photo by: Carter Gaskins

Bishop Seabury freshman Oona Nelson (22) look to make a play to the teammate as Cornerstone defender Evelyn Gentry (00) attempts to steal the ball Thursday night at BSA on Feb. 13, 2020.

After a 97-second scoreless drought to open the contest, Bishop Seabury’s girls basketball team netted the first points of the night on a driving layup by sophomore Anna Johnson.

That would be the only time the Seahawks were in front all night, however. Cornerstone Family responded with a quick 7-0 spurt, and was in control the rest of the way en route to a 51-27 victory over Bishop Seabury on Thursday at BSA.

The Seahawks (5-11) have now dropped back-to-back games since their win over Veritas in a crosstown clash last weekend.

“We just have to learn to still compete and to build on what we got going on here,” BSA head coach Ryan Gutierrez said. “We just have to be mentally and physically tough and continue to build on what we can build on.”

Bishop Seabury’s young backcourt was bothered by Cornerstone’s full-court pressure, especially early on in the loss. Even when the Seahawks did break the press, though, they were often rushed in their half-court offense. And it often led to the visitors getting open looks in transition.

Johnson’s driving layup down the middle of the lane was one of the few times that BSA broke the pressure. But the Saints (7-10) quickly responded with 7 unanswered points to take control of the contest. Senior Abby Martin and freshman Claire Mullen each netted layups for Cornerstone during that run.

BSA freshman Sofia Gonzalez eventually ended the stretch with a bucket at the 4:24 mark, pulling her team within 3 points. Gonzalez and freshman Oona Nelson combined for four baskets in the opening period, but Cornerstone still claimed a 16-10 advantage after one frame.

“I thought we did a better job of running our man offense (in the first quarter),” Gutierrez said. “We did get some good looks out of it. I was pleased with that; we just have to fine tune this offense.”

The Saints then broke the game open in the second quarter. Senior Makayla Kramer connected on a pair of 3-pointers, and Cornerstone continued to attack in transition.

All four of Bishop Seabury’s points in the second period came from freshman Reagan Thayer, who knocked down a triple and hit a free throw. Yet Cornerstone closed the first half on 12-0 run over the final five-plus minutes to lead by a 31-14 margin at the intermission.

The Seahawks committed nine of their 26 turnovers in the second quarter.

“Ball pressure has really hurt us,” Gutierrez said. “We just haven’t been comfortable with ball pressure all year.”

With the game out of reach, Bishop Seabury worked on taking care of the rock and running an offense. Many of the guards continued to be aggressive and attack the rim when the opportunity presented itself.

Nelson netted 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting in a losing effort. Thayer finished with 8 points, which included the team’s only 3-pointer of the night. Gonzalez, Johnson, Hannah Motsinger and Katie Eckert combined for 9 points in the loss.

Kramer paced Cornerstone with 15 points, while Martin added 13 points.

Bishop Seabury will travel to Heritage Christian Academy on Feb. 25.

Cornerstone (51)

Evelyn Gentry 2-7 2-2 6, Claire Mullen 3-5 0-0 6, Adriel Holloway 4-12 1-2 9, Abby Martin 5-7 3-4 13, Makayla Kramer 5-13 3-4 15, Jenna Poage 1-3 0-0 2, Grace Ryan 0-3 0-0 0, Millie Dressler 0-1 0-0 0, Lydia Cobler 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 20-52 9-12 51.

Bishop Seabury (27)

Reagan Thayer 3-8 1-2 8, Sofia Gonzalez 1-5 1-2 3, Anna Johnson 1-5 0-0 3, Oona Nelson 5-12 0-1 10, Hannah Motsinger 1-6 0-2 2, Katie Eckert 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 12-39 2-7 27.

Cornerstone 16 15 16 4 — 51

Seabury 10 4 5 8 — 27

3-point goals: CS 2-11; BSA 1-5 (Kramer 2). Turnovers: CS 12; BSA 26. Fouled out: None.