By Anderson Wright, PO '12

CLAREMONT — The 6th Street Rivalry kicked off Tuesday night with an assortment of fast-paced plays.  The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas put the pressure on the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens early with their full court defense.  On the other side of the ball, CMS upped the tempo with a fast break offense.  After making adjustments at halftime, Pomona-Pitzer controlled the speed of play in the final 20 minutes.

The Sagehen guards Vanessa Ho (SO, San Francisco, CA) and Neha Savant (FR, Rolling Hills Estates, CA) cut through the stifling CMS defense with their superb ball handling skills.  Savant's presence was especially important for the Sagehens; she was unable to play in the teams's previous matchup at CMS's Ducey Gymnasium and scored 12 points in Tuesday night's affair.  Her return allowed players like Asha Gipson (JR, San Diego, CA) and Christina Sheckler (SO, Cambridge, MA) to play to their strengths at the shooting guard and swing forward positions.  Sheckler was extremely successful at driving to the basket and drawing fouls, scoring 7 on 3-of-3 shooting from the line, while Gipson used her length and quickness to create opportunities around the basket–she was second to only Van Gulik in rebounds, with five, including two on the offensive end.

While the underclassmen performed well, senior forwards Katy Wise (Memphis, TN) and Emily Van Gulik (Evergreen, CO) were the stars on Senior Night.  The pair's longtime success and leadership were honored before the game.  Wise and Van Gulik both performed magnificently in this emotional final effort of their college careers.  Wise attacked the basket with style on several spin move plays, while Van Gulik led the team in scoring with 15 and owned the boards with a team high of six.  Their dominance under the hoop was cheered on by friends, teachers, and family members.  The 6th Street Rivalry always draws large crowds, and Tuesday's matchup was no exception.

Though PP will miss the talent and leadership of their seniors, coach Kathy Connell should be excited by the fact that her team is predominantly composed of underclassmen.  Players and fans alike will eagerly await next year's chapter in the bitter rivalry between Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.