Mount senior Taylor Sistrunk (right) drives toward the basket against St. Basil's Riley Scannell. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

by Tom Utescher

The old saying is that it's tough for one team to beat the same opponent three times in one season, but unfortunately for the hoops squad at Mount St. Joseph Academy, Catholic Academies rival St. Basil was up to the task.

Last Wednesday evening at La Salle High School, the St. Basil Panthers claimed the league title for the fourth year in a row, topping the Mount Magic, 57-41. St. Basil's Denae Carter funneled in a game-high 28 points, while fellow junior Grace Niekelski led Mount St. Joe's with 14 points. In post-game ceremonies, both players were named First Team All-League players in the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies.

No one else in the AACA had been able to cope with St. Basil's either; the Panthers went undefeated throughout the league's regular season and the four-team championship tournament.

Last week's meeting in the finals was the closest of the Mount's three games against the Panthers this winter; during the regular season the Magic lost to St. Basil by 37 points in December and by 23 in January.

The Mounties stayed fairly close through much of the first quarter, getting four points apiece from Niekelski and senior point guard Lauren Vesey to only trail 13-10 with 90 seconds remaining. As the Magic committed their fourth team foul, the Panthers' Riley Scannell made both her lay-up and the accompanying free throw.

St. Basil's Carter, a quick and agile six-foot forward, made a turnaround shot with just over 20 seconds to go, then the Panthers forced a turnover from the Magic and had senior Lizzie Deal go back down the court to hit a lay-up. MSJ fans looked up to see their team now 10 points behind, 20-10.

Magic senior Grace Morrow scoring on a lay-up in the second half. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

Mount St. Joe fouls put the Basilians in the bonus less than three minutes into the second quarter. When the Panthers got into the double bonus and guard Kelly Grant made two shots with 2:50 remaining in the half, they led 26-12.

The Mounties were able to stop their slide so they didn't put themselves in a really deep halftime hole. Vesey stole the ball twice near midcourt, scoring a breakaway lay-up the first time, and then making one of two free throws when she was fouled after her second theft.

St. Basil matched these Mount points with a three-pointer by senior Maria Stork. After MSJ's Niekelski scored a lay-up off a pass from Vesey, a lone free throw for the Panthers set the score at 30-17 for the intermission.

A lot of the time, St. Basil's defense forced the Mounties either to hurry their shots or to choose poor ones. On the offensive end for the Panthers, Carter came on to score 17 points in the second half.

The Magic were down 41-23 when they called time-out with three minutes to go in the third period. Next, SBA's Carter seized an offensive rebound and twirled in an impressive reverse lay-up. On their following trip downcourt on offense, the Panthers got the ball to Scannell on a sharp cut through the lane, spreading the score to 45-23 with the clock now under two minutes.

In transition, Niekelski lifted off for a runner for the Magic, and senior teammate Grace Morrow converted off an offensive rebound. Unfortunately for Mount St. Joseph fans, the third period ended in the same manner as the first, with St. Basil scoring off of a Magic turnover.

This time, it was Carter who stole the ball from the Mount and hit a breakaway lay-up. The tally was 47-27 at the three-quarter mark.

Fouled on the open floor very early in the final frame, Niekelski went down holding her ankle, but was able to continue playing. When the Panthers committed a shooting foul on Vesey, the Mount guard made the first free throw and missed the second, and senior Kelly Rothenberg rebounded the miss and scored for the Magic, making it 47-30.

A little later, Vesey scored off of a steal, but just before that Niekelski had committed her fourth personal foul. Carter posted St. Basil's first points of the period with a lay-up in transition, then when Vesey bagged a jumper from near the top of the key, St. Basil called time-out. The score was now 49-34 with 6:07 remaining in the game.

When play resumed, Carter drove the lane to lever the lead back out to 17 points. Vesey made another steal for the Mounties, and when she missed a lay-up, freshman Georgia Pickett rebounded the ball and scored.

There were now three-and-a-half minutes left, and over the next minute the Panthers had the opportunity to put the win on ice from the foul line.

Instead, on two one-and-one's and a shooting foul they picked up just one point. The third of these fouls really cost the Magic, though, since it was the fifth personal on Rothenberg, coming with 2:21 remaining. Another senior forward for the Mount, Audrey Bryce, scored from the paint, and when Niekelski deposited a three-pointer from the right wing, the Magic had cut the lead to 11 points (52-41) with 1:34 remaining.

Nine seconds after this, the Mount's junior standout fouled out, and her team would not score again. Now in the double bonus, St. Basil went five-for-six at the foul line to lock in the final score.

In addition to 14 points from Niekelski and 12 from Vesey, the Magic received five from Bryce, three each from Rothenberg and senior Taylor Sistrunk, and two points apiece from Morrow and Picket. Carter's game-high 28 for St. Basil was backed up by 11 points apiece from Grant and Scannell.

Mount St. Joseph will begin play in the PIAA District 1 Class 5A tournament on Tuesday, February 18. Seeded third in the field of 16, the Magic will face number 12 Harriton High School. A victory in that game is likely to set up a meeting between the Mount and Catholic Academies rival Villa Maria, the fourth seed. The Mount and Villa split in their home/away series during the regular season, and Villa lost to St. Basil in the AACA tournament semifinals.