Monarchs fall to Becahi in state semis
GMA goes cold in seasonending loss to District 11 champs
LIMERICK >> The Gwynedd Mercy girls basketball team threw everything at the Bethlehem Catholic’s 3-2 zone Tuesday night, but nothing worked.
The Monarchs tried to pull the District 11 champ Hawks out of the defense by stalling in the second quarter but Becahi never budged. GMA went scoreless in the period, went into halftime trailing 14-3 and could not make a run in the second half, falling
34-15 in the PIAA Class 4A semifinal at Spring-Ford High School.
“Usually we’re quickpaced and we like to push the ball, this game our strategy was to slow it down and see what we could make of that,” GMA senior Danielle Senour said. “When it didn’t start to work out for us, people got a little nervous and I think started to doubt it. Once that happened, it didn’t really work for us as much as we hoped it would.
Taliyah Medina had a game-high 13 points, hitting a trio of three-pointers as Bethlehem Catholic advances to the PIAA final for the first time since 2013.
Carly Heineman paced the Monarchs – who end the season 20-9 – with eight points. Gwynedd Mercy was looking to reach the state championship for the first time in program history.
“I am so happy with everything we’ve accomplished, everything we’ve been through and all the games,” Monarchs senior Megan Dougherty said. “Especially my teammates, I couldn’t of gotten here without them. It’s an amazing experience.”
Gwynedd Mercy had a 2-0 lead after a Heineman basket before Hope Brown connected on a 3-pointer. Maura Conroy’s free throw at 4:03 tied the contest 3-3 but Medina’s two threes gave the Hawks (29-2) a 9-3 edge after a quarter.
The Monarchs tried getting into the Becahi zone, but came away empty. GMA Still down 9-3, GMA tried to force the Hawks out of the defense, but the District 11 champs held firm and after a few minutes the Monarchs gave the ball back on a 3-second call.
Quintessa Zamolyi hit a three while her layup off a steal gave Bethlehem Catholic at 14-3 lead at halftime.
A Neila Luma jumper and a Medina triple extended the Hawks’ advantage to 19-3 in the third quarter. Heineman’s transition basket ended the Monarchs’ drought but Luma and Medina proceeded to made it 23-5 Becahi. Conroy’s free throw with 20.8 seconds left in the quarter had GMA within 17.
Brown, however, opened the fourth with a triple as Bethlehem Catholic pushed its lead to as large as 24 twice.