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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Scotty Sports Corner: All Three Teams Post Wins
By Kelly Proctor '02
Special Correspondent
Tappahannock (January 21, 2002) -This week at St. Margaret's School, Scotty athletes dove into action as the winter sports season wore on. Varsity basketball broke a losing streak with a decisive win over Trinity, varsity soccer vanquished two opposing teams and Scotty swimmers proved once again their individual skill, placing well in competition.
Photo left: - The 2002 St. Margaret's School varsity soccer team includes a large number of local girls. Front row: Kelly Proctor of Urbanna, Danielle Magid, Sarah Taliaferro of Center Cross. Middle row: Jessie Malm, Kat Price, Ann Kramer Osburn of Tappahannock, Catherine Chilton of Lancaster, Patricia Van Pelt. Back row: Head Coach Rodney Watkins, Lauren Crockett of Irvington, Sarah Copeland of Tappahannock, Erin Kelley of Lancaster, Sarah Weakley of Montross, Maggie Ransone of Kilmarnock, Assistant Coach Whitfield Mastin, Caroline Coscia
Soccer: The SMS varsity now stands at 3-1-3 overall after a January 16 triumph at the Steward School in Richmond. St. Margaret's took the lead within the first few minutes of the game and never relinquished it. When the final whistle sounded, the Scotties had won, 4-0. Scorers included freshman Catherine Chilton of Lancaster with two points, along with sophomore Sarah Weakley of Montross and senior Co-Captain Emily Fisher of Lottsburg, who scored one goal each.
"Each player did well, and our passes were on the mark," said Assistant Coach Whitfield Mastin. "We have demonstrated great team play during these two past games."
In addition to the Steward game, Mastin was referring to a January 15 match against Trinity Episcopal School of Richmond at the Essex High School field. In their previous outing with the Lady Titans, the Scotties lost. This time, down two goals to one at the half, the Scotties rallied to a 2-2 tie. Chilton scored both points. Her outstanding play was backed by junior Erin Kelly of Lancaster, who displayed versatility by playing a variety of positions for injured teammates, and senior Co-Captain Sarah Taliaferro of Center Cross, whose strong presence in defense slide stopped any opposing player within Scotty boundaries.
St. Margaret's began post-holiday play with a 2-1 defeat of rival St. Catherine's School at home on January 11. The Scotties dominated nearly all of the game. In the second quarter, their efforts paid off as Chilton and Weakley scored two goals in quick succession. An answering goal by the St. Catherine's offense was not enough to seal a victory for the Saints, as the Scotties were able to hold the defensive line for the rest of the match.
The soccer Scotties' next home match is against Virginia Episcopal at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 25 at Essex High School.
Basketball: Teamwork and persistence were the keys to the basketball Scotties' January 18 success as they beat Trinity 40-28 at home. The victory, St. Margaret's first win since its season opener against Christchurch, capped a string of games in which Scotty play steadily improved despite some potentially discouraging losses to taller, more experienced teams.
"Everybody played, and played real well, and almost everybody scored," said Head Coach Sue Saunders. "We're looking forward to our games next week."
High scorers for the Scotties were junior Co-Captain Fola Ogundiran with 13 points and 9 rebounds, followed by senior Co-Captain Kristina Bethea with 4 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. Also putting points on the board for SMS were Brittany Alexander (6), freshman Becky Clark of Lively (6), Cassy Cormack (4), Jennifer Stewart (3), sophomore Blair Fisher of Lottsburg (2) and junior Lindsay Neist of Howertons (2).
Building up to their most recent win, varsity basketball broke the 30-point barrier in a well-played game against St. Anne's-Belfield in Charlottesville on January 16. The "intensity was hot," remarked Bethea. She scored a total of six points during the game, with Fisher scoring five. Accolades go to Alexander, whose determination and skill won her a total of 10 points. The final score was SMS 32, St. Anne's 54.
Other recent Scotty basketball games include a January 10 contest against Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot. Back from an injury that had sidelined her for several games, senior Co-Captain Bethea stole the show with 14 points. But the lack of two key Scotty players secured the victory for Blessed Sacrament, which won 49-25. Strong performances by Ogundiran (9 points, 9 rebounds), Fisher (7 points) and Neist (6 rebounds) provided the bright spots in a December 18 loss to St. Catherine's (42-29).
The basketball Scotties' record now stands at 2-7 overall, 0-5 in the League of Independent Schools. St. Margaret's next home basketball games are Wednesday, January 23 against St. Gertrude's and Thursday, January 24 against St. Catherine's. Both games begin at 5:00 p.m.
Swimming: SMS swimmers posted state-qualifying times at a January 12 meet with Norfolk Academy and St. Gertrude's School. New Zealand exchange student Stephanie McMullan continued her winning ways, capturing both the 200-yard individual medley (2:22.45) and 100-yard butterfly (1:01.56) by several seconds over her closest competitor. She shaved as many as five seconds off her previous times in the events, which already had qualified her for the state championships.
Mary Andrews took second in the 100-yard freestyle (1:01.38), improving what already had been a state-qualifying time in the event. Merritt Allaun came in sixth (1:07.70), just one second above the state-qualifying time.
Scotty relay teams placed fourth in both the 200- and 400-yard freestyle competitions. Olivia Longest and Mary Burke Parker of Tappahannock, along with Mary Elizabeth McDowell and Lulu Fiscella, turned in a time of 2:13.03 in the 200-yard relay. Allaun, McMullan, Mary Andrews and Margaret Moncure of Tappahannock posted a 4:24.97 performance in the 400-yard contest.
The swimming Scotties' next meet is Saturday, January 26, versus Collegiate and Norfolk Academy at the NOVA Swimming Center in Richmond.
