Monaghan's big night leads Bonner-Prendergast to double-overtime win

Through six quarters, Alyssa Monaghan refused to take a single break Wednesday. She knew there was too much on the line.

Not only was the senior guard in the midst of propelling Bonner-Prendergast to a 59-53 double-overtime win over West York in the second round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs, but she also knew she was within striking distance of a milestone.

Monaghan's 32 points made good on both counts, and was enough to send the Pandas to a quarterfinal matchup against league-rival Archbishop Wood on Saturday at a site and time to be determined.

Monaghan played her freshman year at Cardinal O'Hara. Her combined point total is more than anyone in Bonner-Prendergast history.

"I didn't even think about coming out," Monaghan said. "In crunch time, I was trying to force things a little bit more without losing control."

Monaghan, a St. Joseph's recruit, wouldn't have realized she had hit the scoring milestone without her teammates' reaction.

"I noticed by the bench's reaction," Monaghan said. "They started cheering and someone told me I had done it."

For Bonner-Prendergast coach Tom Stewart, Monaghan's high-scoring performance was the catalyst.

"She's a money player," Stewart said. "When you've got a kid with that kind of basketball savvy, you can definitely count on her. . . . I don't think I've ever had a player like her."

In addition to Monaghan, Bonner-Prendergast also relied heavily on 6-foot-2 senior Shalina Miller, who chipped in 15 points - 11 in the second half.

"Everyone knows it's no secret what we're going to be doing late in games," Stewart said. "We're going to , and with Alyssa, if you just play the outside shot, you're going to get burnt, and Shalina is such a mismatch."

Before the game, West York coach Darrell Wildasin felt confident in his team's gameplan against Bonner-Prendergast's two leading scorers.

"[Monaghan's] a handful," Wildasin said.

"We've played some pretty good point guards, but she's obviously a handful. . . . I thought we were ready for her but she's just a big-time scorer."

"[Miller] stepped up her intensity about the middle of the game, and it made a difference," Wildasin added.

West York 16 15 11 5 4 2 - 53

Bonner-Prendie 5 16 16 10 4 8 - 59

WY: Sela Furhman 6, Charizma Johnson 5, Kari Lankford 17, Olivia Sollberger 3, Katie Tallman 6, Emily Wood 16.

B: Nyah Garrison 3, Lynette Laboy 5, Caroline Manfre 2, Shalina Miller 15, Alyssa Monaghan 32, Mary Anne Young 2.