Hawks Prevail With a 69 – 65 Victory
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1/28/2026 –
The last time these Philly schools met it was a tough game that Saint Joseph’s came out on top. In many ways this was similar. Saint Joseph’s showed the tenacity needed earning a 69 – 65 win at 20th and Olney.
“We came out and it didn’t go our way, but in the second half we showed our grit and our toughness, stayed composed, stayed together,” said Saint Joseph’s guard Gabby Casey. “And taking a force in the first three minutes that was really great and gave us momentum.”
Casey led Saint Joseph’s with 14 points leading a trio of Hawks who scored in double figures. Rhian Stokes and Emily Knause added 11 points. Joan Quinn scored a game-high 18 points for the Explorers.
St. Joe’s won the rebounding stat 37 – 30 and 14 – 9 on the offensive glass.
A Close Game
The score was tied at 32 at halftime. St. Joe’s took a 38 – 34 lead on baskets by Casey and Jill Jekot, a lead they held for the remainder of the game. The Hawks stretched the lead to 61 – 51 on a three-point basket by Casey. Twice in the second half Casey would drain a shot from distance to give her team breathing room.
La Salle Shows Resilience Too
The Explorers fought back getting to within 62 – 58 on a basket and traditional three-point play by Aryss Macktoon with just under two minutes remaining. From there the lead for the Hawks would alternate between 7 and 5 points until the end when Macktoon scored the final Explorers points. The Explorers were in proximity, but could not get over the top.
“The bottom line is that we gave up 14 offensive rebounds,” said La Salle Coach Mountain MacGillivray. “That’s a team that doesn’t have a lot of size on us. You can’t give up 14 offensive boards. When we make defensive stops and end up yielding offensive rebounds, and some of those are rebounds we got our hands on, we have to get tougher and better at those things. That’s what St. Joe’s does elite. We’ve got to respond and match it.”
What the Numbers Say
All but one Saint Joseph’s players who saw the floor scored at least two points. Cecilia Kay took down a team-high 7 rebounds, 4 off the offensive glass. The balance of scoring is important for the Hawks. Aleah Snead got 9 points, Kaylinn Bethea scored 8 points and stole the ball 4 times. Kay and Jill Jekot scored 7 points and took down 6 rebounds. Faith Stinson filled the stat sheet with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
“We have options and that’s really important,” said Saint Joseph’s Coach Cindy Griffin. “It was a matter of making the right plays and making the right reads. We’ve got to be better at execution.”
La Salle had three other players scored in double-digits. Kiara Williams had 17 points and 6 rebounds. Ashleigh Connor had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and a game-high 8 assists. Macktoon contributed 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals.
“There is not a lot of games where we put four players in double figures and lose the game,” MacGillivray said. “When we get scoring balance like that we usually find a way to win.”
Each team shared the basketball well as St. Joe’s assisted 18 times on 26 baskets. La Salle had 16 assists on 25 baskets.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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