by Joseph Santoliquito, City of Basketball Love
Charles Fox / Staff Photographer
Kevin Slaughter was not falling for it. He refused to move from his safe space leaning against a wall in the hallway outside his Audenried team’s dressing room Saturday afternoon at the Liacouras Center.
Slaughter knew what was coming — another soaking like last year, when the Rockets won their first Philadelphia Public League girls’ basketball championship. But his players were relentless Saturday. They kept at him, and eventually wore him down.
Much like the Rockets wore down Imhotep Charter, behind tenacious guard Shayla Smith, to capture their second straight Pub girls’ championship, 55-49.
Smith was the unquestionable game MVP, dropping a game-high 37 points. The junior came up with play after play, just when it seemed the Panthers would inch closer.
Coach Kevin Slaughter of Audenreid gets doused with water in the locker room after Audenreid defeated Imhotep Charter to repeat as champions in the Public League final.Charles Fox / Staff Photographer
“I got dunked last year and I saw them grab that big Gatorade thing and I said, ‘Not today,’” said Slaughter, whose team still managed to soak him. “When I took the job, people told me, ‘Audenried, that place is trash, don’t go there. Why would you go there?’ I said I would turn the program around and change the culture.
“We would get kids who were always unhappy someplace else. This year was bigger than last year because of the pressure. We started well today and looked good, and then had some problems. But this team kept at it.”
Smith scored 15 points in the first half and 22 in the second, with the support of some heady play by fellow junior guard Senaya Parker, who played at Imhotep her freshman year and finished with 13 points against her former school.
“We could have played better and I could have played better,” said a smiling Smith, who also had 13 rebounds. “We could have beat them by more. My shot wasn’t falling like it usually does. It’s mental. Sometimes I have to stay locked down. I’m working on that.”
The Rockets went into halftime leading by the game’s largest margin, 28-17.
Imhotep crept to within 35-34 with 1minute, 25 seconds left in the third quarter, before Smith and Parker combined to score the final six points of the quarter to end the threat.
Charles Fox / Staff Photographer
Imhotep pulled within 43-40 in the fourth quarter before Smith took over to score the next four points.
Each time the Panthers were within a possession of tying, they would turn the ball over. Audenried’s “Point Breeze press” forced 31 Imhotep turnovers.
The Panthers were led by 6-foot-1 junior Anise Geiger and 5-10 sophomore Geren Hawthorne, who combined for 25 points.
Imhotep will play West Catholic on Wednesday for the District 12 Class 3A championship.
