HOMETOWN — With a vast lead quickly diminishing in the fourth quarter, two of Marian’s more experienced players were on the bench.
Vanessa Whitecavage fouled out. Brenna Karnish was one away from doing so as well.
Luckily for the Fillies, having starters off the court has been a daily occurrence.
Behind Abbey Whildin’s 17 points and a great showing by Marian’s bench, the Fillies held on for a 44-35 victory over Lourdes in Thursday’s Schuylkill League Division II-III crossover game.
The Fillies (11-4, 7-1 D-III) qualified for the District 11
Class AA playoffs with the win. The victory, coupled with Shenandoah Valley’s 46-43 loss to Williams Valley, gives Marian sole possession of first place in Division III.
“Our kids off the bench, I thought, did a pretty decent solid job for us,” Marian coach Paul Brutto said. “We were in some foul trouble — we lost Vanessa to fouls, Brenna had to sit a lot. Fortunately Abbey was able to stay in the game so that gave us some leadership. But our kids off the bench, I think, were the difference.”
It might not have shown up in the stat column, with just four of Marian’s points coming from the bench, but individual scoring has never been a marker for the Fillies’ success.
Bethany Shaud earned three trips to the foul line in the final three minutes for Marian, while Gianna Agosti, Kaylee Mahon and Jill Correale handled the ball well for the Fillies during their time on the floor.
“The younger players definitely have big shoes to fill from last year,” Whildin said. “ But they are doing a really good job and they’re catching on quickly.”
Whildin, Marian’s only returning starter from last year with Savanna Krusinsky out for the season, set a good example. The senior pulled down six boards — three off fourth-quarter foul shots — had two steals and blanketed Lourdes leading scorer Bailey Trell all evening, limiting her to just four points.
Lourdes (12-4, 5-3 D-II) started the game well Thursday, holding a 10-7 lead with 2:13 to play in the first quarter before a Marian timeout turned the tables.
The Fillies scored 11 straight points before a bucket by Trell stopped the bleeding with 1:30 until halftime. It was the Red Raiders’ only basket of the quarter.
“We ran the floor very well early,” Lourdes coach Mike Klembara said. “We had our opportunities early. We missed some opportunities early. (Brutto) called timeout when it was 10-7, then we didn’t score for the next eight minutes. That was the difference. We’ve got to respond better to those kinds of situations.”
Carmella Bickel led the Raiders with a game-high 18 points, four steals and two assists. She opened the second half with a steal and a basket to lift Lourdes’ spirit.
It didn’t last long, however, as Marian answered with a 10-point run that upped its lead to 32-14 with 3:13 to play in the third.
Lourdes did fight back to an eight-point deficit, using a 15-5 run from 2:25 remaining in the third to 3:29 left in the fourth, but the Raiders couldn’t get any closer.
Bickel and Caitlin Funk both fouled out and Shaud, Karnish and Mahon earned trips to the free-throw line to hinder Lourdes’ progress.
We’ve reached that juncture in the Schuylkill League girls’ basketball season where each win is crucial and each loss is devastating, as Thursday’s game epitomized.
Already qualified for the District 4 Class A playoffs, Lourdes fell three games back of Minersville for the Division II lead.
“Right now we’re just playing for position in districts,” Klembara said. “Marian Catholic, we just could not handle their man-for-man pressure when it was all said and done. Obviously they’re well-coached and well-drilled. They do all the right things.”
And now they’re headed back to the postseason, typically a sure-thing for the Fillies but something that was questioned at the beginning of the season after injuries to Krusinsky and Ashley Fannick.
“It was looking pretty rough,” Whildin said. “But we came together and we’re getting it done.”
The road doesn’t just stop at district playoff qualification. Shenandoah Valley gave Marian a one-game lead in the race for the division and the Schuylkill League playoff berth that comes with it.
“Gets us into districts, but we’re looking a little shorter term,” Brutto said, noting Marian travels to Shenandoah on Saturday.
“We’re excited about that opportunity. I’m sure they are, too.”
Game Summary
LOURDES (35) — K. Komara 2 2-3 6, Trell 2 0-0 4, Bickel 6 4-7 18, Funk 2 0-0 4, Albert 0 1-2 1, Krebs 0 0-0 0, Khanna 0 0-0 0, Milewski 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 7-12 35.
MARIAN (44) — Whildin 7 1-4 17, Whitecavage 1 0-0 2, Capparell 1 3-3 5, Karnish 5 2-3 12, Stoyer 1 2-4 4, Correale 0 0-0 0, Shaud 1 1-5 3, Mahon 0 1-2 1, Agosti 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 10-21 44.
Lrd (12-4, 5-3) 10 2 6 16 — 35 Mr (11-4, 7-1) 13 9 10 12 — 44
3-point FGs: Bickel 2, Whildin 2
JV score: Marian 30-14