Villa Maria wins league title in battle with Mount St. Joseph
Maddie McTigue made sure her Villa Maria teammates did not suffer another heartbreaking loss to Mount St. Joseph on Monday night.
Maddie McTigue made sure her Villa Maria teammates did not suffer another heartbreaking loss to Mount St. Joseph on Monday night.
McTigue led a fourth-quarter comeback and carried the Hurricanes to the Catholic Academies basketball championship with a 39-35 thriller over top-seeded Mount St. Joseph in the title game at Philadelphia University.
Mount (20-4) had beaten Villa Maria by 34-31 and 31-30 in a pair of regular-season matchups and had won the league title in three of the previous five years.
"This was as close as the other games," Hurricanes (20-4) coach Kathy McCartney said, "but there was a big momentum swing in the fourth quarter which was the biggest difference. McTigue was incredible."
Down by 31-25 entering the final period, Villa Maria produced a 14-4 fourth quarter as McTigue hit eight of her 19 points in the period, including the team's final five points.
McTigue hit a three-point play with 35 seconds left, and added a pair of free throws with seven seconds to go.
Lisa Mirarchi chipped in with 10 points, while Mount St. Joseph got 16 points from Bridget Higgins.
Catholic. Archbishop Ryan opened the league playoffs with a 51-22 first-round win over visiting Little Flower.
The Ragdolls got points from 11 players, led by Kelsey Dale's 12 points on four three-point baskets.
Ryan will face Archbishop Carroll in Thursday's quarterfinals.
Pa. Independent Schools. Notre Dame scored 25 of the game's first 29 points in a first-round playoff game and sailed past visiting George School, 76-31. Megan McGurk posted 17 points, three assists and three steals, and Kristen Carr added 13 points, five assists and five rebounds.
Maria Conyers-Jordan dominated Friends' Central's 55-30 win over visiting Baldwin with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six steals.
Springside's 45-24 triumph over visiting Abington Friends included Michelle Boggs' 13 points, and 11 each by Sydni Epps and Gianna Pownall.
Penn Charter's Dee Thomas-Palmer worked inside for 13 points and 15 rebounds, guiding a 41-29 victory over visiting Solebury School.
Tri-County. Anna Janisch scored 11 of her game-high 33 points in the first quarter, sparking Kimberton Waldorf's 59-40 quarterfinal win over visiting Woodlynde in the league quarterfinals. Woodlynde's Sarah Engman netted 26 points.
Collegium Charter squeezed past visiting Perkiomen School, 41-39, on key last-minute foul shots by Lillian Rowell and Madeline Piersol.
Teharah Worrell scored 10 points and Mercy Vocational's defense blanked visiting Del-Val Friends in the first and fourth quarters of a 27-8 win.
Tamara Moskowitz scored 10 points, and Barrack Hebrew allowed just seven points through three quarters in a 31-20 win over visiting West-Mont Christian.
Boys' Basketball
Academy of the New Church whipped visiting Phelps, 94-26, in the first round of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Tournament, led by Dinjyl Walker's 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Friends' Central ousted visiting Solebury School, 75-44, as Karonn Davis contributed 9 of his 15 points in a 29-2 first-quarter run.
Tri-County. Collegium Charter, fueled by Abass Koroma's 18 points and Dhameer Gardner's 17, broke open a close playoff quarterfinal game with a 25-7 second quarter and ousted visiting Barrack Hebrew, 64-44.
Tom Lubowicki (22) scored 12 fourth-quarter points and enabled Del-Val Friends to wrap up a 60-30 win over visiting West-Mont Christian.
Perkiomen School got points from 15 players, led by Eric Fanning's 14, en route to a 77-31 win over visiting Woodlydne.