November 26, 2005
 
bishop chatard
'Value' leaders pace Trojans
Four players' productivity is amply evident Wednesday in 48-42 win over Cathedral
Star correspondent
 
Bishop Chatard High School girls basketball coach Kevin Sweeney has a sheet that lists season statistics for his players. There are entries for points, rebounds, assists, steals and all of the usual numbers kept in a game.
However, one entry could be the most telling. It's labeled Productivity, with numerical entries listed in the category of Value.
Senior point guard Beth Reed leads the Trojans with a 76 value rating. Guard Jennifer Seeber, the other senior on the varsity, is second with a value of 49. Sophomore guard Anne Boese is third, and junior forward Kelly Gardner is fourth.
Those players demonstrated just how valuable they are in Wednesday's 48-42 win at home over Class 4A Cathedral (2-1). Chatard, ranked fifth in 3A, improved to 5-0. The Trojans play at Mount Vernon on Tuesday.
Reed, Seeber and Gardner tied for the team high with 11 points, and Boese added seven in 13 energizing minutes off the bench to help the Trojans defeat the Irish for the first time in 11 years.
Reed made the biggest difference early and late. The 5-8 -- and often fiery -- point guard forced four of her game-high five steals in the first half and did all of her scoring in the second half.
A Reed layup to end the third quarter gave Chatard a 30-29 advantage. She added six points in the decisive fourth quarter to help the Trojans pull away.
Reed didn't just let her game do the talking for her. She was a regular presence in the face of her teammates throughout the game, shouting out which play to run and then demanding that it be run properly. She told teammates where to go to get in proper position, and offered encouragement along the way.
"She's a competitor," Sweeney said. "When the ball goes up, she's ready to compete. When someone else on the team is not competing, she's going to make sure they pick it up. She kind of puts them on her back and brings them along."
While Reed showed her value with her floor presence, Gardner, playing on two swollen knees and with an injured hand, grabbed five offensive rebounds and led the team with seven.
Seeber added six rebounds and hit a number of big shots, including scoring the final four points of the game as Chatard pulled away in the closing minutes.
Boese came off the bench early in the second quarter when the Trojans, who were outscored 9-5 through the first quarter, needed a lift.
She gave them one, hitting a 3-pointer and finding Seeber for another 3 to give the Trojans their first lead at 15-13. Boese followed with a jumper and a rebound put-back to make it 19-13.
"That's a remarkable thing for a sophomore to come in and give us that extra energy, that extra lift off the bench," Sweeney said.
He also noted that Gardner, Reed and Boese were all playing through assorted injuries.
"We're a little banged up, but they're playing through it right now with a lot of heart and soul, and it starts with Beth Reed," he said.
Cathedral also is battling injuries. Irish coach Linda Bamrick said 6-2 junior center Yvonne Marten is likely out for the season after reinjuring her right knee. She said Marten will require surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament for the second year in a row.
Several Cathedral underclassmen stepped up Wednesday. Freshman Adrienne Sahm scored a game-high 16 points. Sophomore Abby MacGill, a 6-1 center, chipped in six points and nine rebounds to go with some hard-nosed defense.