It seemed plausible, at least for a half, that Mother McAuley could knock off its second girls basketball powerhouse in as many games.
Then, shortly after the second half began, top-ranked Marian Catholic came alive and ultimately rendered Mother McAuley’s mission impossible. Marian Catholic outscored the Mighty Macs by 20 in the second half, turning the close St. Xavier supersectional game into a 62-39 rout Monday night before a standing-room-only crowd of 3,000 at St. Xavier University.
The victory sends the Spartans (29-1) to their first state quarterfinals. They will play Public League champion Marshall on Friday.
“This feels so great,” said 6-foot-2-inch Marian Catholic sophomore Lauren Lacey, who scored a game-high 23 points to go along with nine rebounds. “It feels great to be part of a team that is making school history.”
As for the No. 12 Mighty Macs (23-11), who upset defending champion Fenwick in the sectional final, their undoing came midway through the third quarter. That’s when the Spartans turned a 36-29 advantage into a comfortable 47-33 cushion heading into the fourth quarter behind point guard Melissa Mitidiero, who scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half.
“I actually think we ran out of gas,” said Mother McAuley coach Rick Mundo, whose team had its seven-game win streak snapped. “This run had a finite timetable and unfortunately it ran out tonight.
“[Marian Catholic] seemed to explode after the half.”
Leading 27-24 at the break after Mother McAuley went on a quick 6-2 spurt to close out the half, Marian Catholic came out like a different team, constantly keeping the Mighty Macs on their heels. The Spartans finished out the third quarter on a 14-4 run, spurred by Mitidiero’s seven points.
Mother McAuley, seeking its first Downstate appearance since 1998, scored five fourth-quarter points and shot 24 percent in the second half. Marian Catholic shot 51.2 percent for the game.
“We were beating ourselves in the first half,” Marian Catholic coach Shannon Reidy said. “I got a little mad at the half and then they all came out and played well.”
Lacey said Reidy’s halftime speech helped propel the Spartans.
“When she got on us, it really got us going,” said Lacey, who had 11 points at halftime.
Amy Harmening paced Mother McAuley with 14 points.
