Trinity Hall opened the season on the road at state Top 10 Manasquan. Then they played what many believe is a Top 5 team in the state Gil Bernard. They got off to bad starts in each game. There shooting got worst in each game. There star player was double and triple teamed and got no relief or support from her teammates. The result two disappointing losses. Too make matters worst RFH who had just knocked off two STATE TOP 20 teams were coming to town. Trinity Hall may have not wanted to have admit it. But there backs were against the wall
Matt McCarthy has been hard on his team for good reason. His team had a disappointing fall preparation period. His team is still pretty young, 5 of his top 8 players are Sophomores. Maybe they had too much success too early. Maybe they forgot what it’s like to be unknown underdogs. Maybe they forgot how to work. So Coach Matt McCarthy had to reprogram his kids and that takes time.
When the Preseason Top 20 came out TRINITY had games with 8 of the 19 ranked teams Now make it 9 because Rumson will be ranked now. RFH was oozing with confidence when they arrived at Trinity Hall yesterday. They saw a wounded animal in Trinity Hall. A team whose confidence was on shaky ground. Yesterday they were going into Trinity for the kill shot. But Trinity had other ideas. First Nina Emance decided to fix a few things. So she had a 4 hour film session on Sunday.
Sophomore Grace Feeney was the one baby star on the Trinity Hall roster from a year ago that was completely committed this fall. And yesterday she was rewarded and did what so many Trinity fans hoped she do. Become Robin to Nina EMNACE’S Batman act. The result was Nina EMNACE looked like a Player of the Year candidate again with 19 points. She dropped bombs from the parking dropped and more dimes than a snitch.
Meanwhile Grace Feeney put on her Robin cape and went to work on Rumson. She buried jumper after jumper. Three after three, as in 5 bombs from the land of milk and honey. She was not good but spectacular. The two showed why Trinity Hall can truly be so dangerous offensively before the season gets really serious come SCT time.
Meanwhile the Nina and Feeney show was getting real award winning support from their Trinity Hall teammates, who woke up from a deep sleep. Whitney Hobson showed why she is the Queen of all little things with 7 points. Siobhan Stapleton added two three’s and Teagan DRENNAN showed she may come back to the light with a three. Trinity Hall who for two games could not make an open shot had 12 threes last night. But more importantly they found their identity, DEFENSE.
RFH has been a juggernaut on offense all year. Coach Dave Callahan is the master of squeezing every drop of talent out of a roster. This year has been no different. Trinity Hall was a defensive juggernaut last year. But this year, the Trinity defense had gone the way of the dodo bird. Well last night it was 2022 all over again. That’s because Trinity Hall threw RFH in the ice box. While the final score will say they won by 19 points, 57-38 . The film will say defense and complete domination. Trinity led by as many as 24 in the 3rd and 28 in the 4th. Coach McCarthy had long called off the dogs off as RFH tired to make it respectable in the end.
They say two games is no reason to panic. But yesterday was a big game for Trinity Hall. They had lost their way as a team and as individuals. They paid a heavy price for it in there 1st two games. But yesterday they got some respect back. Yesterday they got their swag back. Yesterday they reminded us they are going to be in the SCT and STATE hunt to the end. A superstar came home last night, one emerging star delivered when it was needed most and a bunch of teammates did their part. Matt McCarthy and his Trinity Hall team have found there were back to the light!
AND MAYBE A SCT CHIP!