Bethlehem Catholic girls basketball coach Arnold Alleyne challenged the Golden Hawks’ defense during halftime of the Jan. 24 match against Nazareth, but the Hawks went above and beyond in their 59-46 victory over the Blue Eagles.

“Our coach mentioned, ‘I want seven stops in a row,’” said Becahi guard Kendall Nickischer (18 points). “We kind of play with that mentality a lot, and our defense transitions to our offense to be able to get our points.”

That challenge resulted in a 10-0 run in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter on a combination of points from Tess Tryanski, Palin Coleman, and Nickischer, and, of course, seven stops.

“We’re really heavy on defense,” said Becahi guard Leah Ault. “We’re really trying to all be linked, and I think it showed up in the game. They have a good play with their four across, and they always get that backdoor cut, and we picked up on that. We recognized that the opposite girl on the wing needed to be help side defense.”

Daviana Jones added a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, and Nickischer ended the game with two free throws.

“When it’s good, it’s great,” said Coach Alleyne. “The goal is to put up as many shots as possible. We’ve been training that way, trying to have the pace up-tempo. We’re better that way. I’m proud of the girls that they were able to maintain the pace and make the right decisions.”

Tryanski, a freshman guard, had a terrific first half that included a 3-pointer, an intercepted pass at half court, a steal, and a huge block resulting in a turnover.

“Last time we played Nazareth, she did really well, and tonight against Nazareth, she played really well,” Alleyne said. “If she played every night like this, I’m excited.”

Coleman, who is also a freshman, tallied 12 points and was strong on the boards along with senior center Mekhyla Britt.

Said Nickischer, “Lately, we’ve been working on a lot of our fundamentals, but being able to run our plays effectively has been a really big thing for us, and having people that can control the court, and being able to set up our offense helps each other. Finally being able to see these plays being executed and getting these good baskets off of them from any person is really great.”

The Hawks hosted Lancaster Catholic in an out-of-conference game on Jan. 25 and lost in a close contest, 40-37.

“We’re a young team, and we’re trying to figure it out, but I think at the end, we’ll be ready to go,” said Alleyne. “We’re gonna be a tough out. We played a tough schedule for this reason, to play playoff basketball, so I just want to peak at the end.”