In last Saturday's Catholic Academies playoff semifinal, saying the Mount St. Joseph offense picked up momentum as the game went on would be an understatement.

The Magic, seeded third for the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies playoffs, managed to produce just three points during the opening period, then went on to score 24 points in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, it was not enough for the Mounties to catch second-seeded Villa Maria Academy, which got off to a stronger start and would lead the Mount all the way through the game.

Ahead 18-10 at the half, the Hurricanes would widen the gap to 20 points (41-21) early in the fourth quarter. Just a few minutes later, the Magic was back within eight points of Villa, but they would get no closer. A 53-45 victory earned the 'Canes a spot in the AACA championship game. In the following semifinal contest, top-seeded and undefeated Gwynedd Mercy Academy trounced number four Villa Joseph Marie.

Mount St. Joe junior guard Morgan Cross scored 13 of her game-high 16 points during the fourth quarter of the first semi, while two freshmen, forward Caitlin Cavallaro and guard Carly Derouin, posted totals of 13 and 10 points, respectively.

During the AACA regular season, Gwynedd beat both the Mount and Villa Maria twice. In the Mount-Villa series each team beat the other at home, while each team defeated Villa Joseph Marie twice.

While Villa Maria also swept its series against Merion Mercy, the Mount split with Merion, so Villa claimed the second seed for the tournament with a 5-3 mark, while Mount St. Joe was third, at 4-4. Fourth-seeded Villa Joseph Marie had a 2-6 record in league play.

In the first five minutes of Saturday's semifinal, the Mount made do with a single free throw by Cross as Villa stepped out to an 8-1 lead. A midrange jumper by Cross was the Magic's first field goal, but the Hurricanes were up 11-3 after the first eight minutes.

Cavallaro and Derouin found the basket in a second quarter that ended in a 7-7 standoff, setting the score at 18-10 for the intermission. The two freshmen each hit a three-point shot early in the third quarter, and a little later, junior forward Bridget Horgan put in a shorter shot from the right baseline. Villa was now up by six points, 24-18.

Back-to-back baskets from the paint by the 'Canes' Abby Ferry pushed the margin into double figures, and Villa kept on pulling away. By the time the Mount called its second time-out during this stretch, the Hurricanes had put together a 12-0 run and were ahead 36-18 with a minute left in the third stanza.

Another Cavallaro "three" made it 36-21 going into the fourth quarter, but the leaders then rang up the first five points of the final period, enjoying a 20-point advantage at 41-21.

Starting with 6:45 on the clock, the Mount's Cross would pile up 13 points during the remainder of the game, beginning with a three-pointer from the left corner. After a layup by Cavallaro, Cross scored back-to-back layups in transition.

During the first three quarters, Villa Maria had done a better job than the Mount of rebounding at both ends and also forcing turnovers. It was the Magic who would excel in these areas in the game's late stages. While they pressed full-court on defense, Derouin added a free throw and Cross converted on a rebound with a short jumper.

With a little under five minutes to go, the Mounties had run off a dozen straight points and now trailed by eight, 41-33. The MSJ cheering section was fired up, but unfortunately for them, they would not see their team draw any closer to the leaders.

The two squads would match one another, 12-12, the rest of the way, as Villa's offense began to revive with a layup and free throw by Rebecca Croft. With half a minute to go, Villa led by a dozen at 53-41, and the Mount came back within eight at the end with a basket in transition by sophomore Caroline Dougherty and a successful drive by Derouin.

After the top three scorers for the Mount (Cross, Cavallaro, and Derouin) came Dougherty, with four points, and Horgan, with two.

Sophia Tray led the victors with 13 points and Croft had 11, with eight points added by Briella Romeo, seven by Anna Vickers and six by Ferry.