Postiglione answers the call for Springfield in overtime win

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield coach Ky McNichol admitted that her team wouldn’t have been victorious Saturday without the contributions of junior guard Jordan Postiglione.

The first player off the bench for the Cougars was lights-out from 3-point range and played outstanding defense in a 43-41 overtime win over Haverford High.

Postiglione scored eight of her team’s 11 points in a fourth quarter that saw Springfield trailing by four points with less than four minutes to go. Postiglione buried her fourth and final trey with 3:01 to go to cut the deficit to one point.

“The fact that my team is behind me, and they will pass me the ball, really gets me going,” said Postiglione, who finished with a game-high 14 points. “Once I keep making shots, I can get more involved in the game. It’s mainly my team that is helping me out.

“My coaches and my teammates just tell me to keep on shooting and they tell me to keep my confidence up.”

“Jordan is a great kid who comes to practice and works hard everyday,” McNichol said. “We told her to be ready and to step up when your team needs you. Today, she stepped up huge.”

Postiglione’s 3-ball enabled the Cougars to have a chance to win in regulation. Senior forward Jordan D’Ambrosio made a layup to tie the score at 41 apiece with 50 seconds to play.

In overtime, junior guard Alyssa Long drove to the basket and scored the only points of the extra session.

Haverford turned the ball over three times in overtime. After the Cougars failed to ice the game from the free-throw line, Postiglione’s inbounds defense forced Haverford to call a timeout with 4.4 seconds left. Long’s defense on Erin Doherty, who was streaking to the basket, caused Haverford to throw the ball away.

Without Postiglione, the Cougars would have suffered a second loss to one of the top teams in Delaware County. Springfield (13-2, 9-1) was ranked No. 2 and Haverford (10-5, 5-3) seventh in last week’s Super 7. Both programs have aspirations of winning the Central League title – Springfield is eyeing a repeat — and making deep runs in the District 1 and PIAA tournaments.

Postiglione picked up the slack for her teammates. D’Ambrosio and Alexa Abbonizio, the Cougars’ leading point-getters, were limited to 13 combined. Senior forward Belle Mastropietro, the team’s No. 3 scorer, was scoreless, although she snared an offensive rebound off a D’Ambrosio missed free throw in the waning seconds of regulation, giving the Cougars the last possession.

“It was really hard to take her off the floor today, to be honest,” McNichol said of Postiglione. “On the offensive and defensive end, she did everything that we asked her to do and a little bit more. If she doesn’t hit those shots, it’s a different ballgame. Give Haverford credit, they’re a very good team, and they shut down some of our leading scorers. We had another kid step up huge and that’s what being a team is all about.”

Haverford (10-5, 5-3) exploited its size advantage with forwards Sara Walsh and Lindsey Lane early. Walsh had eight of her team-high 12 points in the first half to go with six rebounds, while Lane tossed in five of her seven points in the first two periods. Senior guard Erin Doherty hit a 3-pointer early in the third to give Haverford a 26-23 lead. Doherty netted eight of her 10 points after halftime.

“We’ve been undersized in a lot of games,” McNichol said. “C.B. West, Haverford, Garnet Valley and Villa (Maria) all had size over us. We trust our guards to be able to attack and get to the rim hard, or kick out and make our shots. After the Garnet Valley game, we knew we had to get better for the second half of the season.”

Long tallied 11 points and four assists for the Cougars. She was 6-for-8 at the foul line. Mastropietro pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

Guards Annalena O’Reilly (four points, four assists) and Erin Kelly (four rebounds, five assists) had solid floor games for the Fords. Arden Guilfoil chipped in seven points off the bench.

Elsewhere in the Central League:

Garnet Valley 58, Strath Haven 37 >> The undefeated Jaguars (14-0, 9-0) bounced back from a 9-2 deficit in the first quarter to win on the road. They outscored the host Panthers, 22-3, in the second period.

Brianne Borcky posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jillian Nagy had a stellar all-around performance with 13 points, three assists and a steal. Emily McAteer chipped in 10 points, while Madi McKee totaled six points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

Jazmeen Harper paced the Panthers (11-3, 7-3) with 12 points, and Alisha Lewis scored nine.

Penncrest 36, Upper Darby 25 >> The Lions held the visiting Royals to five points in the first half. Morgan King led the way on defense, keeping Jasmine Forrester, who is averaging close to 19 points per game, to only two points. Alexis Calloway paced the Lions offensively with 13 points, and Megan Arndt added eight.

Gabby Liberio scored a team-high eight points for Upper Darby.

Radnor 60, Lower Merion 31 >> The Raiders (12-3, 7-3) completed a perfect 4-0 week behind Ellie Mueller’s 17 points and 12 rebounds. Brienne Williams scored 11 of her 13 points in the opening half. Cierra Hopson had a season-high nine points and eight rebounds for the Raiders, who led 21-5 after the first quarter.

In nonleague action:

Archbishop Carroll 35, Immaculate Conception 33 >> Bridget Hislop’s basket put the Patriots (10-5) ahead to stay with a minute to play at the Coach’s Choice Showcase in Trenton, N.J. Carroll trailed by eight points at the end of three.

Mary DeSimone drilled a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Harlem Jennings hit two clutch free throws down the stretch. DeSimone and Jennings each scored a game-high 11 points, while freshman Grace O’Neill pitched in with six.

Bonner & Prendergast 59, Mount St. Joseph 46 >> Maeve McCann powered the Pandas (9-6) with a game-high 16 points. Dakota McCaughan scored eight of her 11 points in the third quarter, while Bridie McCann also netted 11 points. Reagan Dolan (10 rebounds) was a point short of a double-double.

Christian Academy 46, Wilmington Christian 30 >> Kiera Cryan  made four free throws in double overtime to help the Crusaders (12-3) capture the Wilmington Christian Tournament title. Cryan finished with 11 points.

Grace Gormley scored 18 points and was selected tournament MVP. Britney Dike was named to the all-tournament team. 

W.C. Rustin 66, Academy Park 55 >> The host Knights trailed 24-10 at the end of the first quarter and never recovered. Gabrielle Jackson scored 19 points in the setback.