Taft edges past Kent in nail-biter
Kent guard Charlotte Miller ran the Lions’ offense and led her team in scoring during the game against Taft School on Feb. 1. 
Photo by Riley Klein

Taft edges past Kent in nail-biter

KENT — During their second matchup in just two weeks, the Taft School Rhinos narrowly defeated the Kent School Lions with a 52-48 victory on Wednesday, Feb. 1., in front of a packed house.

Kent had their work cut out for them with starter Phoena Dadson out of the game due to illness. Early on, Kent’s senior guard Charlotte Miller caught fire as she scored 12 of the Lions’ 18 points in the opening quarter.

When Taft sent the double team to Miller, senior forward Ruby Santos picked up the mantle and closed out the first half with eight points for Kent. The harmonious duo ran a silky-smooth give-and-go and combined for 22 in the first half.

With a 31-23 lead to start the second half, the Lions relaxed their pace and slowed down the game. Taft seized the opportunity by capitalizing on a few key turnovers and cutting Kent’s lead to five when they entered the final quarter.

As the Rhinos inched closer, Kent Coach Jason Coulombe amped up the tempo and applied full court press in the fourth.

“Get up there! Pressure!” Coulombe shouted from the sideline. “Stay with ‘em!”

Taft navigated around the swarming Lions and managed to keep finding good looks up-court, depleting Kent’s buffer in the process. Taft took the lead with three minutes remaining in the game.

Fans roared as the game turned into a back-and-forth rally and both sides nailed crucial baskets with time ticking away.

Down by three with about 30 seconds to go, Miller put up a long 3-pointer that bounced high off the back of the rim and fell into the hands of Taft. This proved to be Kent’s last gasp,

The once high-octane contest crawled to conclusion with both sides trading intentional fouls in the final seconds. Taft closed out the game on the free throw line, clutching onto a four-point lead when time expired.

The result put Kent’s season record at 13-3 while Taft advanced to 10-5. A third matchup between these two teams may loom ahead as the postseason approaches and both squads vie for a playoff spot in the Founders League.

The Lions will be back on the Kent court Wednesday, Feb. 15 when they host Westminster School. Tip-off at 4:30 p.m.

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