it."

"She kept our team together the whole year," Crawford said. "She's the vocal leader on the court."

Williams said she plans to try out for a college team next year. She's played basketball for more than 10 years and doesn't want to give it up.

The Blue Devils established themselves as a growing program with this season's performance. After compiling a 3-23 record last year—and fielding only four players for MRH's final game of the season—the Blue Devils showed promise with double the wins this season.

Crawford admits the team has been through a lot. He started with 14 girls at the beginning of the season and ended with seven.

"They've come so far," he said. "I'll take my seven against any seven, any day."