Team effort sends Gwynedd Mercy to 4A district final

LOWER GWYNEDD >> Gwynedd Mercy Academy coach Tom Lonergan couldn’t pick one player to single out.

It wasn’t anything negative either, just that Lonergan felt every player he sent in to Saturday’s District I 4A semifinal against Nazareth Academy really helped the Monarchs. It had been nearly two weeks since GMA’s last game, but the Monarchs and especially their defense, didn’t look it.

With contributions across the board, No. 2 seed GMA topped the No. 3 Pandas 36-23 to advance to the District I final and the state tournament.

“Our defense played phenomenal in the first half,” Lonergan said. “We’ve been very fortunate, in both games against them in the regular season, our defense kept them in the 30s so the kids have done a great job locking them down defensively.”

GMA beat Nazareth both times during AACA play, but found itself down 2-0 midway through a slow-starting first quarter. The issue was mostly on the glass, where the Pandas were beating the Monarchs to a lot of rebounds and giving themselves second chances and prolonged possessions.

Match-up wise, the game favored Gwynedd Mercy but only if the hosts could actually get the ball back. Senior Bridget Casey, GMA’s best rebounder, started to pull a few down and her teammates fell in line as the Monarchs cleaned up their effort at the end of defensive stands.

“We gave up six offensive rebounds in the first quarter and the rebounding was the only thing stopping us on defense,” Lonergan said. “Our last rule on the defensive end of the floor is finish and it means you have to rebound the ball. They were doing everything else 100 percent right, but that last thing, we have to keep them to one-and-done.”

Once the Monarchs started completing defensive stops, they started getting buckets. More accurately, they started getting lots of buckets. Gwynedd Mercy went on a 20-0 run over a roughly nine-minute span between the first and second quarters and built a commanding lead.

Again, Lonergan noted it was the team’s bench that got things going. Sub Alyssa Martin hit GMA’s first shot, a 3-pointer off the wing, to start the lopsided scoring run. The Monarchs’ first nine points all came via the 3-ball.

“The bench played really well, we got key shots off the bench,” Lonergan said. “We got great bench play and I told them again, it was all defense. We’re known for our defense, that’s what does it.”

GMA led 25-6 at the half, led by eight points from freshman Kaylie Griffin. Griffin led the team with 12 points and seemed to pick up where she left off two weeks ago in the Monarchs’ last game.

“I think she got a little bit winded in the second half because I don’t think she came out very much, but she was a key player early on,” Lonergan said. “That coupled with the bench coming in really got our offense on track.”

Casey didn’t score, but had nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. Point guard Maura Conroy had three steals and four assists, Georgia Cattie also had three assists while Martin chipped in nine points off the bench and Regan Flannery had five as a reserve.

Nazareth Academy perked up a bit after halftime, but the Monarchs continued to defend tough and made some crucial foul shots in the fourth quarter. GMA shot 5-of-7 at the stripe in the final quarter to seal up their fourth straight trip to a district title game.

GMA will face Lower Moreland in a rematch of last year’s 4A final, which saw the Lions top the Monarchs.

Lonergan said his team will likely employ the same approach it did during the last two weeks by giving the players a few days off, then going back to work in the final days before the title game, which will be next Saturday at Council Rock South.

“The key is keeping them fresh, and not just their legs and all, but mentally fresh,” Lonergan said. “If you have too many practices, you have too many ugly practices. I give them a lot of credit, we had seven practices and six of them, they really went at each other.

“We had 10 players get in today. Everybody’s getting a chance to contribute, so bring it in practice.”

GWYNEDD MERCY ACADEMY 14 11 6 5 – 36

NAZARETH ACADEMY 2 2 9 8 – 23

GMA: Kaylie Griffin 4 2-2 12, Georgia Cattie 1 0-0 2, Carly Heineman 2 0-0 4, Maura Conroy 0 4-7 4, Alyssa Martin 3 2-2 9, Regan Flannery 2 0-0 5. Nonscoring: Bridget Casey, Sarah White, Molly Hutton. Totals: 12 8-11 36

NA: D’Aulerio 3 0-0 8, Dykan 2 1-2 5, Spinelli 1 0-0 3, Keehfus 3 0-3 7. Totals: 9 1-5 23

3-pointers: GMA – Griffin 2, Martin, Flannery; NA – D’Aulerio 2, Spinelli, Keehfus