Lansdale Catholic scratches out win over Agnes Irwin in George Snear nightcap

CONSHOHOCKEN >> Playing in the second game of the George Snear Memorial Tournament at the Conshohocken Fellowship House Tuesday night, Lansdale Catholic and Agnes Irwin made it a whole lot closer than Pope John Paul II’s 62-52 win over Mount St. Joseph in the first game.

Playing for a matchup against the Golden Panthers in the tourney’s final, Lansdale Catholic came away with a nail-biting 47-41 win.

“I thought our effort was tremendous,” Lansdale Catholic coach Joe Mack said. “Agnes Irwin played a great game as well. We made some mistakes, but I thought we rallied.”

It was close from the get-go. The game’s first frame ended with a 12-11 LC advantage, and Agnes Irwin pulled back to tie it 27-27 at the game’s half.

“We had a tough second quarter,” Mack said. “We got into some foul trouble early, which definitely hurt.”

It stayed tight until the very end — each team hung around in the low 40s for most of the game’s final two minutes. A free throw by Maile Erwin made the Lansdale Catholic lead 44-41, and a key rebound by Brady Wassel gave them the ball back. Lauren Crim knocked in a free throw on the ensuing possession, and after the Crusaders got the ball back after Lindsey Lane’s missed free throw on the other end, Emily Smith drilled a pair from the stripe to seal the win.

“We needed a tough, hard-fought win like that,” Mack said. “We needed some adversity. I thought a lot of kids stepped up. Brady Wassel in particular did a great job defensively.”

She played well, holding Alex Blomstrom to just eight — but it wasn’t just her. LC rode its defense to the win, holding Agnes Irwin to just five in the fourth quarter, and 14 total in the second half.

“We got stops when we needed to,” Mack said, “got rebounds when we needed to, and got steals when we needed to. It was a great effort.”

Crim led Lansdale Catholic — it’s fitting, the girl whose initials are “LC” — with 17 points. Abby Ward also scored in double digits, netting 10.

The Crusaders now have a date against PJP, a team they beat earlier in the season, but they’re certainly going to take the Golden Panthers seriously after their win over Mt. St. Joe’s.

“The team we played at the beginning of the year (a 47-42 win),” Mack said, “they’re not the team that was here tonight.”

“They played with great energy, they’re very well-coached, and they have some really good players,” Mack said. “It’s going to be a challenge tomorrow. It’s something that we need to be up for.”