Carroll misses its shot at an upset
PHILADELPHIA — Archbishop Carroll wasn’t looking for the consolation prize.
The Patriots did something Thursday night that nobody else had accomplished during the course of the 2014-15 girls basketball season. That is, hold the No. 1 team in the country to a mere 40 points.
Unfortunately, it didn’t take the Patriots to where they wanted to go for the first time since 2012, the Palestra, for the Catholic League championship game next Monday night. And it didn’t get them a victory over the most feared team in the state, the Neumann-Goretti Saints, who are the clear favorite to win the PIAA Class AA title.
Instead, with arguably its best player sidelined due to injury, Carroll suffered a 40-28 defeat at Philadelphia University in a Catholic League semifinal.
It was a valiant effort nonetheless.
“I’m very proud of how they played,’ coach Chuck Creighton said.
And then Creighton followed with coachspeak about not making enough shots. He says it every time he breaks down a loss, but it was an especially poignant observation on this night. The Patriots did themselves a disservice by not making their field goals in the first quarter when they had established a tempo that gave N-G fits. Rather than trying to match the Saints at their own game — pushing the ball up floor, scoring in transition, athleticism — the Patriots were at times too patient as they methodically ran through their sets on several possessions to look for that one perfect shot.
Because Neumann-Goretti is who Carroll thought it was, those opportunities were few and far between.
Carroll shot 11 of 31 from the floor. The Patriots, buoyed by senior guard Keara McNulty (13 points), had taken a 4-0 lead in the first four minutes. N-G was frustrated. The Patriots were outhustling the Saints to loose balls and extending possessions.
They just couldn’t capitalize.
“It was very important (to slow things down) because they’re so talented on offense,’ said McNulty, who scored her team’s first eight points and shot 5-of-7 from the floor. “We knew that when they were on defense, we really needed to play our game. They are so good … so we had to be very selective with our shots and just be patient.’
Alas, Neumann-Goretti would soon take control. After coach Andrea Peterson, the former Archbishop Carroll standout, took a timeout to regroup, the Saints rattled off the next 14 points. A.J. Timbers, one of several explosive guard/forward hybrids on the N-G roster, netted eight points during the span. McNulty finally ended the run with a layup midway through the second quarter. Carroll had gone nearly seven minutes without a point.
Thank goodness for McNulty.
“My teammates have given me so much confidence and told me to never be afraid to shoot,’ said McNulty, whose 13-point effort marked a season high for the All-Delco field hockey player. “That’s really helped too.’
Carroll trailed by nine points at intermission and kept within striking distance for most of the second half. The previous season low for the Saints, who averaged 69 points per game coming into Thursday, was 45 points in a victory over Cardinal O’Hara.
“We wanted to do four things,’ Creighton said. ‘We wanted to move the ball, we wanted our players to move, we wanted good spacing and we wanted to take good shots. The shot selection was key. We’ve been talking about it all year and I think we’re starting to get to there. We just weren’t settling for those low-percentage shots. Ultimately, we executed well, but we just didn’t make shots.’
It also hurt not having All-Delco senior guard Lexi Stover on the floor. Creighton said Stover was “bummed out’ not having the chance to help her team Thursday. Stover suffered a broken nose in last week’s quarterfinal against O’Hara. She hopes to return next week when Carroll takes on Simon Gratz with a PIAA Class AAAA tournament berth at stake. Stover is averaging close to 10 points per game.
“Not only is she the offensive threat on the team, but she brings a lot of energy on defense,’ McNulty said. “She helps everyone’s confidence.’
Ann McKnight was fouled as she hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter. The result was a four-point play that pulled the Patriots within three points, but they couldn’t get any closer.
Not one Neumann-Goretti player managed to reach double figures in scoring. Timbers led the way with eight points.
N-G will take on Archbishop Wood, a 39-34 winner over Archbishop Ryan, in the PCL final. Meanwhile, Carroll shifts its attention to a do-or-die battle with Simon Gratz.
“We have to learn from our mistakes but we also want to grow, we want to keep playing,’ McNulty said. “It gives us something to look forward to. We couldn’t get the Catholic League, but now we have a chance at states.’
