Hurricanes storm over the Magic

Because of the increased roles of several Villa Maria teammates, Lindsay Corcoran's shot total and scoring average dipped a bit this season. However, the senior wing guard continues to play a key role in Villa Maria's success, particularly as a poised leader and crunch-time performer.

In last night's PIAA District 1 Class AAA basketball championship, Corcoran chipped in seven points, four rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot as the Hurricanes built a 26-7 halftime lead against Athletic Association of Catholic Academies rival Mount St. Joseph and notched a 49-34 victory at Villanova University.

Villa Maria, which had lost to the Magic in three previous meetings this season, claimed its fourth district title in the last five years and eighth overall.

"It's an awesome feeling," Corcoran said. "We wanted to come out strong and put them away early. That's what we did."

In the first-half explosion, the 5-foot-6 Corcoran drilled a three-pointer from the left wing to make it 22-4 with 3 minutes, 25 seconds remaining before intermission. In 30 minutes, she shot 2 for 6 from the field and 2 for 4 from the line.

"She's one of our go-to kids," Hurricanes coach Kathy McCartney said. "She's a kid you look to, and give the ball to. You know she's going to make good decisions with it."

Corcoran's long-range shooting blossomed with the help of her mother, Patti, a former standout high school player in Delaware.

"She was a shooter, just like me," Lindsay Corcoran said. "She comes to most of my games, gives me shooting tips."

On Saturday, in the opening round of the state tournament, Villa Maria (20-7) will take on Lancaster Catholic, District 3's No. 6 seed. The Magic (24-3) will meet District 2 runner-up North Pocono. Both games will be played at neutral sites.

Against the Hurricanes, the Magic shot 3 for 16 from the field and committed seven turnovers in a miserable first half.

"The difference in the game was their great start and our slow start," Magic coach John Miller said. "We seemed to play a little tentative."

The Magic's Elle Hagedorn, who had 18 points and eight rebounds in the AACA final versus Villa Maria, did not start because of an ankle injury. She played 14 minutes and scored three points.

For the Hurricanes, 6-1 junior Erin Mann and freshman guard Brooke Angelos each netted 13 points. Ellen Cannon, a sophomore point guard, had 11 points, including a pair of treys, and seven assists.

Senior point guard Laura Johnson paced the Magic with 10 points.

Villa Maria 14 12 11 12 - 49

Mount St. Joseph 2 5 16 11 - 34

VM: Ellen Cannon 11, Lindsay Corcoran 7, Erin Mann 13, Brooke Angelos 13, Alex Martin 2, Emily Brown 2, Abby Sbat 1.

MSJ: Laura Johnson 10, Jen Sabia 5, Sarah McGorry 8, Elle Hagedorn 3, Ryann Gallagher 7, Claire Kueny 1.