H.S. GIRLS BASKETBALL: Marian clinches PIAA playoff spot, district title game berth in win over Lincoln Leadership
· Yahoo Sports
ORWIGSBURG — The Marian Catholic Fillies will have an opportunity to add another district championship to their rich history later this week.
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On Tuesday evening at Blue Mountain High SchooL, the Fillies defeated Allentown-based Lincoln Leadership Academy 59-30 to move on to the District 11 Class 2A championship game. With the win, the Fillies not only punched their ticket to the championship game but also secured themselves a spot in the state tournament.
A rematch of a February 10 matchup that saw the Fillies win 52-35, Lincoln Leadership came out with their best shot in the game, playing strong defense and taking a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes. The fast start, however, wouldn’t last as a Lions’ timeout slowed down their own momentum, and allowed the Fillies to find their composure.
“We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy,” Marian coach Jeff Onushco said after the win. “They played us about two weeks ago at our place; it was a five-point game going in fourth. So we knew they were going to come in with confidence. It was just a matter of settling down.”
“They came out strong,” he continued to say about the slow start. “We missed some stuff early. But defense is our calling card. So we held it. They got a fight enough to lean. I think they had seven points the rest of the half. So once we locked in defensively and rebounded, got out in transition a little bit, hit some shots, we played really well for a couple quarters.”
Onushco’s message would get through to his squad as they dominated the remainder of the first half, scoring 28 of the final 33 points, taking a 28-12 lead into halftime.
Marian in the first half was led by DeAnna Pugh with nine points and eight points from Addy Marek.
As they did all season, the duo led the Fillies to victory with Marek scoring 21 and Pugh finishing with 18 points.
Coming out of halftime, it looked as though Marian was going to run away with the game, quickly growing their lead to a 41-15 lead within the first three minutes of the half. The run was sparked by Fillies’ junior Brooke Hannis-Miskar, who hit a pair of three-pointers in the process.
Despite the fast start to the second half, the Fillies had to scrap their way through the remainder of the second half.
Lincoln Leadership, despite a 20-point deficit for most of the half, played an aggressive defensive style of basketball, often looking to double-team and not being afraid to go after the ball even if it meant taking fouls in the process. The play to the Lions’ credit flustered the Fillies, causing multiple Marian turnovers and uncharacteristic miscues in the process.
After scoring just 15 points in the first 19 minutes of the game, the Lions were able to double their total in the third quarter with 14 points, with six different players scoring in the process.
But despite the effort, Lincoln Leadership was unable to fully slow down the Fillies and was never truly able to narrow the deficit, leaving Marian with a comfortable margin despite the frustration and errors.
While Onuscho was happy his team moved on, it was the second half that left the coach visibly frustrated with his team, forcing him to take multiple timeouts in the process.
“At the end of the third and fourth, I’m not happy with our ball handling,” Onushco said. “But we did enough to build that lead, and then we still ended up winning by 29.
“They tried to take away our point guard because she’s really good, and we struggled a little bit, not passing the ball, taking some quick shots, making some bad passes,” he continued to explain about his team’s second-half struggles. “But good teams find a way to overcome that and build a lead back up to 29. So we did that.”
But the second half will also serve as a learning experience for the Fillies as they move into this District Class 2A championship game against Williams Valley.
“As we move on in states, there will be teams that pressure the ball,” Onushco said about the learning experience. “We’re just happy to move on.”
Entering the season, most didn’t expect this year’s Marian squad to be this strong. The Fillies, after a slow start and a coaching change, however, found their groove as the season progressed and are playing with full confidence.
“Our kids have done a great job of buying in and just keep working and working,” he said about his team’s development. We got some really good players. Our freshmen stepped up. Brooke, our junior today, hit some big threes for us in that third quarter. It’s a team effort, and everybody chipped in.”
The Fillies know the Vikings well; the Schuylkill League Division II rivals faced each other twice in the regular season. In early January, Williams Valley defeated the Fillies in Hometown, 48-28. Then on January 29, the Fillies returned the favor with a 39-31 win in Tower City.
“It’s a rubber match,” Onushco said about the rematch. “They beat us by 20 at our place. We beat them by eight at their place. We’re just happy we get a chance to play for a district championship. If we play like we did the last time, we’ll give ourselves a great chance.”