Bulldogs’ early surge too much for John Jay

CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - On Monday, Feb. 9, Irvington came up from the river and left little doubt.

The Bulldogs opened with a 12-2 run, their outside shooting proving too much for John Jay to match in a 61-37 victory.

Consecutive three-pointers from Chloe MacKessy and Lillian Duke set the tone early, and the barrage never really stopped.

John Jay did keep pace briefly. Gabby Camaj found Gianna Pelosi in the corner for two, and Pelosi added a triple to go along with Helena Schembri’s deuce to make it 14-7.

But Irvington could do it all — pass, penetrate and run the floor. MacKessy connected with Emilia Doncov cutting through the paint for two. Kayla Clinton hit from long range, and Nia Kilbury raced upcourt to find Jelena Herceg underneath for a conventional three-point play.

Bea Hill momentarily halted the run with a putback, but it was only a pause. Herceg struck again from deep, and a fast-break basket closed the quarter with Irvington in front, 24-10.

Herceg continued to use every inch of the floor in the second quarter. Bookending another MacKessy three, she went coast-to-coast for a layup and then set up Brooke Lee for a fast-break finish with 5:15 left in the half.

Trailing 31-12, John Jay refused to fold. Camaj buried back-to-back threes, and Kylie Bishop added two from the line to cut the deficit to 35-20.

After a Bulldogs timeout, the Wolves kept battling. Schembri slipped a pass to Charlotte Omin on the backdoor, pulling John Jay within 13.

Irvington quickly answered. Sophia Im drained a three, then turned a half-court steal into two more points as the Bulldogs took a 40-22 lead into halftime.

Camaj stayed hot coming out of the break, knocking down another triple. But Irvington remained sharp. MacKessy again found Doncov inside, Clinton drove the lane for two, and a fast-break finish stretched the lead to 21.

Still, John Jay showed resilience. Camaj hit from downtown at the 3:09 mark, then converted another triple off Hill’s offensive rebound. Pelosi’s drive set up Bishop for a layup, and suddenly the Bulldogs looked a bit rattled, turning the ball over on consecutive possessions.

The Wolves, however, could not fully capitalize. In the fourth quarter, Cait Brennan drove baseline to cut the deficit to 13.

That was as close as John Jay would get.

Herceg executed a give-and-go with MacKessy on an inbound play to spark an 8-0 run that sealed the victory and sent Irvington home with a decisive 61-37 win.