Molloy falls in state final

When the year began, Molloy Coach Marty Towey didn’t know what to expect out of his inexperienced ballclub. He lost his two best players - Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (Stanford) and Jessica McEntee (N.Y.U.) - to graduation.
Still, the Stanners managed to reach the CHSAA Class AA city championship game, where they lost to Christ the King again, and the CHSAA Class A state final after topping Buffalo’s top team, Sacred Heart, in a state semifinal.
“I didn’t think, nor do I think anyone else did, that we would still be alive on March 19,” Towey said. “But we were and we earned it. [Our run] was indicative of what the kids put together this season.”
But the ride for the precocious Stanners came to an end Sunday afternoon, as Molloy fell to Staten Island power St. Peter’s, 62-54, at St. John’s University. Molloy led by 31-28 at halftime, but they managed just six points over the next eight minutes, and trailed by nine entering the fourth quarter. The Stanners fought back, scoring the first five points to get within 46-42 on an Irene Rynasewycz 3-pointer.
But Molloy never got closer, although they twice cut the lead to four only to see St. Peter’s knock down clutch 3-pointers down the stretch. “We were in it; we just couldn’t pull any closer than that,” Coach Towey said. “They were a tough team. They’re well coached. They’re always one of the top three teams in the city.”
Kristen Connolly led St. Peter’s (25-3) with a game-high 18 points and Megan Mahoney chipped in with 16. Juniors Kerri White and Angie Waterman paced Molloy (19-10) with 14 points apiece and Rynasewycz finished with nine.