FHHS Girls Basketball Edges Thomas Edison 46-43 In Finale

After a horserace of a game, the Forest Hills High School girls basketball team took home a big win over Thomas Edison High, 46-43 to finish the season on a winning note.

For nearly all four quarters, neither Forest Hills nor the Inventors took control of a high-stakes season finale.

Forest Hills needed every bucket from every player, and with two players in double figures, they only secured the win on a loose ball scramble on defense as time expired.  Imani Frances’ 12 points and Sharon Rios' 7 — including a huge 3 pointer in the 4th quarter — contributed mightily to the hard-fought win. 

Edison’s Alexirain Bove Domenech was a rebounding and scoring machine and showed outstanding leadership.  The Senior netted a game-high 22, but Forest Hills’ more balanced attack eventually won the day.

Hero: Jodi Ann Humphrey scored on back to back layups, giving the Rangers a 39-34 lead with 3:20 left in the game.

After exchanging buckets and watching Edison miss a couple of crucial free throws, Humphrey avoided getting fouled, costing Edison precious seconds, but ended up at the line for game-clinching free throws with 17 seconds left.  She coolly hit both shots despite the raucous home crowd — two points that became all the more important when Edison’s Domenech nailed a three-pointer with 11 seconds left. 

It was to be their last possession, however, and Humphrey’s play down the stretch was the difference. 

Turning Point: The game was even closer than the 3 point win might indicate, but the game turned on the clutch play of Humphrey and Rios.  Edison had fought back from an early deficit, but the Rangers' attack was more consistent and proved too versatile late in the game.  Rios’ three pointer right out of a time-out with two minutes left gave the Rangers what turned out to be an insurmountable — if uncomfortable — lead.

Bottom Line: The Rangers were coming off a close loss that put their seeding in jeopardy, and the win cemented their position in advance of the seeing meeting which will lock in the playoff schedule. 

Quotable: Rangers coach Michelle Davis could not have been happier when the buzzer sounded.  “That was a huge win for us. They knew it was huge,” she said of her players.  “They did what they had to do today.  It was a clutch game – we had to play smart and we did. ... We finished in second so we should seed decent, and the team’s feeling great.”

Who’s Next? The playoff schedule will reveal matchups, but the Rangers expect to play late next week.

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