Lady Governors Taste Victory

In a neck-and-neck 11th game of the season, the Wilbur Cross Lady Governors eked out their first win Monday night thanks to a final free throw.

The Lady Governors faced Career High School in a varsity game Monday evening held at Career. 

As the game came down to the wire, the Cross girls eked out a 30 – 29 victory, the first of the season for a young squad plagued by injuries. 

Despite a small crowd for both teams, the game from start to finish had the audience on the edge of their seats. 

The Lady Governors led the game by a few points with Career constantly fighting to catch up. 

At the start of the third quarter Cross was up 18 – 14. 

Cross center Leilanie Pugh, who is number 1 on the court, helped to keep her team ahead by crossing two of her opponents in the paint and driving to the hoop to get the team to 20 points. 

Monday was the first game back for center Jackie Fulton, who was injured at a Jan. 9 game against Foran High School. After being taken away in a stretcher by paramedics Fulton was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma.

During Monday’s game Fulton had to take it slow but helped her team to receive rebounds and attempt layups. 

After Monday’s game Fulton said her first game back could have been better. She had to keep a close eye on her stamina due to her medical concerns. ​“It was kind of getting me in my head a little bit,” she said. 

The game scores seesawed throughout the night. 

Before the end of the third quarter Cross freshman Harmoni Thomas brought the score to 22 – 18 with two minutes remaining. 

Thomas continued this streak at the seven-minute mark in the fourth quarter, making another two points in the paint bringing the score to 24 – 23, keeping Cross up. 

With three minutes and 27 seconds remaining, Career took the lead 27 – 26. 

Cross point guard Sirraya Pratt took a chance at taking the lead back with two free throws but missed them both. With 48 seconds left, Cross Coach Deborah McClease called a timeout to remind the girls of their potential and how close they were to their first win of the season. 

With 25 seconds remaining, Career increased their lead, 29 – 26. 

Career’s cheerleaders performed on the sidelines back to back, encouraging the team to keep the lead. 

Then, in the final ten seconds, Pratt tied the score by sinking a three-pointer. 

The Cross crowd jumped to their feet as it was now up to either team to take the win in a final ten seconds or go into overtime. 

With three seconds left, Pratt was fouled. She sank the free throw — and in the process delivered the team’s first victory.

After the game McClease said the team is eager for its next anticipated win. ​“We can’t wait to get back in the gym and get working,” she said. 

In post-game interviews the players said now that they know what works for their team to secure a win, they are confident another will come this season. They weren’t resting on their laurels.

“I just hope we can continue because the thrill of going back and forth, I got the jitters,” senior Leilanie Pugh said. ​“I like how compared to our last games we put more effort compared to how we used to play.” 

Pratt said the win wasn’t surprising but she was expecting to blow out the opponents. ​“We was in our heads,” she said while explaining why the score margin wasn’t larger. 

Senior KaNai Goodwin-Kellman agreed with Pratt, describing the game as a ​“sweet and sour moment” because despite the win, she said ​“we have the potential to do way better.”

“We could’ve played faster, kept up our stamina,” Thomas added. ​“We did a lot of walking but in an overall sense it’s the first step to getting better.” 

The Lady Governors will work to get their next win as they face off against West Haven on Friday at Wilbur Cross High School. 

Metro Besties Face Off As Cross-Hillhouse Competitors

KaNai Goodwin-Kellman told herself to ​“stay up” as she guarded Hillhouse’s Dillyn Boyd, who on the court was her opponent but off the court is her best friend.

Goodwin-Kellman and Boyd met during their freshman year at Metropolitan Business Academy. Their teams faced off against each other during Friday’s Cross v. Hillhouse girls varsity basketball game held at Cross. 

Hillhouse’s Lady Academics took the win 60 – 31.

Since Metro doesn’t have a varsity team, Goodwin-Kellman and Boyd play for Cross and Hillhouse.

Goodwin-Kellman now plays as number 11 on the court, which was previously sported by teammate Jackie Fulton.

Goodwin-Kellman was the team’s leading scorer Friday, finishing with a total of nine. She also finished the game with two rebounds. Her dual skills paid off, as five her points came off putbacks from offensive rebounds. 

In these moments, she recalled telling herself, ​“Keep fighting for the ball, if you get it or don’t.”

Cross took the lead early on during Friday’s game, with Goodwin-Kellman making the first basket with a layup before the first full minute. In the last 40 seconds of the first quarter the teams were tied 13 – 13. 

While on the court Goodwin-Kellman continued to remind herself: ​“Win or lose, keep pushing.”

Cross, which has a young team, has yet to post a win in its first 10 contest. Goodwin-Kellman explained that at the start of the season the team’s losses were different from recent ones: ​“We’re picking up everything and learning to work together.” 

After Friday’s game, Cross’ coach Deborah McClease said the team’s ​“injuries got the best of us.” 

Cross currently has five players benched due to a range of injuries. Just last year Goodwin-Kellman was recovering from knee surgery resulting from from a basketball injury. 

Additionally Goodwin-Kellman didn’t play basketball her freshman year because of the Covid pandemic. Her sophomore year she had the surgery on her right knee. During her junior year she joined Cross’ team but had to sit out for most of the season to heal. Now for her senior year she’s a starter, one of the team’s few upperclassmen.

Goodwin-Kellman said at first it was hard playing against her close friend Dillyn Boyd on the court. She came to see that ​“business is business, and you don’t take anything personal.” 

Boyd agreed: ​“At the end of the day we’re still cool off the court, but on the court, strictly business.”

But when the other person falls they make sure to help each other up ​“because we still got that love on and off the court,” Goodwin-Kellman said. It’s always ​“good vibes” following a game, Boyd agreed. 

After games the duo are able to ​“talk about it, win or loss, we just encourage each other.”