Walker Takes Over in Second Half for Taconic on Senior Night
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Jaelynn Walker Thursday scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on Senior NIght to lead the Taconic girls basketball team to a 62-38 win over Monument Mountain.
Walker scored 23 of her points in the second half and went 10-for-15 at the free throw line as the Thunder (4-8) won its second in a row and the third of its last four games.
Walker, a mainstay at Taconic for four years and classmate Khadija Faye, who joined the program last year, were honored at the start of the night in a brief ceremony.
By the end of the night, Walker again was the center of attention.
“She carries the team,” Taconic coach Jason Conuel said. “She’s also now letting go of the reins a little bit and letting Jalana Smith and Evellyn Croce bring the ball up a little bit and get some experience.
“But, yeah, [Walker] comes in, and she’s one of the hardest workers in practice. She rebounds all the time. She scores all the time. … She usually played forward her whole life and, coming in, I said, ‘Jaelynn, I need you to run the point.’ That’s a big jump, being someone that plays off the ball and now being someone who has the ball. I think it was a good learning experience for her.”
The Thunder took control of the game early, mounting a 17-0 run to take a 17-4 lead in the first quarter.
Smith (11 points) got things started with a steal at one end and a layup at the other, and Kiannah Josephs (12 points) ended the quarter with a 3-pointer – the first of her three on the night.
Croce also dropped in three 3s; the two guards combined for five in the first half.
“I knew they were great shooters coming in,” Conuel said. “Kiannah Josephs really worked on her shot in the off season, so that was a big help to us. And watching Evellyn [Croce] play in travel, I knew she was a good shooter.
“I think early in the year … adjusting to the varsity level and playing all the time, the speed was a little different. So I think they were pushing their shots a lot. And, then, when Walker was out with the flu, they had to settle down, get some points. I think that built up their confidence.”
Josephs connected from behind the arc midway through the second quarter to give Taconic a 28-15 lead. But Monument Mountain closed the half with a 6-0 spurt to get the margin down to single digits.
Ynes Bourdon-Nutsugah (seven points) scored first, and Mallory Lucey hit a deep two. Bourdon-Nutsugah and Caroline Becker each made a free throw to make it 28-21 at the break.
In the third quarter, Walker started to take control, scoring seven points – five at the line – to help push the lead to 41-29.
“When [Croce and Josephs] are hitting 3s, it just opens up other things for us,” Conuel said. “And once we saw their big girl [Polly Geddes] got in foul trouble, we knew that we had a height advantage.
“Once we get them to understand we could keep pounding it inside and dominate inside, they start to double, then we can kick out and get better shots.”
Geddes, who finished with four fouls, led the Spartans with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Monument Mountain (0-12) hosts Hoosac Valley on Monday.
Taconic also has a non-league contest against a Berkshire County foe on deck with Drury visiting the Thunder on Wednesday.
“This was a good win for us tonight,” Conuel said. “This is two in a row. And we’ve got Drury coming to town, which is going to be a tough test, but we’re up for the challenge.”
Photos from this game to come.