The Girls Catholic Athletic Conference is filled with plenty of talented guards. No matter who’s on the list of skilled GCAC guards, add Trinity junior guard Zaria Goins to the list.
Goins described her performance on Tuesday as “shaky.” Postgame, she was understated, yet her game was loud. Goins repeatedly came through whenever her team needed her.
The ball found Goins on the wing on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter. She drove to the basket on one possession and scored a left-handed layup. On the ensuing possession, she drew a foul and knocked down both free throws.
“She’s always our energizer bunny that comes out in the third quarter,” senior guard Ariana Rodriguez said. “It was beautiful to see, and she made some tough baskets.”
Goins was stellar in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of her 16 points en route to Trinity’s 57-49 win over DePaul Prep to advance to the semifinals of the GCAC Tournament.
“Zaria always comes through when we need her,” coach Kimberly Coleman said. “She’s made this her team. We rely on her a lot late in games, and it’s her show. Her big goal this year was to prove to people that she needs to be talked about, and she’s doing that.”
The Blazers are an under-the-radar program, but they’ve shown progress by winning 20-plus games over the last three seasons. Tuesday’s win validated that the program was headed in the right direction after a hard-fought victory. The refs had a tight whistle and the Blazers had to guard DePaul Prep forwards Kaitlin Totaro and Grace Lee, who are 6-2 and 6-3 respectively.
But the Blazers had resilience. They battled back from a 15-10 first-quarter deficit to tie the game at halftime. Senior guard Jaylani Hernandez knocked down a huge three-pointer before the end of the third quarter to give the Blazers a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter. From the starting five to the eighth man, everyone contributed.
“We stayed united as a team,” Goins said.
Moving on in the tournament is significant for Trinity after losing to Montini last season. For Rodriguez, this is her last GCAC tournament. Time is ticking on her high school basketball career, and she intends to savor every moment she can.
Rodriguez recently returned from an extended absence for health reasons and found her rhythm. She scored 10 points and knocked down two threes. Rodriguez was lethal in catch-and-shoot situations but also adept at putting the ball on the floor and getting to a pull-up jumper.
“In the locker room, I almost got emotional,” Coleman said. “She’s a player who gives so much to this team. She doesn’t care who scores or who gets the assists; she just wants to win.”
Trinity’s win ensures it gets another chance to prove itself as a program on Thursday when it faces the winner of St. Ignatius vs. Aurora Central Catholic.
“We’re taking a step in the right direction as a program,” Coleman said. “We want to keep moving year after year. We want to climb that ladder, you know, and be a program that’s talked about in a school that young girls want to play for.”
Having players like Goins will certainly help build Trinity’s notoriety. And her performance is a big reason why the Blazers are advancing. Goins’ relentless driving was the difference in the game. Her finishing in the paint helped ease the burden on her teammates, allowing them to contribute defensively. She finished 6-for-10 from the floor and drew eight fouls. The Blazers might need another splendid performance from Goins to win on Thursday.
“I know when my teammates need me, so I just come through,” Goins said.