Lennon, Shipley have night to remember

Shipley's Alex Lennon had enough on her plate just thinking about the Friends Schools League championship against undefeated Friends' Central.

So, to keep the nerves to a minimum, she asked her teammates not to remind her before last night where she stood in the chase for 1,000 career points.

But Lennon's scoring lull in the early going of the fourth quarter of a 56-42 victory at Haverford College prompted one of the Gators to give her a gentle reminder. She accepted the nudge and reached the milestone on a follow-up basket with less than two minutes remaining.

"It's exciting," said Lennon, whose 19 points upped her career total to 1,001. "I've been waiting for that moment for a while. It feels good."

Lennon, a 6-foot-2 senior forward, sparked Shipley to its second straight Friends Schools League title. The Gators (19-3) avenged a 51-45 regular-season setback versus the Phoenix.

"I don't think we played to our full potential when we first played them," Lennon said. "We shot 10 for 25 from the free-throw line in that game, so I knew we would do better than that. Overall, I was pretty confident."

Lennon, an athletic and versatile performer, shot 8 for 15 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line. She produced eight rebounds (three on offense), six steals, three blocked shots and two assists in 32 minutes.

"She's meant so much to this program," Shipley first-year head coach Sean Costello said. "To have her score her 1,000th point tonight, here in the final, that's the stuff you see in movies."

Lennon scored eight points in the first quarter as the Gators raced to a 15-4 advantage. "I think our quick start took the heart out of them," she said. "I was happy that I could give our team a boost like that."

Brianna Ross (12 points), Alisha Fairfax (10) and Celeste Golub (10) joined Lennon in double-digit production. Maureen Gentry chipped in five points, five rebounds and three assists.

"This is what we've been working toward all season," Costello said. "I'm proud of the girls."

Friends' Central (25-1), guided by 10th-year boss Phil Annas, lost for the first time. The Phoenix shot 6 for 33 from the field in the first half and 16 for 63 overall.

Talia East, a junior forward, led the regular-season champs with 19 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks and three steals. Sophomore point guard Monaye Merritt recorded 11 points and eight assists.

Lennon, an 18-year-old from Lansdowne, is considering West Chester and East Stroudsburg for college.

"I went to see two of West Chester's games," she said. "I love their coach [Deirdre Kane] and the girls on the team. They have a certain swagger to them."

Shipley 15 12 17 12 - 56

Friends' Central 4 12 8 18 - 42

S: Maureen Gentry 5, Alex Lennon 19, Alisha Fairfax 10, Brianna Ross 12, Celeste Golub 10.

FC: Monaye Merritt 11, Talia East 19, Erica Bash 2, Crystal Ross 1, Kristen Mann 3, Emily Brodsky 6.