Upper Dublin ends West Chester Rustin’s Cinderella run
FORT WASHINGTON >> The clock struck midnight early. The glass slipper didn’t fit.
All of the Cinderella clichés certainly apply to the West Chester Rustin girls, but it comes with a twist. The 12-seeded Golden Knights failed to follow up a monster upset three days earlier and fell to No. 4 Upper Dublin, 49-37, in the quarterfinal round of the District 1 6A Basketball Playoffs on Saturday.
But Rustin fought back and actually made a game of it after suffering through a hideous first half that included making just one of its first 15 shots.
“We could be kicking ourselves for that start,” said Knights’ senior point guard Julie DiCampli. “But to think that we went 1-for-15 from the start and still gave (Upper Dublin) a game is kind of incredible.”
The season is now over for the Knights (12-4 overall) thanks to the one-and-done district format brought on by the pandemic. Upper Dublin improves to 20-3 and advances to the Wednesday’s semifinal to face top-seeded Spring-Ford. The Rams survived 49-46 during a regular season matchup against the Cardinals in late February.
“We were up four with a minute and a half to go, and that may have been the best game that we played all season,” said Upper Dublin head coach Morgan Funsten. “So we are looking forward to a major challenge and we’ll give it our best shot.”
Facing a seemingly insurmountable 28-10 deficit early in the second half, Rustin got on sophomore forward Laine McGurk’s back and stormed back to end the third quarter on a 16-5 run. McGurk scored eight of her team-high 18 points during that stretch, which sliced the margin to bit a more bite-sized seven (33-26).
“We knew we had to come out with more fire and power (in the second half), and we did,” DiCampli said.
“I’m super proud of the way my girls battled back,” added Knights’ head coach Lauren Stackhouse. “They could have just folded up, but they didn’t – they fought to the end. And I’ll take that no-quit attitude any day.”
McGurk then hit a 3-pointer with 5:20 to go to make it 38-31, but the Knights never got any closer. The Cardinals closed it out at the free throw line, making 9-11 in the final three minutes. Freshman Amy Ngo was 6-6 and finished with a game-high 20 points. Teammate Dayna Balasa added 16 points, including five 3-pointers.
But the finish wasn’t joyous. With just over two minutes on the clock, Upper Dublin senior Jess Polin went down with a left knee injury and had to be helped off the court.
“The thing that is killing me right now is with Jess Polin on crutches,” Funsten acknowledged. “It doesn’t look good but we are hoping it’s not a major injury. She’s kind of our heart and soul.
“It kind of feels like we lost tonight.”
The Cardinals seized the win, however, at the start, limiting Rustin to 2 of 16 shooting (12.5 percent) from the field in the first half. And without more makes, the Knights were unable to set up their full-court pressure defense.
“We’ve started slow before this season and we were rattled a little. But Upper Dublin was playing some really good team defense,” DiCampli said.
“Against an opponent like (Upper Dublin), you can’t come out flat,” Stackhouse added. “I thought we got the looks we wanted, but unfortunately we couldn’t find the bottom of the net.
“It could have been nerves. The first 16 minutes doesn’t really define who we are. I think that second 16 minutes you saw the team that we are.”
Nevertheless, Rustin forced just six total turnovers and it didn’t help that the team went a combined 8-for-15 from the free throw line.
But the second half comeback helped the Knights come to grips with a disappointing end to a really nice season.
“It always better to give it your best shot than to just give up. So I’m proud of this team and everything we did this season,” DiCampli said.
With McGurk blossoming into star, the Knights upset league powerhouse Downingtown East on Wednesday, and gained valuable postseason experience along the way.
“We have a stacked group of underclassmen. I do think the experience will help them a lot moving forward,” DeCampli said.
“We will take this momentum into next season,” Stackhouse agreed. “We have a strong group of underclass players to build on.”
Upper Dublin 49, West Chester Rustin 37
W.C. Rustin 5 5 16 11 — 37
Upper Dublin 11 14 8 16 — 49
W.C. RUSTIN – Shivers 0 2-3 2; Betchyk 5 0-0 10; DeCampli 1 0-0 2; L. McGurk 5 6-8 18; Costin 2 1-4 5. Totals 13 8-15 37.
UPPER DUBIN – Brenner 2 0-0 4; Polin 1 2-2 5; Sarnoski 0 4-6 4; Ngo 7 5-5 20; Balasa 5 1-2 16. Totals 15 12-15 49.
3-pointers: McGurk 2, Polin, Ngo, Balasa 5.
