By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Ashley Zahn never wavered. When the Victor girls’ basketball team opened its season with four straight losses, Zahn saw past the early struggles.
So when the Blue Devils found themselves in a back-and-forth affair in the first half of Saturday’s non-league matchup, the first-year head coach didn’t flinch.
An impending defensive adjustment may have had something to do with that confidence.
Three players scored in double figures, and Victor defeated host Aquinas, 60-38.
The win was the sixth straight for Victor. Just two-plus weeks ago, the Blue Devils had twice as many losses (8) as wins (4). They left the court on Saturday with a winning record for the first time this season.
“Our goal was to get better every single game and even after the O-and-4 start, they came at it every day,” Zahn said. “We worked in practice. We got better. They hustle. They play hard. I knew the payoff was coming for us.”
A 1-3-1 defense that extended to half court helped jump start the Blue Devils.
“We thrive off stealing the ball,” Zahn said. “I knew in the beginning of the game when we were having a tough time, it was ‘all right we just need to get a make here and we’re going ’13.’ It took us a while to get a make.”
Trailing 10-9, Abbie Murphy finished in the lane to give Victor a lead it did not surrender. Ninth-grader Rhylin Fehrenbach scored the next eight points – all coming after the Blue Devils forced turnovers and converted those steals into points at the opposite end of the floor.
Steal and layup , Rhylin Fehrenbach. @VictorGirlsBB 15-10. pic.twitter.com/cNvsR8u2Z1
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 4, 2023
“When we went 13, they feed off it. They love it.”
Fehrenbach started the run, and Emily Neenan helped put the game out of reach. Neenan beat the halftime buzzer with a 3-pointer, and the senior guard went on to connect three more times from distance in the opening four minutes of the third quarter. When she was done, Victor led 39-15.
“Her shots were really our spark,” said Zahn who starred at Canandaigua in high school before continuing her career at St. Bonaventure. “Our kids feed off that energy. When one goes, another one wants to go.”
Emily Neenan beats the halftime horn. @VictorGirlsBB takes a 13-0 run and. 22-10 lead j to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/QjDnLlaU6f
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 4, 2023
The win came just hours after Victor edged Monroe County Division I foe, Hilton in overtime.
“I knew their legs would be fine because they’re resilient kids,” Zahn said. “They want to win. They want to play hard.
“We have a deep bench. That’s been our strength. We can sub, and we don’t skip a beat. They play as five. That’s huge. When you have five kids that are ready to play together, that’s what you can attribute to our winning.”
Fehrenbach finished with 16 points. Neenan had 12. Hope Stone had 11 points while Murphy had eight. Vanessa Chumacero (8), Devin Livingston (6), Maia Pronti (3), Olivia Chalupa (3) and Allie Pisano rounded out the scoring for Victor.
Ajayah Orr led Aquinas (10-7) with 16 points. Molly O’Toole scored eight. Samiyah Wright (3), Sienna Hinchcliffe (3), Julianna Nkugwa (2) and Savannah Hinchcliffe (1) also scored for the Li’l Irish.
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