FINAL RUN: Princeton Day School girls’ basketball player Bridget Kane dribbles around a foe in recent action. Last Wednesday, senior guard Kane scored 26 points, including seven 3-pointers, in a losing cause as PDS fell 52-46 to St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes (Va.) in a consolation game at the Stuart Invitational Tournament. The Panthers, who dropped to 1-7 with the loss, were slated to face Princeton High in the tournament’s seventh place game on December 29. The Panthers will get into 2018 action by playing at the Hun School on January 4 and at Montgomery High on January 5 before hosting Pennington on January 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Bridget Kane struggled to get into a shooting groove as the Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team faced St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes (Va.) in a consolation game at the Stuart Invitational Tournament last Wednesday.

The senior guard hit just one 3-pointer in the first quarter as the Panthers found themselves trailing 16-12.

In the second quarter, Kane warmed up a bit, draining two 3-pointers as the Panthers pulled ahead 26-22 by halftime.

“Coach [Kamau Bailey] always says keep shooting until you are on,” said Kane. “I got into a rhythm.”

Kane got into the rhythm of her life in the third quarter, nailing four 3-pointers along with a free throw and a buzzer-beater bucket as she scored all 15 of PDS’s points in the frame.

“Our team all together played really well in the third and I think that helped me feel the energy,” said Kane. “Our passing was on so I think that helped me get open too.”

Although PDS showed energy up to the final buzzer, it ended up falling 52-46 to the Saints.

“I feel like we did win the game even though on the scoreboard we did not,” said Kane, who ended the day with 26 points, including seven 3-pointers.

“I think we outplayed them all together. I don’t think there was one quarter where we were down. I wouldn’t look back on it like that.”

Having committed to attend Franklin and Marshall and play for its women’s lacrosse team, Kane hopes to look back on the winter with some fond memories as she plays her last season of competitive basketball.

“I am so sad about it,” said Kane. “I love the sport; I have played since second grade. My dad is a coach (longtime Lawrenceville boys’ hoops coach Ron Kane) and I play because it is fun. I had opportunities to stop but I didn’t want to.”

Kane is psyched to have the opportunity to continue her athletic career at F&M.

“I am really excited; it is a great fit academically and the lacrosse program is awesome,” said Kane, whose father was a three-sport athlete for the Diplomats in the 1980s.

As a senior captain, Kane is excited to take a leadership role for the Panthers.

“I love to talk; I like to scream ‘got ball’ and things like that,” said Kane. “It is positive reinforcement to my teammates.”

PDS head coach Bailey loved the way Kane took care of her business against St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes.

“I was able to get Bridget some open shots,” said Bailey. “She had a great game.”

In Bailey’s view, the Panthers kept their heads in the game all the way to the final buzzer.

“We focused on the stuff that we can control, that is what we decide we were going to do from the beginning,” said Bailey.

“Let’s not worry about the refs, let’s control our effort and attitude. We did that and I thought it was a really good look for us. There was a lot of improvement; we just have to get better moving the ball.”

With PDS having lost 63-37 to Villa Walsh in the first round of the Stuart event, Bailey believed the performance against St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes was a step forward.

“We had some successes in the game where we did well in different ways,” said Bailey, whose squad gets into 2018 action by playing at the Hun School on January 4 and at Montgomery High on January 5 before hosting Pennington on January 8. “In the locker room just now, the girls were really positive and thought that we are headed in the right direction even though we didn’t win.”

Kane, for her part, believes the Panthers are upbeat as they head into the new year. “We have struggled in the first half of the season, but I don’t think our team is losing hope going into the second half,” said Kane.

“I feel we are all learning game by game and we are not harping on the games in the past or a bad quarter or a bad shot. We just go on to the next play.”