Gaby Domercant had made her previous three-pointer. Two possessions later in the first quarter, the ball found her again, except she passed the ball this time.
It was the right idea for a freshman with a team-first mentality. But Young coach Krissy Harper gestured to Domercant that she should shoot the ball, showing confidence in the young sharpshooter.
On the next possession, Domercant faked a pass before drilling a three-pointer.
“I appreciate her for always being so unselfish, but I also want her to understand, especially in those bigger games, when you have the hot hand, we want you to shoot the ball,” Harper said. “Now, as she gets into those situations a little bit more, she’ll be able to decipher when I should shoot the ball and then when I should look for the next best.”
Domercant finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Young’s 63-37 victory against Westinghouse. She already has an offer from Loyola and is starting to find her comfort on the court.
“I’ve had such supportive coaches and teammates,” Domercant said. “Everybody’s helped me with the transition so much, and I’m just grateful to God.”
Domercant said she passed up the three-pointer because she always looks for the best shot. It’s always a balancing act for a shooter on whether or not to shoot. But as the season progresses and the level of competition increases, Domercant’s shooting will play a big part in Young’s success.
She’s also a coach’s kid: Her dad is Henry Domercant, the head coach of the Windy City Bulls.
“It was a good conference win,” Henry Domercant said. “They worked the ball around and got her some good looks. It was fun to see her see some shots go down, and I hope this is only a sign for more to come.
The Dolphins (7-2, 2-0 Red North/West) are a young team this season. Young is led by guard Destiny Jackson, who holds multiple offers from Division-I programs, but it also lost several seniors, many of them starters.
Kiaya Johnson had a big game, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter. Lysa Jones also starred with 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.
“I just saw my team grow into their roles because we all want to win,” Jackson said. “I know in later games, when we start playing closer games, I’m going to have my teammates to lean on.”
The early part of this season is about getting comfortable in those high-pressure environments they surely will face in the city and state playoffs. Young recently traveled to Washington, D.C. and went 1-2 in the She Got Game Classic.
‘‘We needed to see a different type of competition,” Harper said. “An aggressive competition that will prepare us for the playoffs.”
Domercant performed well at the tournament. She knocked down six three-pointers in the first game and scored 22 points.
But she continued her torrid shooting stretch against Westinghouse. Her shooting makes it harder for defenses to load up on Jackson.
“She really opened the game up for us,” Harper said. ‘‘She’s been shooting the ball extremely well the past couple of weeks. I think she’s finally getting her feel for the game and being on varsity as a freshman. We expect nothing less of her, so she set a very high standard this weekend.”
