PURCHASE, N.Y. – Esther Ramos (Queens, N.Y./Forest Hills), Julie DeBrocky (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac), and Gabby Tucker (Port Chester, N.Y./Blind Brook) led the Manhattanville women's basketball team to an 83-49 victory over Five Towns on Saturday afternoon. The Valiants improve to 6-2 (4-0 Skyline), pushing the Sound to 1-3.
Leading the scoring efforts for the fourth time this season, Ramos went 8-for-13 from the field and knocked down 18. She recorded four defensive boards and one steal, while pulling down three on offense and dishing out two.
DeBrocky also recorded four of her seven rebounds on the defensive end while also recording a block, putting down 15 points, and throwing out two assists.
In addition to scoring 15, Tucker led the team in assists on the day with five. She grabbed five rebounds and pressured for five steals for the second time this season, the first being against Geneseo on Nov 9 in the season opener.
Following close behind DeBrocky and Tucker, Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) scored 13 on the day for her seventh game of the season with 10-plus points. Providing a spark off the bench, Ryan Ford (Staten Island, N.Y./Notre Dame Academy) went 6-for-6 from the line for her whole offensive production and fought for two offensive rebounds.
Also scoring six points on the day, sophomore Kathleen O'Mara (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) led on the defensive side of the court with six of her season-high eight rebounds coming off the Sound's shots. O'Mara also led the team in steals, ripping away six while adding one block to her standout outing.
Raine Mears and Danica Robles led the Sound's scoring with nine respectively. Mears recorded eight rebounds, two steals, and one block. Geormaya Davis recorded 10 rebounds, nine of them coming in her own paint.
The Valiants grabbed 19 steals, scoring 38 points off turnovers and 28 points from fast-break opportunities, contributing to 44 points in the paint.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF – MANHATTANVILLE 31, FIVE TOWNS 24
Manhattanville set the tone early with Tucker knocking down a three to start the scoring for the game, followed soon after with a layup from Ramos to jump ahead 5-0.
Five Towns came out aggressively, forcing seven turnovers in the first quarter, fighting to take the lead 12-10 with two minutes to go.
Two-point opportunities from Orlando and O'Mara put the home team up 14-12 after the first 10 minutes of gameplay.
Ihari Oromo threw in one from the line to start the second quarter, followed by two layups from Layla Ford and one from Robles, which gave the Sound its largest lead of the night, 19-14.
Ramos broke the scoring drought for Manhattanville with a long two and a layup, bringing the game back within one. O'Mara found her way to the line to give the Valiants back the lead 20-19 with six minutes until halftime.
Manhattanville held a slight edge on the back-and-forth scoring before stepping ahead 31-24 to wrap the first half. The final 11-5 run was thanks to six from Ramos and five from Tucker.
SECOND HALF – MANHATTANVILLE 83, FIVE TOWNS 49
Orlando came out with a quick four to extend the lead before Tucker fronted a 7-4 four-minute run, pushing the Valiants out 44-29 with just under 3:30 remaining in the third.
The Sound forced a close run, with the Valiants staying ahead 7-5 in the final three minutes, pushing the lead to 17, sitting at 51-34 going into the final ten minutes.
The Valiants outscored the Sound 32-15 in the final quarter of play. Scoring was led by DeBrocky with eight, followed closely by Orlando with seven, and Ford with 6. In the final quarter, the home team forced five steals, capitalizing on scoring opportunities from four.
UP NEXT – The Valiants remain at home to wrap up the first half of the 2025-26 campaign, facing conference opponent St. Joseph's Brooklyn (5-3, 1-3 SKY) for Pride Night on Tuesday, Dec 9, with tipoff set for 6 PM.
