By BILLY HEYEN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Bria Watkins had spent much of her first varsity basketball game on the bench. When on the floor, the eighth grader’s shots had been off target aside from a lone free throw. But when Webster Schroeder needed a play, after Bria’s senior sister Anya had fouled out and a lead had all but disappeared, Bria made one.
Gates Chili lobbed the ball inside to Oakland University-commit Miriam Ibzeim with five seconds left, trailing by a bucket. Bria rotated over as a help defender to cut Ibezim off at the catch before being plowed over. A charge could’ve been called — instead, just a travel.
The result was the same, though. Warriors ball, and one final game-winning play made by a Watkins sister.
“That was amazing,” Anya said. “It’s her first varsity game, and she showed no fear. I’m so proud of her.”
The youngest of the three @SchroederGBball Watkins sisters, Bria, stands in strong defensively against Ibezim. Called a travel. Mariah Watkins will shoot two, up two, 2.8 to play. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/3I8vvwDJNs
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) February 9, 2021
Webster Schroeder won its season opener Monday night, 60-57, on the back of dominant performances from Mariah and Anya Watkins closed out by their baby sister. Mariah, a freshman, scored 30 points with 14 rebounds and four steals. Anya added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Together, the three sisters ensured the Warriors’ first game in more than 11 months had the desired result.
“This is something we’ve been waiting for for 11 months,” Schroeder head coach Mike Grasta said. “We’re just happy to be together, and we’re not taking anything for granted.”
READ MORE: A letter to Section V basketball
Monday was the opening night of the Section V basketball season after it’d been delayed due to COVID-19. Players wore masks on the court. Spectators were limited. Referees used hand-controlled whistles.
Normally, February is when the final sectional standings take place. Teams have been battle-tested for a few months. But in 2021, there was no telling exactly how players would look in their first court time in front of Section V eyes since March 2020.
Anya knew, though. The Watkins sisters had worked together for the entirety of the extended offseason. Mariah, who averaged 12 points per game as an eighth grader, “has grown quite a bit even since last year,” Grasta said.
The senior sister wasn’t surprised at all when Mariah — who said, “I missed basketball so much, it’s my whole entire life” — scored six quick points by attacking the basket.
“We’ve been putting in so much work in the offseason with my family,” Anya said. “My whole family does ball-handling, shooting, we’ve been putting in the work, and I know (Mariah’s) potential and she definitely showed it today.”
Mariah Watkins is a problem. 6 points and 4 steals early for @SchroederGBball. @schroedersports leads 8-7. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/fQiqkIuCsy
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) February 9, 2021
Mariah was part of a Schroeder defense that imposed its will on the Spartans’ ball-handlers. Pressure led to steals — Watkins had four in the first quarter alone — and steals led to buckets. Even semi-transition opportunities led to buckets for Mariah, who took any edge she could find driving both left and right.
“Our defense is predicated on pressure,” Grasta said. “Just making other teams uncomfortable. Just be a team that other teams don’t want to play against, and the girls are buying into that.”
Anya got off to a slower start, unable to find her shooting touch but willing herself to the foul line. All six of her first-half points came from the stripe, but her nine first-half rebounds forced Ibezim into foul trouble that helped Schroeder control the opening 16 minutes.
“I knew that I could get in there and be physical,” Anya said, “and I knew that’s what I had to do if I couldn’t score.”
Out of the break, Anya decided to attack instead of settling, and she put up four quick points. Mariah kept scoring, too, bookending the half with her two 3-pointers on the night.
When Schroeder expanded the lead to 15 points in the third, it looked like the Warriors might pull away. But a Spartans team that went 18-3 a year ago wasn’t going quietly.
Ibezim, avoiding fouls in the second half, recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds of her 15-15 double-double just in the third and fourth quarters. Terah Echols scored 12 points in the second half slicing to the basket. And that combination pushed Anya and Lill Northrup, Schroeder’s senior leaders, into fouling out with two minutes and 14 seconds left.
“Miriam, she’s a beast, she’s pretty unstoppable,” Mariah said.
Offensive rebound and-1 for @IbezimMiriam. @GCSDSpartans is almost all the way back. Ibezim has 15 points and 15 rebounds (with 11 & 10 in the second half).
26 seconds left, Schroeder leads 57-56. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/AMWl1SOXo5
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) February 9, 2021
The Spartans seized all the momentum, and an Ibezim three-point play with 26 seconds left made it a one-point game. Twice, Schroder split foul shots, allowing Gates Chili more chances to tie. But on the penultimate possession, Bria slid in front of Ibzeim to force the game-deciding turnover.
Fittingly, it was Mariah who was then fouled on the ensuing inbound before making one free throw. Anya, who barely sat down after fouling out, watched from the sideline as her younger sisters closed out a win. It wasn’t obvious Anya would even get senior season to play as part of a sisterly trio.
Not only did the season finally arrive, though. The Watkins sisters already made a statement.
“I honestly didn’t think I was gonna be able to have this opportunity,” Anya said. “It’s just a blessing.”
Scoring totals
Webster Schroeder: Mariah Watkins (30), Anya Watkins (14), Julia Perales (9), Lill Northrup (4), Olivia Reschke (2), Bria Watkins (1)
Gates Chili: Terah Echols (18), Miriam Ibezim (15), Paris Anthony (14), Maylee Kerns (5), Emily McManus (3), McKenzie Clifton (2)
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