Sweet Revenge

Archbishop Molloy Coach John McGlynn didn’t have to motivate his team much before Monday night’s game. Their last performance, an 81-53 drubbing by Mary Louis in which their starting guards, Christine Harnischfeger and Kerri White, combined for just seven points, said enough.
“We played horrible,” Harnischfeger recalled. “Nobody really played good at all, nothing went right for us.”
Four days later, they got another crack at the Hilltoppers. Throw in the fact it was Senior Night, the Jack Curran Gymnasium was packed to the hilt, and the Stanners came out breathing fire, racing out to a 24-9 first-half lead and holding on for a 52-45 win. Harnischfeger led Molloy with 15 points and White added 11.
“Tonight they played like they wanted it,” McGlynn said. “They played with pride. I wish I could’ve gotten this performance earlier in the season.”
But with the playoffs starting next week, Molloy (14-9, 6-6), likely to earn the fourth seed, could be rounding into shape just in time. “We have a chance to show ourselves in the playoffs,” Harnischfeger said.
Against Mary Louis (18-5, 7-4), one of the league’s top teams, they forced the issue, beating the Hilltoppers to loose balls, driving to the rim frequently, and outworking on the boards.
“It’s hard to explain,” Mary Louis Coach Joe Lewinger said. “The ball just didn’t go in. I think maybe we didn’t match the energy of the crowd or the energy of Molloy.”
Molloy’s pressure defense suffocated the Hilltoppers’ perimeter stars, particularly sophomore Amanda Burakoski, who, after torching Molloy for 25 points in the victory the previous week, scored just eight and served up a doughnut in the one-sided first half.
“That’s what we focused on,” Harnischfeger said, “trying to stop Amanda.”
Even with Burakoski struggling and senior point guard Casey Shevlin scoring only two of her six points in the second half, Mary Louis had a chance to force overtime or steal the game, thanks to the hot shooting of Kelly Puwalski, who led them with 14 points.
Down two with 43.2 seconds remaining, Lewinger called a play that he figured would free Burakoski on the right wing for either the go-ahead 3-pointer or with space to tie the score on a drive. Only the ball never got there; another Hilltopper took an ill-advised shot that was off the mark.
For Mary Louis, the setback snapped a four-game win streak in the league dating back to a Jan. 30 loss at Christ the King. Lewinger felt that lopsided defeat made his players realize there was still a lot of work to be done.
“I’m hoping this has the same effect,” he said. “Sometimes you need to take a step back before you can take three steps forward.”