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Mount seeded third for AACA playoffs
by TOM UTESCHER
With a split last week in its final two regular season games within the
Athletic Association of Catholic Academies, Mount St. Joseph locked up
the third seed in the league playoffs. The top-ranked St. Basil’s
prevailed 58-49 in a Monday match-up against the host Magic, who rebounded
with a 53-34 victory over visiting Sacred Heart on Thursday. The locals
would face number two Villa Maria in the AACA semifinals.
In the first three minutes of last Monday’s contest, five Mount
turnovers played a role in an 11-0 start for St. Basil’s. The Magic’s
Laura Johnson (20 points, three assists) came on for 15 first-half points,
including three three-point field goals in the second quarter, to lift
the hosts back into a 26-all tie with the Panthers at halftime. MSJ reserve
forward Caitlin Eccleston scored eight of her 11 total points in the first
half.
Elle Hagedorn (11 rebounds) and Sarah McGorry (five rebounds) would each
score nine points for the Mount, most of them after the intermission.
This helped the Magic stay close until early in the fourth quarter, when
they only trailed 44-42. Forging into the paint and running the floor
effectively, Basil’s spread the score to 53-42 with three minutes
to go.
A little later, it was 54-44 when a trey by McGorry and a lay-up by Hagedorn
cut the lead to five. The Mount needed to foul for ball possession, though,
and the Panthers hit four of six free throws in the final minute. The
visitors received 17 points apiece from Allie Fedorowicz and Christine
McCullom, 12 from Sam Thompson, ten from Lindsay Teuber, and two from
Josie Greenberg.
League loss-leader Sacred Heart fell behind the Mount 13-5 in the opening
period on Thursday, and the Magic cruised from there. McGorry, with 14
points, and Johnson, with nine, led a long list of MSJ scorers. The hosts
got seven points from Claire Kueny, six from Rebecca Naab, five from Alexa
Buchanan, three from Ryann Gallagher. Aubrey Barrett, Elle Hagedorn, Kate
Hagedorn (13 rebounds), and Meg Sabia added two points apiece and Eccleston
scored one.
Before the game, Mount St. Joe bid a ceremonial farewell to its two seniors,
Naab and Kate Hagedorn. Next year Naab will attend St. Joseph’s
University, while Hagedorn heads for Penn.
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