Gesualdi, Brown lead Panthers to win

The Johnston girls basketball team picked up its first win of the season when it beat visiting Cranston East 35-25 on Monday night.
The Panthers rolled in the first half but the Bolts would fight back late to limit the Johnston lead to 23-20. Johnston found its second wind in the fourth quarter and would dominate the final exchanges to clinch the Division II victory.
Bella Gesualdi led Johnston with 13 points while junior forward I’daizha Brown had a breakout performance, where she also hit double figures in scoring up front.
Cranston East was without Jayna Gunderway so it relied on others to lead the charge. Julianna Luke led the team with 10 points scored in the loss.
Johnston’s lineup is guard-heavy this season, but the plan on Monday was to win with its bigs, primarily Gesualdi and Brown.
“I expected a dog fight. Toughness, fighting to win the game. We have a small lineup, so the bigs that we have are vital to what we can do this year. I’daizha had a big role today and she’s had a big role this year. I know she can do it and will get even better as the season goes on,” said Gesualdi.
“It was good. To be able to help Bella, it feels good. It was very important to win and for the other girls to step up. We just kept practicing (after losing the season opener), putting in the work and we need to keep going,” added Brown. “I’m not used to this, so it was nice to finally gain confidence and it felt great stepping up and doing what I could do.”
Johnston coach Jhamal Diggs was excited to see Brown step up and hopes that she sets an example for other pieces to make an impact.
“That’s huge, that’s why we coach. The overall goal is to develop and get better as the season goes on. I’daizha is a player that has so much athleticism, so much potential, and we were just waiting for her to have the opportunity. I’m hard on her, I’m tough on this group because they’re a young, talented group with a bright future,” Diggs said. “I’m hard on her, so to see her come through tonight was great to see. We want to build the girls around (the seniors) so they can find a role the way she did tonight.”
The Panthers will now go on a three-game road trip before returning home after the new year.
“This was one of the most important games of the season and now this gives us a rhythm to build on. We just need to take this win and keep going,” Gesualdi said.