By David Cordova
A broken play gave Kaitlin Mahon a chance to break Bishop Loughlin’s heart.
Archbishop Molloy, trailing by one with 7.9 seconds left in the game, was attempting to get Quinnipiac-bound star Aryn McClure an inbounds pass. She had the option to kick to Emer Moloney or Taylor Kurs on the outside. Instead Mahon found herself with a ball and lane to basket.
“I looked at the clock and I just went for it,” she said. “I just dribbled up the court.”
The Queens College commit put up a 10-foot floater that found the bottom of the net at the buzzer to give the visiting Stanners an important 49-48 victory over the host Lions in CHSAA girls’ basketball on Jan 4. It was the first last-second winner of Mahon’s career.
“It was a great feeling,” she said. “I honestly won’t forget it.”
McClure led the Stanners with 11 points. Bishop Loughlin’s sophomore Milicia Reid and junior Skydajah Patterson each had 13 points. The victory hands Loughlin its first league loss and keeps Molloy, which was dealing with injuries in January, in the game behind the Lions and Christ the King for the regular season title. Molloy is still playing without junior guard Kathryn Gibson, who hurt her ACL.
“The kids played hard, had a tough run.” Molloy coach Scott Lagas said. “We lost a girl to an ACL injury, but we have stayed together through tough times.”
In the early going, it was all Molloy (14-5) as it attacked the basket and held the lead into the second quarter. Reid then sparked the Lions (17-3) with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 18-12, but the Stanners went into halftime leading 20-17. Molloy picked up where it left off in the third quarter. McClure dominated the frame with help from Kurs and Moloney.
“The defense was extraordinary,” Lagas said. “If we’re able keep teams under 50 points, then we will be successful.”
Bishop Loughlin would not stay down for long. Reid and senior Oshunremi Iwelu contributed with scoring in the third quarter, which brought their team within four points of Molloy at the end of the frame. Loughlin finally captured its first lead at 42-40 on a layup by Patterson with 4:40 left in the fourth.
The game remained tight over the final four minutes, setting the stage for the exciting finish. Reid hit a jumper to bring Loughlin to a 48-47 lead with 7.9 seconds left. Mahon’s last second floater quickly changed that and had Molloy feel it is past the injury bug that hammered the team the last month.
“A lot of people have been doubting us of late,” Mahon said. “It shows that we are ready and able to compete in our league.”
