PETERS TWP. — Kylie Mulholland trudged to the bench at James Buchanan High School with 28.1 seconds left Friday night and buried her head in the top of her Garnet Valley jersey.
When Savannah Saunders joined her less than eight seconds of game clock later, the comeback they had tried to inspire definitively dashed, they comprised a poignant symbol of how the Jaguars’ run ended.
The Jaguars struggled to meter their physicality in the PIAA Class 6A semifinal against Upper St. Clair. Combined with a stellar shooting performance from the Panthers from 3-point range, Garnet Valley’s journey ended one win shy of Hershey with a 53-49 setback.
“I mean, it was 5-0 in both quarters on fouls, which didn’t help us,” Mulholland said. “Sav was on the bench most of the game, which we need her in the game. Having those fouls on us, they were very frustrating and flustering, and I think we kind of got off our game a little, and we didn’t play our best.”
Mulholland, Garnet Valley’s sparkplug point guard, wields the information as explanation, not excuse. Garnet Valley was whistled for 21 fouls to Upper St. Clair’s 10. The Jaguars committed the first 10 fouls of the second half, in the estimation of the officials, the District 7 champion’s defense judged pristine from halftime until 1:57 remained in regulation.
Along the way, Saunders, Garnet Valley’s energetic defensive stopper, was hit with three fouls in the first quarter, then a fourth 2:02 into the second half 92 feet from her basket.
For a team that only rotates six, the absences were felt on both ends, from Mulholland having to shift onto USC’s physical lead guard Rylee Kalocay to a lack of rhythm offensively, Saunders attempting just one shot.
“We’ve been playing us five, basically every minute of the games,” Mulholland said. “And to have someone that hasn’t been playing in a couple months, obviously, they’re going to be a little nervous and our flow was a little off because of foul trouble.”
GV coach Joe Woods searched eight deep on the bench for a remedy. Neither team shot particularly well – Upper St. Clair 17-for-41 from the field; Garnet Valley 19-for-48. But Saunders’ absence on offense threw off Garnet Valley’s spacing, with Saunders excellent at making the next pass on the perimeter.
The evidence is in the boxscore – six assists for Garnet Valley to 12 for Upper St. Clair, which shot 8-for-13 from 3-point range.
“Dealing with Sav not on the floor and being in foul trouble definitely impacts us, but it’s important to keep our heads up,” Haylie Adamski said. “I think we have to pick each other up. Obviously, there’s nothing we can do when she’s in foul trouble. Unfortunately, the refs were not helping us out. You can’t really call that game, but really just picking each other up and playing for each other.”
The fouls don’t explain everything. Mulholland struggled from the field, shooting 3-for-13 for nine points, USC closing off her preferred driving lanes. Adamski kept Garnet Valley in touch with 25 points on 10-for-18 shooting, but she was the only one in double figures. Addison Adamski had seven points.
Garnet Valley struggled with Upper St. Clair’s ball movement, which looked a lot like the Jaguars’ when they’re at their best. Olivia Terlecki led the way with 19 points, on 6-for-7 shooting and 5-for-6 from 3-point range, beneficiary of many of the assists.
“She’s good shooter,” Haylie Adamski said. “You’ve got to respect good shooters. And we didn’t get out quick enough, unfortunately, so she knocked those down.”
Kalocay struggled from the field, at 4-for-14 for 13 points. But she added seven rebounds and five assists. Ryan Prunzik also dished five assists to go with nine points. Claire Rosenberry had six points, all in the third quarter, and five rebounds, but the forward’s threat set up important inside-out spacing.
Garnet Valley got the jump Friday, leading 11-2 three minutes in. It started 6-for-9 from the field while USC was 1-for-7. After four first-quarter turnovers let GV get out into the open court, USC coughed it up just six times the rest of the way.
“I think our transition was really good in the first quarter,” Mulholland said. “We were getting buckets on them in transition. I think they started getting back. They started guarding us better, we weren’t pushing as much and they kind of started to control the game on us.”
The teams went back and forth the whole way, with four ties and nine lead changes, tied at 23 at half and 37 after three. A 10-0 run in the second quarter got USC ahead, but GV got level. Consecutive 3-pointers by Prunzik and Terlecki to open the fourth put USC up six, but a steal by Saunders and lay-in by Mulholland had it back to four with two minutes to play.
USC did just enough at the line, 8-for-12 in the final two minutes to hold on.
Haylie Adamski found herself Friday at the intersection point, having played her last game with a special senior class as well as with her two younger sisters. The Jaguars’ journey, though, mitigates the pain in its state exit.
“Just the memories; getting to play with my sisters really means a lot to me,” the elder Adamski said. “We’ve made a lot of memories together, and we’ve really grown to love each other as a team. It’s not just your family; it’s the teammates you meet along the way that becomes your family, and they’ll be my family forever.”
