(PHOENIX) Gilbert Christian girls basketball opened its official 2023-24 season with a definitive victory at Bourgade Catholic. The team played intense defense throughout, hitting the accelerator in the third quarter to hold the Golden Eagles scoreless, while pulling away on the offensive end to notch the big 43-23 win.
"This was a team win for us, and it was exciting to see our theme of 'selfless and relentless' play out on the court," Head Coach Mark Duitsman said. "Our depth helped us navigate some early foul trouble, while also allowing us to keep the pace where we wanted it to be. The team was able to cash in on that sustained pace with a big third quarter."
The Knights out-rebounded BCHS 43-37 in the affair, and nearly doubled the Golden Eagles in the offensive rebounding category (19-10). Four Gilbert Christian players registered at least six rebounds in the contest. Junior Kaila Aston led the way with 10 rebounds (8 offensive), while freshman Lillie Duitsman, freshman Addie Hansen, and junior Grace Charpentier each pulled down six boards for the Knights.
"I am most proud of the girls for the critical things that won't even show up on the stat sheet," Duitsman said. "I loved our fight for rebounds, the defensive effort on the ball, the hustle, our posts controlling the back side of the press, and the team's composure through some cold stretches on offense. All of those things put us in position for a strong finish."
All 11 members of the squad competed in the game and contributed statistically for GCHS. Nine players scored, and every player grabbed at least one rebound en route to the victory. Lillie Duitsman and sophomore Unesu Machiri stepped up offensively to lead the team in scoring with 13 and nine, respectively, and junior Melissa Johnson piled up her own versatile stat line, with four points, four rebounds and three assists. Junior Chloe Lehman, sophomore Tylee Fox and Aston tallied three steals apiece to lead the stealth defensive effort, while Aston and junior Karissa Bailie put in work to defend the paint, tallying all three of the team's blocks.
With the loss, Bourgade Catholic drops to 0-2.
Gilbert Christian heads back on the road this Tuesday, December 5th for a 5:30pm match-up against Globe. The JV girls are on the docket for 2:30pm.
-GO KNIGHTS-
