Mount masters Radnor in districts opener

SPRINGFIELD >> Mount Saint Joseph girls basketball head coach John Miller got exactly what he expected Saturday afternoon when his fourth-seeded Magic played host to 29th-seeded Radnor in the opening round of the PIAA District One Class AAAA basketball playoffs.

More importantly, the Magic was able to handle it.

Libby Tacka bucketed a team-high 18 points, Caitlyn Cunningham added 11 and Kristin Lucas pulled down 13 rebounds as the Magic survived the Raiders, 52-40, to move into the tournament’s second round where, on Wednesday, they’ll host 13th-seeded Neshaminy, a 48-31 winner Saturday over West Chester Henderson.

“To be honest, we got exactly what we thought we’d get,” said Miller. “We got a 1-3-1 zone, we got full-court pressure and we even got a little triangle-and-two, so we weren’t surprised with what they did.

“But saying that, Radnor really played well.”

In fact, the Raiders led through most of the first quarter as Allison Lanzone scored five points and Kristin Hamill (game-high 19 points) shut down the inside defensively.

But the Magic made its move in the second quarter, as Sarah Wills and Cunningham combined for a trio of three-pointers and the Raiders were stymied inside by Ashley Smith and Lucas.

“The Mount is a good team,” said Radnor head coach Mark Jordan. “They’re a No, 4 seed for a reason. We tried to contain Tacka, but they shot well overall, and they handled our pressure pretty well.”

Holding seven points at the break, the Magic outscored the Raiders, 12-3, in the third quarter to build a 16-point lead with eight minutes left.

But Radnor would not fold, and it took a determined Magic effort to hold the Raiders off down the stretch.

“We knew they were going to come in here and play hard,” Tacka said. “We knew they’d pressure the ball and press us the whole game.

“But we played well as a team. We moved the ball and handled the pressure pretty well.”

Left for dead, Radnor got off the mat in the fourth quarter as Hamill scored 10 points and the Magic finally fell prey to some pressure.

But the Mount righted the ship, got clutch scoring from Tacka and eased its way into the second round.

“I think different people just step up from game to game,” said Tacka. “It’s not always me. We kind of share the load.”

“We missed some layups and free throws, and we still scored 40 points,” Jordan said. “We lost, but I’m proud of our girls.

“They played hard.”

“I give (Radnor) a lot of credit,” said Miller, who was honored after the game with an impassioned speech from his daughter. “They really played hard and made us work for everything we got.

“And they showed a lot of class waiting around for the ceremony after the game. A lot of teams might have taken off after a district loss, but they stayed around and I felt that was a class move. It says a lot about Mark and his team.”