By Anthony Bosco
By Anthony Bosco
The Mary Louis Hilltoppers seemed poised to pull off the upset Monday evening when the Jamaica Estates team took the short trip to Briarwood to take on the defending Class 'C' state Federation champion Archbishop Molloy Stanners.
But despite controlling the tempo early and taking a 29-27 lead into the locker rooms at halftime, the Hilltoppers could not hold on as the Stanners used a stifling defense in the second half to win going away, 67-42.
“This was their first day back at school from their lay-off and they were all kind of like zombies in school,” said Molloy head coach Mary Towey. “The zombiness continued over onto the court until about the fourth quarter when they finally got out of it.”
Led by a revitalized Jessica McEntee, who was held scoreless through a dismal first half, the Stanners stormed past a suddenly struggling Mary Louis team. Switching to a 1-3-1 zone defense, Towey put McEntee, his best frontcourt player, at the top of the key, which completely disrupted what had been a humming Hilltoppers offense.
“It did rattle us a little bit,” said Mary Louis head coach Joe Lewinger.
Freshmen Meghan Cumiskey and Casey Shevlin were the two biggest reasons Mary Louis was able to hold the early advantage. Cumiskey, who finished with a team-high 10 points, did most of her damage in the first quarter, scoring nine during a stretch that ended with Mary Louis taking a seven-point lead on Eliza Gallo's basket moments into the second period.
“The first time we played that wasn't a problem at all,” Towey said. “I just think our kids were playing kind of lethargically. (Cumiskey) had a nice crossover dribble that made us look a little foolish.”
What success Mary Louis had early slowly started to fade away in the second. The Hilltoppers were unable to pull away, while Molloy, anchored by the consistent play of star Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, managed to stay close.
A Gallo putback at the 3:36 mark of the second quarter put Mary Louis ahead by seven, 24-17, but the Stanners battled back behind Janine Maser, Annamarie Ciorciari, Keri-Ann Jetter and Gold-Onwude, all of whom scored during a 10-3 run that knotted the score at 27 in the final minute of the first.
But Mary Louis' Julie Serewko hit two free throws with just three seconds left in the half to give the Hilltoppers the halftime lead.
“I don't think we came out there mentally focused,” Gold-Onwude said. “I think we were taking things a little bit for granted, and they played hard and that's how people get upset. Once they got ahead we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. Sometimes you just have to settle down and just regroup.”
Halftime provided Molloy with the perfect opportunity to regroup. The change in defense resulted in six quick points to take the lead they would never relinquish.
Back-to-back threes by Jetter near the end of the third helped Molloy take a 44-39 lead into the final quarter with Mary Louis seemingly still very much in the game.
But the Hilltoppers' offense simply dried up. While Molloy got hot from the field and scored hordes of easy buckets on Mary Louis turnovers, the visiting team could not buy a bucket. Molloy opened the fourth on a 19-0 run, and it was not until Liz Flynn's basket with 1:32 remaining in regulation that Mary Louis got back on the board.
“I think we have a team that has only been together for a couple of months,” Lewinger said. “I don't know why some of the girls thought that the margin was bigger.”
If Mary Louis' inexperience hurt them late, the exact opposite was true for Molloy.
“I just didn't want to be playing with them in a close game,” Towey said. “Sometimes when you have these games when the kids' heads are out of it, you go to the kids with the most experience and they'll step up. They made the difference.”
Molloy (6-3 overall, 4-1 in league play) will be in action Sunday, participating in the Hopes for Hoop Classic at St. John's University. Mary Louis (5-4 overall, 0-4 in league play) will hit the road again to take on neighboring St. Francis Prep Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Christ the King 77, Bishop Ford 14. The Royals improved to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in league play with this drubbing of the Lady Falcons Monday. Carrem Gay and Bionca Murray had 11 apiece, while Tynisha Davis and Tina Charles added 10 each.
Stella Maris 59, St. Agnes 31. Natalie Descanctis and Jennifer Anglero led the Lady Flippers over St. Agnes with 17 and 14 points each, respectively. Maris improved to 6-4 overall and 6-0 in CHSAA II play.
St. Francis Prep 60, Sacred Heart 45. The Terriers were led by Susan Divald's 22 points, followed by Michelle Betos with 12, Megan Sullivan with 11 and Gina Catherall with 10 in this non-league win Sunday. Ashleigh Gaither paced Sacred Heart with 11. The win improved Prep to 5-4.
Christ the King 55, Archbishop Molloy 43. The Royals held off the Stanners courtesy of 20 points from Gay and 12 from Charles. CK is now 7-1 overall and 3-0 in league play.
St. Francis Prep 56, Massapequa 51. Divald led the Terriers with 13 points, including two free throws in the waning seconds to knot the score at 43 apiece and force overtime. Prep outscored Massapequa 13-8 in the extra session to win it.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
