The Pilgrim girls basketball team topped rival Toll Gate 46-28 in a battle of unbeatens and secured sole possession of first place in Division III in the process on Tuesday night.

Each team entered the matchup at 6-0, but Pilgrim would jump out to an 18-13 lead at halftime and put on a show in the second half to run away with the victory.

Jenna Madden scored 15 points, 11 of which coming in the second half, while senior Gianna Ramos put up 16 points and led the team in rebounds. Faith Meade also added nine points for the Pats, while Amaya Coffie led the team defensively and shut down the Toll Gate back court for much of the night. 

“With it being a first place game, a rivalry game, an away game, it was terrifying and we had to cope with the pressure. Coming out on top means a lot to us,” said Ramos. “In a game like this, you have to play with heart and going into the Toll Gate gym, we had to show them what Pilgrim is all about.”

Last season, Ramos struggled at Toll Gate and admitted that the nerves got to her while going up against the crosstown foe.

“I was thinking about this gym, this gym makes me nervous. Sometimes you just have to put the nerves aside and play basketball and that’s what we did tonight,” said Ramos.

Pilgrim coach Kaitlyn Rachiele added: “Gianna had a lot to prove today. The last time she was here, it was a tough time for her. She had to make sure to make her statement here tonight and she surely did.”

Toll Gate was paced by leading scorer Bri Simono with 13 points. Although the Titans continued to play solid on defense, the team struggled to find offensive production behind Simono throughout the evening.

“We just didn’t handle the pressure well today. We couldn’t get anything going. In a game like that offensively where you can’t get anything going, the little things on defense start to add up. The effort was good, but we really are a work in progress on offense,” said Toll Gate coach Jim Areson, who hopes his team grows from the tough loss. “It’s a learning experience. That’s one of the great things about playing sports, feeling and experiencing that pressure. Hopefully when we play them again we handle the pressure better and execute better.”

Now in first place in the division, Rachiele hopes her team plays with confidence in the second half of the regular season slate as it prepares to make a run at a playoff spot.

“I told the girls that there would be nothing better than to come into their home gym and silence them. In the fourth quarter, it was silent. They were nervous, but they picked each other up big time,” said Rachiele. “It’s a huge confidence boost but we have to play these teams again. We have a lot of work to do, but this shows the girls what they can do and how well they play together as a team.”