March 6, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Norwood hoopsters in league final four
by TOM UTESCHER

Last week both of Norwood Fontbonne Academy’s basketball teams ended their seasons in the Catholic Academies League playoffs, with the girls making the final four and the boys finishing as league runner-up.

The female Bears won a play-in game on Monday over Gwynedd Mercy Elementary, 25-8, to reach the semifinals, where they fell to Rosemont School of the Holy Child, 30-20. The boys started right out in the semi’s, knocking off Rosemont, 38-36, on Wednesday, and then losing a 45-40 final the following night to defending champ Gwynedd Mercy.

Going into the first girls’ game on Monday, Norwood (15-9 overall) owned a regular-season record of 7-3, while the Gwynedd Mustangs were 3-7. A free throw by Haley Hendel and a lay-up by Devin Murphy got Gwynedd out to a 3-0 lead, then the Bears took control with a 12-0 charge. Coming off the bench, Lauren Stabler hit a 15-foot jumper and two lay-ups, and Norwood also got a pair of jumpers from Maddi Hinchey and a lay-up by Cailin DiGiacomo.

A DiGiacomo free throw made it 13-3 at the beginning of the second quarter, but the hosts didn’t score again before halftime. Although they fouled Gwynedd repeatly, the Mustangs missed five of their seven free throws, coming away with one point from Hendel and one from Amanda Vonder Schmalz to make it 13-5 at the half.

Norwood’s Ann Burgoyne and Gwynedd’s Amy Jecovich (who had a game-high seven rebounds) traded baskets in the opening minute of the third quarter, but then Burgoyne bagged a baseline jumper and DiGiacomo and Ashley DePaul each scored off of a steal to bring the Bears into the final frame with a 21-7 advantage.

A lone free throw by Hendel rounded out the Mustangs’ total, while Norwood had Shannon O’Leary bank in a shot from near the foul line and then added a lay-up by Lauren Hamilton with nine seconds remaining in the contest. On the boards, Norwood was led by Stabler and Rachel Heller, who each pulled down five rebounds.

After this, the playoff action moved to Rosemont’s campus (adjacent to Rosemont College) for all of the boys and girls final four contests. The NFA girls started slowly against Rosemont, with one field goal by Katie O’Malley providing all the scoring in the first quarter. The Bears rallied to gain a 13-12 halftime edge, and the second quarter featured a three-pointer and a shorter field goal by DiGiacomo, and two buckets by Burgoyne.

However, the third quarter was another two-point period for the locals. Rosemont went ahead for good, taking a 21-15 lead into the final quarter and going on to win by ten points. DiGiacomo led the Bears with seven points, while Burgoyne and Stabler each finished with four. Two points apiece from O’Malley and Heller and one from DePaul rounded it out for Norwood.

Rosemont, which received 11 points from Emily Faught, eight from Kristin Hinckley, and seven from Samantha Siegfried, moved on into the championship game, only to be steamrolled by the Academy of Notre Dame.

In the Norwood boys’ semifinal bout on Wednesday, the Bears avenged two regular-season losses to Rosemont. NFA brought a league record of 5-5 into the playoffs.

Forward Trevor Johnson accounted for 24 of Norwood’s 38 total points in the encounter. He scored 11 in the first half and Joe Kenny added a three-pointer during the second quarter, but the locals trailed by two at the intermission, 18-16. Andrew Dowds deposited a field goal during the third quarter, supplementing three baskets and three free throws by Johnson as Norwood gained a 27-24 advantage going into the final frame.

Rosemont shaved one point off the lead during the fourth quarter, but the Bears prevailed thanks to two more buckets by Johnson, a three-pointer by Billy Oppenheimer, and a field goal and two free throws by Andy Parker. In a losing cause, Rosemont got 15 points from Matt Angelos, eight from Joe Smith, and seven from Julian O’Neill.

Norwood was a heavy underdog in Thursday’s championship game, although the Bears didn’t play that way. Gwynedd, going for its third straight CAL title, had run the league table in the regular season for a 10-0 mark, and brought in an overall record of 21-6.

Parker scored off a steal, Johnson bagged a short jumper from the lane, and Dowds hooked up on a three-point shot from the top of the key to give the challengers a 7-0 lead. With a minute left in the opening quarter, a “three” by Chase Vonder Schmalz got Gwynedd rolling, and by the end of the period the Mustangs had tied it up at 7-7.

After the teams traded baskets at the start of round two, a pair of three-point field goals by Kenny helped power a 9-2 charge that put Norwood ahead 18-11. Gwynedd got within four on Chris Kane’s field goal and free-throw sequence, but in the last 90 seconds of the half Johnson put in a lay-up and a short jumper to give the Bears a 22-14 lead at the break.

More patient and disciplined on offense in the second half than in the first, the Mustangs began to whittle down the Norwood lead during the third period. With a three-pointer and transition lay-up, P.J. Kelly led a list of five scorers for Gwynedd, which took the lead for the first time in the game when a trey by Nick Mather made it 28-27 with a minute left. Johnson answered with a lay-up and also made a free throw tacked onto the play, sending Norwood into the final stanza with a 30-28 edge.

A free throw and two more field goals by Johnson in the early going gave the locals a 35-31 lead over Gwynedd, which had received a three-pointer from Kelly. Ultimately, Johnson could not carry the Bears alone. Aside from a pair of free throws by Kenny, he provided all of the team’s points after halftime, as the Gwynedd defense shut down Norwood’s perimeter shooters.

With a little baseline jumper by Vonder Schmalz, another trey by Kelly, and a score off a steal by Sean O’Brien, the Mustangs went ahead 38-35 and stayed in front. They didn’t hit any more field goals, but as they got into the bonus and then the double bonus, a seven-for-12 effort at the foul line over the last 66 seconds was enough to get the job done.

A free throw and a final lay-up by Johnson completed Norwood’s scoring and gave him a game-high 26 points to go with 11 rebounds and three steals. The Bears, whose overall record leveled out at 11-11, had Kenny finish with eight points, and Parker (seven rebounds) and Dowds with three apiece.

Double-digit scoring for Gwynedd by Kelly (15 points, three steals) and Vonder Schmalz (10 points), was backed up by six points from Jon Naji (six rebounds) and five from O’Brien. The Mustangs also got three points apiece from Kane, Mather, and Steve Smith. Smith, the younger brother of Mount St. Joseph Academy forward Stephanie Smith, logged nine rebounds and two blocked shots for the winners.