Sanderlin charges Gloucester Catholic in win over Lenape
Game days were always the hardest. And there were times when Dani Sanderlin could barely watch. "That's the hardest part," she said. "Sometimes it's hard to sit there and watch the game when all you want to do is jump up and start playing and help your team."
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Game days were always the hardest.
And there were times when Dani Sanderlin could barely watch.
"That's the hardest part," she said. "Sometimes it's hard to sit there and watch the game when all you want to do is jump up and start playing and help your team."
Friday night, Sanderlin's pent-up energy was clear.
The 6-foot sophomore transfer from Wildwood Catholic was playing just her second game in a Gloucester Catholic uniform after sitting out the mandatory 30 days.
She grabbed five rebounds in the first quarter and helped set a tone in the paint for the Rams in a 52-39 win over Lenape. Gloucester Catholic (7-2 overall), ranked No. 1 in South Jersey girls' basketball by the Inquirer, handed the No. 5 Indians (10-1) their first loss in front of a near-capacity crowd at Gloucester Catholic.
"It just feels so great to be able to back on the floor," Sanderlin said. "Nerves weren't an issue, I just tried to play my game and work within the system."
Sanderlin finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow 6-footer Mary Gedaka, showing an increasingly versatile skill set, finished with 15 points, 15 rebounds, 7 steals, four blocks and three assists.
Gedaka's dominance, though, is widely known around South Jersey. So is that of Rams' 6-foot senior Kennedi Thompson (2 points, 6 rebounds).
Adding Sanderlin to that mix has all the makings of what could be the most dangerous frontcourt in recent South Jersey history.
All three are big and athletic, strong rebounders, good ball handlers, and solid outside shooters.
"The potential for us is there," said Gloucester Catholic coach Lisa Gedaka. Sanderlin "is going to be an amazing player. You see flashes of how good she is. But she's also learning too. We're trying not to put too much pressure on her, but she adds such a huge dimension for us."
Gedaka, Thompson and Sanderlin locked down the paint Friday night, forcing Lenape to shoot more long-range shots then it would have liked.
Lenape battled, but Gloucester Catholic held a lead that hovered around 10 points for most of the game.
"We struggled from the field today - we missed a lot of shots," said Lenape coach Rob Hummel. "The effort was there. But we couldn't find that stretch where we could knock a couple down in a row."
Lenape 10 11 5 13 - 39
Gloucester Catholic 14 16 11 11 - 52
L: Shane Holmes 4, Amanda McGrogan 10, Maddie Sims 9, Alicia Hampton 2, Alex Seedes 11, Mackenzie McErlean 3.
GC: Maggie McIntyre 15, Mary Gedaka 15, Kennedi Thompson 2, Naiyi Sabb 5, Dani Sanderlin 12, Sophie Kinnarney 3.