Girls’ basketball: Concord Christian remains positive after losing home opener to Bishop Guertin, 38-36, in D-I debut

Bishop Guertin’s defense collapses on junior Emma Smith (30), who led Concord Christian with 15 points, on the fast break.

Bishop Guertin’s defense collapses on junior Emma Smith (30), who led Concord Christian with 15 points, on the fast break. ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor staff

Junior Emma Smith (30) shoots a 3-pointer over Bishop Guertin’s defender, junior Maddi Long (2), in the loss on Friday night, 38-36.

Junior Emma Smith (30) shoots a 3-pointer over Bishop Guertin’s defender, junior Maddi Long (2), in the loss on Friday night, 38-36. ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor staff

Senior guard Lilli Carlile dribbles up the court against a Bishop Guertin defender.

Senior guard Lilli Carlile dribbles up the court against a Bishop Guertin defender. ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor staff

Senior guard Ireland Baines (left) watches sophomore Brooklyn Robins (right) as she shoots a free throw in the fourth quarter.

Senior guard Ireland Baines (left) watches sophomore Brooklyn Robins (right) as she shoots a free throw in the fourth quarter. ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor staff

By ALEXANDER RAPP

Monitor staff

Published: 12-15-2024 1:30 AM

Before the season started, the Kingsmen had only lost two games—and won 61—in the past three years during their ascent from Division IV to D-I. Tonight they suffered their third loss at the hands of a solid Bishop Guertin Cardinals team that outlasted them, 38-36.

“We have absolute confidence in our players, that if you give our players more time, we’re going to come out on top nine times out of 10, right? It's just the clock ran out on us there,” said assistant coach Matt Smith.

The game came down to the wire after the Kingsmen used four of their fouls to give to force Bishop Guertin to take free throws with 11.7 seconds remaining in the fourth. Junior Emma Smith corralled the rebound and CCA called a timeout to draw up a play to tie the game.

However, the Cardinals defense was stellar. They made sure to pressure the ball during the Kingsmen’s last possession to force them to take tough shots from far out with time winding down. 

“They played hard and they were able to accomplish what we wanted to do defensively. Applying crazy pressure offensively getting the shots that we practice every day in the shots that we’re good at,” said Olivia Orlando, the Cardinals’ head coach. “Super proud of how we accomplished the goals that we had for tonight.”

The defense held, but Concord Christian’s performance is nothing to scoff at. Emma Smith led her team in scoring with 15 points but was held to none in the fourth. Senior Lilli Carlile put up five, but was also held to none in the fourth. Junior Kate Smith and sophomore Emmy Laboe stepped up to hit crucial 3s in the fourth to keep the Kingsmen in the game but fell short in the end. 

The team’s roster grew from seven last season to 11 this year, and the Kingsmen are still in the process of figuring out the schemes and rotations that will get the best out of their personnel. 

“I’m really confident that we’re just gonna continue to improve, get better. We have a lot of we have a lot of things in our pocket that we’ve yet to install. So I think our returning crew is working on a very minimal offensive scheme at this point and so we’re excited,” said head coach Rebecca Carlile.

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The game was close throughout and a testament to the talent at coach Carlile’s disposal. Before the season, she said that they expected more losses compared to this season than they had in the past, but that it was all part of their mission to “chase competition.” 

They had played against Bishop Guertin twice before and beat them, but the Cardinals had an exceptionally good performance with nine different players on the scoresheet. Concord Christian’s defense did well to close out on 3-pointers, but could not stop the multifaceted and effective offense of the Cardinals.

For Smith and Carlile, it was a successful night despite the loss. The Kingsmen’s ascent is unparalleled, they proved they can compete at the D-I level and have opportunities to win close games.

“We’re looking for the competition, and if you don’t face perseverance, there’s no growth,” Carlile said. “We’re looking for growth, not only skill-wise, but mentally and physically. This is actually a really great start for us as far as giving us a lot of opportunities to learn from and a lot of teachable moments.”

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com