SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Taylor Brown might not be Long Island Lutheran girls basketball’s headliner, but the junior guard stole the show Friday night.
On a court full of giants, the 5-6 Brown delivered early and often, willing LuHi to a wire-to-wire 70-60 victory over Sierra Canyon of Los Angeles, Calif. at Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College. She finished with team-bests 20 points, eight assists and four steals.
“I was definitely trying to make a statement, come out there and be me,” Brown said. “I was just reading the defense, being patient and staying strong with the ball.”
Ranked 10th in the Rivals National High School Girls Basketball Composite Rankings, the Crusaders (12-1) never trailed against No. 4 Sierra Canyon (18-2).
ESPN’s No. 33 ranked player in the Class of 2027, the uncommitted Brown put on a show in front of numerous college coaches, including UConn’s Geno Auriemma seated baseline and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley directly across from the LuHi bench.
Their presence didn’t faze Brown.
“As I keep getting older, I’m getting so used to playing in front of college coaches that I’m not even thinking about it anymore.” Brown said. “I just go out there and have fun doing what I love.”
With Brown at the point, LuHi set the tone defensively. The Crusaders deployed full-court pressure from the start and forced more turnovers (four) than the number of field-goal attempts allowed (three) in the first four-plus minutes.
Brown made a similar impact offensively. She sliced through Sierra Canyon’s defense early, either scoring or assisting on 26 of LuHi’s first 30 points, finished by a right wing triple midway through the second quarter to stretch the advantage to 13 and prompting another Sierra Canyon timeout. LuHi extended the lead by four more before halftime, capped by a Brown layup.
“I thought she really blew the game open,” said LuHi coach Christina Raiti, who raved about Brown’s dedication to watching film and development. “She did a really great job at attacking and putting pressure downhill. I thought she set the pace with her defense.”
By halftime, Brown collected 13 points, seven assists and three steals. Many of the helpers went to senior forward Savvy Swords, who knocked down three triples in the first half and totaled 19 points. Seniors Sanai Green and Emily McDonald added 13 points apiece.
“[Brown] just comes in and does what we need every time,” Swords said. “It’s just so great to see how she’s grown. You see what the coaches are asking of her and she puts it on the court.”
Brown picked up where she left off to start the second half, finishing acrobatic layups on LuHi’s first two possessions. The Hoophall Classic features many of the nation’s top teams, and the Crusaders put up perhaps the most dominant performance of the day’s six-game slate.
Sierra Canyon featured a roster loaded with size and talent, headlined by 6-foot senior guard Jerzy Robinson, ESPN’s fifth-ranked senior and South Carolina commit. Emilia Krstevski, a 6-5 post ranked No. 41 and committed to Oregon, teams with 6-4 sophomore Roseline Oladokun, the No. 20 prospect in her class, to form an imposing frontcourt.
With a star-studded, veteran roster including four top-25 ranked seniors (Olivia Jones, Swords, McDonald and Green) alongside Brown and developing sophomore post Emily Forrester, the Crusaders rotation stymied the Trail Blazers. Just Robinson (32 points, 12 rebounds) played well, — though inefficiently on 11-of-24 shooting — in front of her future college coach.
Brown’s college destination remains undetermined, but it’s clear she’ll have plenty of options. Especially after her latest standout performance. Everything worked for, as Raiti called her, “the engine that makes us go.” .
“The layups were there for me, and then they were sagging back on ball screens, so my three was there,” Brown said. “It all just kind of came together.”
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