Collingswood High School junior guard Nadirah Robinson enjoys rebounding the basketball, but she also has a knack for getting into the passing lanes and making big steals.
She did both very well Saturday afternoon in her team's 36-23 victory over Haddon Heights in a Colonial Conference Liberty Division game.
Robinson finished with a game-high 15 points and added seven rebounds and five steals for the Panthers (15-10). She and fellow starter Samantha Gregg, who added 10 points, helped their team outscore host Heights 22-13 in the second half, including 12-5 in the third quarter.
"We got a motivational speech from Coach (Nancy O'Neill) at halftime," said Robinson, who scored nine points in the second half. "She told us to work harder. The team got more involved, scoring, steals, rebounding. We just picked it up from there and played hard on defense."
According to O'Neill, "We actually struggle greatly in the first quarter. We've only won six first quarters all year. It's a big point of emphasis for us. The kids, for whatever reason it may be, really kick in in the second half. We're a much stronger second-half team as long as we don't dig our hole too deep."
Gregg, who also plays field hockey and lacrosse for Collingswood, nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Panthers ahead 26-13 with 1:45 left in the third quarter. Those baskets capped a 10-0 run for Collingswood, which was never threatened thereafter.
"Huge threes," said O'Neill, whose team also got eight rebounds from Imani King. "Sam did a great job of shooting the ball. The timing of those shots was the biggest point of it. It gave us that little bit of a cushion. When Sam or Ellie (O'Neill) hit, along with Nadirah, we're a pretty good team. It's just a matter of which night it's going to be."
Gregg wasn't really aware of the score after she hit the two 3-pointers, but she was aware of how her team had picked up its defensive intensity.
"I'm better when there's no pressure, but we came out and played hard," Gregg said. "It was a good win. Once we start getting moving on defense, our offense comes together better. When we play hard on defense, we play good offense."
It was Senior Day for Haddon Heights (11-13), which led 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. Collingswood took a 14-9 lead after four straight points by Robinson with about a minute left in the half. The Panthers led 14-10 at halftime and picked it up from there.
Haddon Heights got a team-high 12 points from Kierra Smith and nine points from Alexis English. Jackie Eppright had a game-high 10 rebounds. All are seniors.
"We had a Senior Day, and we had some jitters," said Haddon Heights coach Angela Scott, a former standout basketball player at Williamstown High School.
"I was hoping, coming out of the locker room at halftime, we'd turn that around, but we just couldn't get it all together."
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