By Dylan Butler
Amanda Burakoski thought the game was over. And it was hard to argue with The Mary Louis Academy star guard. With the exception of a one-minute span early in the third quarter, the Hilltoppers led throughout and seemed to be in control of the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division I semifinal.
But then it happened: A charge, a three-pointer, an offensive rebound and a pair of free throws.
Suddenly and surprisingly, Archbishop Molloy had wrestled momentum away in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and rallied for a stunning 56-51 win Thursday night at St. Francis Prep.
“The momentum was in our favor, especially the last couple of minutes,” Molloy senior Kerri White said. “They were getting frustrated, which helped us out.”
The Stanners advance to Sunday's Brooklyn/Queens Division I final against Christ the King and, by virtue of the victory over Mary Louis, will compete in the CHSAA state playoffs. The Royals beat Bishop Ford, 65-50.
Meanwhile, what started as a promising season for Mary Louis, which won the state Federation Class A title a year ago, came crashing to an abrupt end. It was a finality that was tough for the Hilltoppers to handle, many of whom were inconsolable as they left the school.
“The whole team is in shock because we've been with each other for four months and we all wanted to go all the way,” Burakoski said. “We all just expected to go that far.”
In one of her best performances of her junior year, Burakoski dominated. The 6-foot St. John's-bound guard scored a game-high 22 points. Freshman guard Karin Robinson added 13, including back-to-back layups after Molloy briefly took the lead in the third quarter, igniting a 12-2 run as the Hilltoppers' led 38-29 with 2:07 left in the third quarter.
On another Robinson layup, Mary Louis led 48-43 with 3:42 left in the fourth quarter. After a White layup and a Marielle Duryea baseline floater, Robinson again attempted to get to the basket, but this time she ran into Shannon LaVelle and was called for a critical charge.
LaVelle then buried a three-pointer with 52 seconds left to put the Stanners, who also received 10 points from Molly Dreyer, in front, 50-48.
“It felt so good,” LaVelle said. “I wasn't shooting that good. I even shot an air ball in the first half. I just thought 'finally.' After I hit that, I knew we were winning the game.”
Burakoski tried to put her team back up, but missed a pair of three-pointers from the corner. Dowling College-bound senior guard Kelly (Wawa) Puwalski also missed a three-pointer and Duryea grabbed the rebound with 26.1 seconds left.
“The girl finished with 22 points and I don't think I'm going to tell her not to take it if she thinks it's a good shot,” Mary Louis coach Joe Lewinger said. “The first one was a good shot, the second was a little forced. And then 'Wawa' was wide open.”
Duryea missed the front end of a one-and-one bonus and the rebound went off Robinson and Kelly Carman and bounced into White's hands.
“It just came into my hands and I was like 'Yes!'” White said.
White knocked down both free throws. The Manhattan College-bound senior finished with 16 points and was 10-of-10 from the foul line.
After another missed three-pointer by Burakoski, LaVelle, who scored nine of her 11 points in the second half, hit a pair of foul shots with 14.2 seconds left to cap a remarkable 11-0 run.
“I don't think we played particularly well. We continued to play, but we didn't do the little things,” Molloy coach Dom Cecala said. “We didn't capitalize on mistakes. We had trouble listening. I thought we looked a little shook at some points. I didn't expect that from this group, but I guess this is a stepping stone and a learning situation that we should take and be ready for King on Sunday.”
Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
