Defense does it for Gwynedd Mercy in District 1-4A final win over Villa Joseph Marie
BENSALEM >> Gwynedd Mercy Academy squeezed tight for its third straight District 1-4A title, clamping down on defense and shutting down Villa Joseph Marie.
“I would say our defense (was the key). Our defense really leads our offense,” said the Monarchs’ Sarah White. “And we really made sure our help defense was good today. And we didn’t give them anything easy.”
GMA didn’t give up much at all, holding the Jems to single digits in each of the first three quarters, and by then, the game was out of reach. The Monarchs’ 57-38 victory brought home the district title and sends GMA into states playing its best.
“It’s really exciting. It’s a nice way to wrap up the season. They’re in our league and to use that win going into states feels really good,” White said.
Getting it done >> The Jems, led by Julia Beck’s 15 points, also head to PIAA’s. This time around against GMA, they never found the type of offensive success that they did the last time these two rivals met.
“I thought we played really well. I like the fact that our defense is getting better,” Monarchs coach Tom Lonergan said. “Last time we played them at their court, we gave up (52 in a victory).
“We knew (Julia) Beck is a very talented player. Not just a great soccer player but a great basketball player out on the floor too. I thought we did a little bit better job on (Carly Austin), who is gonna be a nice player for them. I think we did what we needed to do defensively.”
Meanwhile on offense, Gwynedd had good flow, led by White’s 24 points, including four 3-pointers.
“Offensively, we shot the ball well and executed well for the most part,” Lonergan said. “When we were able to get more touches out there, we generally got some good looks. We’re pretty confident.
“If we can get some good looks, we’re a pretty good shooting team. We have a lot of balance. Sarah had a tremendous game and we had a lot of balance from the other players off of her. That’s what we want on the offensive end. I’m proud of the way we were able to dictate things tempo-wise.”
Five players contributed six points or more, including Sofia Coleman, who had 11.
States is next.
“I’m really excited, especially being a senior — this is kind of it,” White said. “So I really just wanna end on a positive note.”
District 1-4A Final
Gwynedd Mercy 57, Villa Joseph Marie 38
Villa Joseph Marie 8 9 7 14 – 38
Gwynedd Mercy 17 12 11 17 – 57
Villa Joseph Marie: Kara Linden 1 0-1 3, Jackie Skalski 2 1-1 5, Julia Beck 4 7-12 15, Margaret Hensel 0 2-2 2, Maggie Tomaselli 0 1-2 1, Katelyn Weller 1 0-0 2, Carly Austin 2 0-4 4, Emma Hagan 0 0-1 0, Isabella Solov 2 0-0 6. Totals 12 11-23 38.
Gwynedd Mercy: Kaylie Griffin 3 1-3 9, Sarah White 9 2-2 24, Mollie Hanson 2 2-6 6, Reganne Flannery 3 0-2 6, Maddie Newell 0 0-1 0, Sofia Coleman 4 3-4 11, Morgan Newell 0 1-2 1. Totals 21 9-20 57.
3-pointers: VJM-Linden, Solov 2; GMA-Griffin 2, White 4.
