HIGHTSTOWN -- Chloe Salapatas and her teammates on the Peddie School varsity girls' basketball team are happy to finally be playing someone other than themselves.
After braving a 4-14 campaign in 2023-24, head coach Bridgette McKnight decided the Falcons could use a little more time to prepare for her second season.
So while the rest of the local Prep A teams had already started their 2024-25 season, Peddie held back its tipoff until Friday.
McKnight, senior guard Salapatas and the rest of the Falcons know there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but, at least now, they can do it against players who don't look so familiar to them.
With back-to-back games this weekend, Peddie is hoping some good will come out of their extra work in the Erik B. Hanson Field House within the Ian H. Graham Athletic Center.
The first one did not go the way the Falcons were hoping as Philadelphia's Germantown Friends School visited and handed Peddie a 49-9 setback.
With 5-foot-5 senior guard Aisha Caban still working her way back from an injury, Salapatas and Co. saw where more emphasis needs to be established.
"We're very young with a variety of skills and abilities," said Salapatas, who some might know better as the shortstop or third baseman for the Falcons' softball team. "We haven't even run through all the plays we want to yet."
"So many," McKnight said when asked what things she wanted to work on with the team after the first outing. "We have to get through the press first before we can set up those plays. It's hard just to go against your teammates in practice because they know all the plays. It was good for them to play someone else."
It took 3:37 before Peddie put its first points on the board against the Tigers when point girl Salapatas came up with a steal and score. That quarter was not too bad, falling behind, 10-2, with Germantown Friends guard Taylor Linton accounting for seven of her team's points.
A 14-3 run by the visitors in the second quarter was more of an issue (ahead of a 20-2 burst in the third). Salapatas again had the Falcons' lone basket in the second quarter, connecting on a short pull-up jump shot with 2:04 left in the half.
The only problem was, immediately after that bucket, Salapatas picked up her third foul on defense, forcing her to the bench.
When she returned in the third quarter, Salapatas was called for her fourth foul with 4:10 to play.
"Chloe has always given us good leadership, even last year," McKnight said. "She's our only returning captain, so we need her to stay on the floor."
"I need to keep a positive mentality and to keep everyone playing their best," Salapatas said of her role with the team.
Despite her 5-foot-3 stature, Salapatas put it all out there when she was on the floor, corralling six rebounds to tie her for the team lead with 5-9 sophomore forward Samantha Forte. Salapatas also had two steals.
Linton led all scorers with 15 points for the 5-1 Tigers, while Alayah Campbell backed her with nine points.
Salapatas' four points were high for the Falcons, who will look to continue improving when they host the Kimberton Waldorf School from Phoenixville, Pa. at 1 p.m. Saturday.
GERMANTOWN FRIENDS (49)
Linton 6-2-15, KDay 2-0-5, Goldberg 0-0-0, Campbell 4-0-9, Lintulahti 2-0-6, Sims-Pettiford 1-1-3, Rothmiller 2-0-5, Ritchie 0-2-2, EDay 0-0-0, Cyrus 1-2-4, Behan 0-0-0.
Salapatas 2-0-4, Loughran 0-0-0, Naddelman 0-0-0, Muenzen 0-1-1, Gudapati 0-0-0, Forte 1-0-2, LIngram 1-0-2, EIngram 0-0-0, Wetmore 0-0-0.
3-point goals -- Linton, KDay, Campbell, Lintulahti 2, Rothmiller (GF).