Gwynedd Mercy shuts down Pope John Paul II in District 1-AAA semis

LOWER MERION >> Gwynedd Mercy Academy got it done with defense and a versatile performance by forward Erica DeCandido, as the Monarchs hammered down a 55-35 victory over Pope John Paul II in a District 1-AAA semifinal showdown at Harriton High School Tuesday night.

“It definitely feels awesome to be back where we were last year,” DeCandido said of the defending district champs, “and I’m real excited. We’ve worked so hard for this so I think we deserve it.”

The win advanced the top-seeded Monarchs to Saturday’s District One Class AAA Final, where they will square off against Villa Maria, a 46-44 winner over Merion Mercy in the other semifinal.

Saturday’s title clash will be played at Council Rock South, with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. Pope John Paul II will meet Merion Mercy in the third-place game Saturday (at Merion, at a time to be determined) as the two battle for the final spot in states.

Fueld by DeCandido’s game-high 20 points and a strong fourth quarter by guard Maggie Cameron, the Monarchs started the fourth with a 9-1 run, as GMA (22-4) closed out a game it had control of right from the start.

“(Guard) Brigit (Coleman) was making amazing passes when I was running up and down the floor,” DeCandido said. “Everyone was passing, looking for the open person so it was awesome to see.

“(Defensively), we definitely tried to take down (guard) Gabby Troisi — she’s their main player, but we knew they’re also a really good driving team. We knew we had to pack it in — a lot, which I thought we did a really good job of in the second half. In the fourth quarter, they didn’t have a field goal (until the final minutes), so I think after the first quarter we kind of pulled together and realized we had to play more of a team defense.”

DeCandido poured in eight first-quarter points to push GMA to a 16-10 lead after one.

The two teams went back and forth in the early going until the Monarchs gained some separation, DeCandido scoring on a fast break to stretch the margin to 13-6.

After a defensive stop, the Monarchs worked the ball around until Brigit Coleman connected on a three, widening the gap to 16-8.

The Golden Panthers struggled against GMA’s defense early, but Troise did provide a presence around the basket, scoring six points, including a bucket in the closing minutes of the first to tighten things up at 16-10.

GMA maintained its eight-point lead going into halftime.

The Golden Panthers got to within 16-12 early in the second quarter when Troisi banked in a short jumper, but GMA immediately answered at the other end, as Coleman sank her second three of the night, pushing the lead back to seven.

GMA’s defense kept making it difficult for Pope John Paul II to find any open shots, and the Monarchs filled the lane any time Troisi and Stephanie Petery tried to drive.

The Monarchs led by as many as 10 in the second quarter but the Golden Panthers did get closer right before the break, a drive by Troisi cutting it to 25-17.

The Golden Panthers began the second half with purpose, an impressive move down the lane by freshman Elise Sylvester getting the PJP fans back into it and bringing the Golden Panthers to within 28-23.

But GMA held firm. A jumper by DeCandido would later boost the margin to 32-23 and moments later DeCandido came up with a steal and set up Mary Claire Casey for two, as the Monarchs were back in control.

GMA took an 11-point lead into the fourth, with a drive by DeCandido getting them started for the final push.
Pope John Paul II still has plenty of life, now focused on Saturday’s battle with Merion.

“GMA is a really good team and DeCandido is a heck of a player — she’s a difficult matchup for any team,” Golden Panthers coach Liz Bernstein said. “They also have a number of perimeter players who can shoot the ball. And they’re long, a tall lineup.

“I said to our kids that we have another game on Saturday. We saw Merion briefly tonight so we’ll have to do our homework and see what we need to do tactically, both offensively and defensively, to get ready for Saturday.”