LANGHORNE >> Onto Bethlehem Catholic.
Gwynedd Mercy Academy made short work of its PIAA-4A opener Saturday, rolling past Carver Engineering & Science 62-15 to advance to what has become an almost annual matchup with the Hawks.
“We just really wanted to get past this game and focus on the next one,” said the Monarchs’ Reganne Flannery. “We’ve played (Bethlehem Catholic) two years in a row and it’s definitely gonna be a close game, a tough one. But I know if we play as a team, play together, make the extra passes, we can really beat them.
“We gotta stay positive and not let them get in our heads.”
Bethlehem Catholic has won the 4A State Title in two of the previous three years. The Hawks defeated the Monarchs in the 2017 state semis and went on to win the championship, and last year Bethlehem Catholic met GMA in the second round and was able to get the win, going on to win states again.
“We’ve been preparing for them so hopefully we’ll be ready for them on Wednesday,” Monarchs coach Tom Lonergan said. “They’re 29-0 and really good. They only graduated one from last year.
“They’re big, athletic, quick, very deep. They are a very well-rounded team. So we gotta play our ‘A’ game and hope that we can stay with them, and if we can, hopefully that will give us an opportunity to do something at the end.”
Gwynedd Mercy’s Sarah White (12) makes her way past Carver’s Ashley Steele (11) in state playoff action Saturday afternoon.
(James Beaver/For MediaNews Group)
Big start >> The Monarchs led 36-11 by the break.
Twelve different players contributed points for GMA in its win at Neshaminy, making it a combined effort.
“The big thing I did like, and I told the team, is that they were cheering each other on,” Lonergan said. “We have 14 kids and pretty much everybody got in and almost everybody scored.
“They all work hard. We’ve had two games in the last month. We had to wait two weeks until districts and then two weeks until states. So this is only our third game in four weeks. And all of those kids are coming to practice and working just as hard as the top five.”
GMA rolled early.
“We were hoping for a lot of transition, hoping to get the rebounds and push it, because that’s our main focus basically,” Flannery said. “We’re hoping to make it pretty far this year.”
PIAA-4A First Round
Gwynedd Mercy Academy 62,
Carver E & S 15
Carver 4 7 0 4 – 15
GMA 19 17 13 13 – 62
Carver: Lydia Wilson 3 0-2 6, Leticia-Faith Bonds 1 0-0 2, Kennedy Campbell 2 0-0 4, Jayla Henderson 1 1-2 3. Totals 7 1-2 15.
GMA: Jenna Mangan 3 0-4 6, Sofia Coleman 3 0-0 6, Bianca Coleman 3 1-2 9, Julia Masterson 3 0-1 8, Maddie Newell 0 0-2 0, Reganne Flannery 2 0-0 4, Mollie Hanson 1 0-0 2, Sarah White 3 0-1 7, Kaylie Griffin 4 0-0 10. Totals 27 1-10 62.
3-pointers: G-Coleman 2, Masterson 2, White, Griffin 2.
Gwynedd Mercy’s Alexandra Hartman (32) goes in for a layup against Carver in the first round of states Saturday afternoon.
(James Beaver/For MediaNews Group)
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