Marple Newtown’s Olivia Gicking, right, drives to the basket as Radnor’s Sadie Boulden defends in a Dec. 13 game. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matt Smith
When Olivia Gicking finds her rhythm early, it usually bodes well for the Marple Newtown girls basketball team.
The sophomore guard wasted no time making an impact in the first quarter Saturday, pouring in 10 points in the quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers, to set the tone in a District 1 Class 5A tournament first-round matchup at Sun Valley. Gicking finished with a game-high 21 points, leading the ninth-seeded Tigers to a 55-46 victory over the No. 8 Vanguards.
“I think it just helps me calm down a little and gives us energy,” said Gicking, who shot 5-of-12 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
But Gicking wasn’t the only one with the hot hand for the Tigers (11-12).
Freshman Evie Grimste proved she was more than ready for the moment in her first district playoff game. With both teams struggling to take care of the ball in the second quarter, Grimste provided a spark, knocking down all three of her shots in the period, including a triple and an and-1 play. She scored eight of her 11 points in the quarter, helping to keep the Tigers steady at a critical juncture.
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