McGurk comes alive to help Rustin reach Ches-Mont final

WEST CHESTER >> It might be a cliche to say it was a tale of two halves for West Chester Rustin star Laine McGurk against Bishop Shanahan in the girls basketball Ches-Mont League Final Four on Friday evening at West Chester University, but take a cursory look at the box score and it will scream out at you.
McGurk was held scoreless in the first half, but rebounded with 18 points in the second — 12 in the third quarter — as the Golden Knights pulled away for a 51-35 win.

“In the first half, we were fortunate that Riley [Stackhouse] had the hot hand and they did a good job feeding her,” said Rustin coach Lauren Stackhouse. “In the second half, Laine stepped up and did exactly what she’s capable of an took over the game.”
Rustin (19-4), the champions of the American Division, will face the first-place team out of the National, Downingtown East, in the chmpionship on Tuesday at Hollinger Fieldhouse.
“It feels real good,” Riley Stackhouse said on making the finals. “We worked real hard all the way from November to now and we’ve grown so much as a team.”

Rustin looked in control early as they took a quick 4-0 lead, but the Eagles rallied and went in front on a 3-pointer by Caydence Oswald to complete a 7-4 run. Alyssa Brown’s three ended the quarter to give Shanahan a 10-6 advantage.
The see-sawing continued in the second period as the Eagles held the largest lead of the quarter, 12-6, seconds into the stanza.
With McGurk struggling from the floor, points had to come from somwehre, and Stackhouse filled the void. She hit two 3-pointers and ended up with 13 points.
“Laine’s our best player, obviously. But, since she was down, I knew I had to step up, and that’s what it takes to win the game,” said Riley Stackhouse.
“They played great defense on Laine in the first half and held her scoreless, so we needed someone to step up and it was great to see Riley do it,” said Lauren Stackhouse.

Brown buried a corner three to close the half with a 23-22 lead for Shanahan.
McGurk might have been silent in the first half, but she was very loud in the third quarter, scoring all but two of Rustin’s 14 points in the third.
Brown scored five straight points to give the Eagles a 27-24 lead. Lola Flynn’s free throw cut the deficit to 27-25, then McGurk took over.
She hit a jumper to tie the score at 27-27. A strong inside move from Kaitlyn Griffin put Shanahan in front for the last time at 29-27. Two 3-pointers and two jumpers let McGurk record the final 10 points of the quarter as Rustin forged a 37-29 lead.

“I think in the first half I was missing and taking bad shots, but in the locker room I said to myself, ‘I gotta step up.’ I was just so determined for the team to win, my mind set was to step up and make the shots,” McGurk said.
Rustin’s biggest lead was at 43-29 on a basket by McGurk two minutes into the fourth. The closest Shanahan came in the final minutes was 47-35 late. The Golden Knights ran out the clock to move on and a chance at a Ches-Mont championship.

Stackhouse added 17 points to augment McGurk’s 17. Brown paced the Eagles (14-9) with 14 points, while Oswald and Sami Blumenthal added eight points apiece.

West Chester Rustin 51, Bishop Shanahan 35
W.C. Rustin: Panetta 0 0-0 0; E. McGurk 0 1-4 1; Costin 3 1-1 7; Flynn 4 0-0 8; L. McGurk 8 0-0 18; Stackhouse 6 2-2 17, Harrison 0 0-0 0. Totals: 21 4-7 51.
Bishop Shanahan: Oswald 3 0-2 8; Brown 5 1-1 14; Wolf 1 0-0 2; S. Blumenthal 2 1-2 3; Griffin 4 0-0 8; A. Blumenthal 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 2-5 35.
W.C. Rustin           6 16 15 14 — 51
Bishop Shanahan 10 13 6 6 — 35
3-point goals: McGurk 2, Stackhouse 2, Oswald 2, Brown 3.