Whatever it takes
Darnell鈥檚 moment, Larkin鈥檚 team-first play lift Lady Gators
Janiah Darnell has been a pillar of consistency for the Geibel Catholic girls basketball team.
A strong rebounder and defender and a fundamentally sound player, the junior has quietly gone about her business as the Lady Gators have progressed through a sparkling 23-1 season.
Darnell has been fine with staying in the shadows, especially when it comes to scoring, leaving the points to senior Emma Larkin and sophomore Mallory Clemmer and even sharp-shooting freshman Alexa Morgan.
On Monday night, though, with the Lady Gators one win away from playing at the Petersen Events Center in the WPIAL Class A final, Darnell found herself in the spotlight.
And she didn鈥檛 blink.
With Geibel and top-seeded Aquinas Academy locked in a 50-50 tie in overtime and the clock ticking down, Darnell found an opening and Larkin zipped a pass inside to the 5-foot-9 forward, who promptly put in what would be the winning points.
The fourth-seeded Lady Gators hung on to claim a dramatic 52-50 victory in the semifinal battle held at Norwin.
Larkin, Darnell and their teammates鈥� goal of playing at the Pete was finally fulfilled.
Geibel coach Sara Larkin praised Darnell in looking ahead to Friday鈥檚 final against No. 2 Serra Catholic. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.
鈥淛aniah has been steady for us from day one,鈥� coach Larkin said. 鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 chase recognition, she just works hard. When her number was called in the biggest moment of the season, she was prepared and delivered.
鈥淓mma trusts her. That shot wasn鈥檛 luck. It was preparation meeting opportunity. I couldn鈥檛 be happier that it was her.鈥�
Darnell had scored only two points before hitting the pressure-packed shot. Her specialty is rebounding and she yanked down 13 boards against the Lady Crusaders.
Another subplot to the Lady Gators鈥� run to the Pete focused on Emma Larkin, the 2,000-point scorer who broke the Geibel and Fayette County career scoring records and topped her own single-game mark during the regular season.
While most outside of Connellsville might see Larkin as simply a scoring machine, she鈥檚 proven in the postseason how much more she contributes to her team鈥檚 success with her defense, ball handling, passing ability and leadership.
Larkin rang up 34 points in the Lady Gators鈥� 55-53 quarterfinal home win over fifth-seeded St. Joseph last Thursday but when the game was on the line with 10 seconds left, despite an inbounds play that was supposed to end up with the ball in her hands, she chose instead to pass inside to Clemmer who scored the winning basket.
On Monday night, despite facing a defense that had limited her to just 13 points, it seemed likely it would be Larkin who would take the pressure shot this time.
Again, she opted for and made a pinpoint pass, this time to Darnell.
Two down-to-the wire exhilarating playoff games.
Two game-winning assists from the high-scoring Larkin.
鈥淓mma has always been capable of scoring, but what stands out in these playoff games is her decision-making,鈥� said Sara Larkin, who is not only Emma鈥檚 coach but also her mother. 鈥淚n both situations, she read the defense and trusted a teammate.
鈥淭hat says a lot about her understanding of what winning requires. We face defenses that are built to stop her, and she understands that. Two straight game-winning assists reflect how much she values the team over individual statistics.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about understanding what the moment requires and delivering.鈥�
Friday鈥檚 game will be the third meeting between Geibel and Serra Catholic (17-6), who tied for the Section 2-A title. Both won on the other鈥檚 floor during the regular season, the Lady Gators 64-55 at Serra and the Lady Eagles 51-50 at Geibel.