Westtown girls’ basketball falls to Montverde Academy in semifinals of GEICO Nationals tournament
Jordyn Palmer and Grace Sundback were the leading scorers for the No. 4-seeded Moose, who won a PAISAA title earlier this season.
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Westtown battled but fell, 58-51, to top-seeded Montverde Academy in the semifinals of the GEICO Nationals on Friday in Fort Myers, Fla.
The fourth-seeded Moose (21-5) were led by Jordyn Palmer’s 16 points. Delaware signee Grace Sundback, Westtown’s lone senior, added 15 points.
Cori Allen, who is heading to Illinois next season, scored 16 points for Florida-based Montverde (25-1).
All of Westtown’s first-quarter points came from beyond the arc as Sundback and junior guard Savannah Curry scored six points each in a 12-12 tie. The Moose took a four-point lead in the second quarter, but the Eagles used a 15-2 run to take a 32-23 halftime lead.
» READ MORE: Only in eighth grade, Westtown’s Jordyn Palmer has varsity game
Montverde’s lead quickly grew to double digits in the second half, but a three-pointer from eighth-grader Jessie Moses cut Westtown’s deficit to five, and the Moose trailed, 47-40, after three quarters.
Threes by Palmer and Moses made it a four-point game, and then Sundback hit a jumper to make it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter. But the Eagles’ defense shut down the Moose in the final minutes to close out the victory.
Behind a young squad, Westtown won its second consecutive PAISAA state title earlier in the season, defeating Penn Charter, 74-54, at Hagan Arena. The Moose also went undefeated in league action to win the Friends League title.