PIAA GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Greencastle-Antrim eliminated by Gwynedd-Mercy in second round

Zoom
Bob StolerGreencastle-Antrim's Hannah Crist shoots between Gwynedd-Mercy's Maggie Cameron (left) and Carly Heineman during Wednesday's PIAA girls' basketball playoff game at Milton Hershey.
By Ben Destefan

HERSHEY – There’s no reason to hang their heads.

On this night, they simply met a superior opponent.

Facing relentless full-court pressure, Greencastle-Antrim was unable to solve Gwynedd-Mercy’s suffocating defense Wednesday evening, ultimately falling 39-22 in the second round of the PIAA Class AAA girls’ basketball tournament at Milton Hershey.

The loss brings G-A’s season to an end with a final record of 24-4 while the Monarchs – champions of District I -- move on to Saturday’s quarterfinals against Archbishop Wood.

“We gave it everything we had, but at this level, sometimes that’s not enough,” Greencastle head coach Mike Rhine said. “I don’t have a problem losing to a better team, and tonight, that’s what happened.”

Ironically, it was hard to imagine a better start for the Blue Devils, who jumped out to a 7-0 lead off the tip. Jenay Faulkner opened the scoring with a free throw before consecutive 3-balls by Meghan Hirneisen and Hannah Crist had G-A believing.

Unfortunately for the representative of Franklin County, it was pretty much all Gwynedd-Mercy from there.

Settling in defensively, the Monarchs (25-4) closed the first quarter on a 13-4 run before extending their advantage to 22-13 at the break, leaving the Blue Devils frustrated entering the locker room.

Things continued to slip away in the third, as a tough finish by Brigit Coleman preceded a baseline 3 from Erica DeCandido, pushing G-M’s cushion to 14.

After exchanging buckets, Crist connected from long range to cut the deficit to 29-19 midway through the third, only to have the Monarchs answer with a 10-0 burst capped by a Coleman jumper at the buzzer.

With a 20-point lead in hand, G-M worked the clock over the final eight minutes, not needing a single fourth-quarter point to secure the victory.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better start,” Rhine said. “We came out, hit a couple 3’s and were feeling pretty good. Then they picked it up on defense and wore us down with a really nice game plan.”

G-A made just seven total field goals and shot 5-of-19 from beyond the arc. Showcasing aggressiveness on both ends, the Monarchs held a 38-20 margin in rebounds, getting several second-chance opportunities.

DeCandido led G-M with 19 points followed by Coleman’s 11.

Hirneisen’s 10 points paced the Blue Devils while Crist added seven. The ice-breaking free throw in the opening moments proved to be the only point of the night for Faulkner, who entered averaging nearly 20 per game.

“It’s hard to be disappointed being one of the final 16 teams left in the state,” Rhine said. “Of course we wanted a different result, but we’re extremely proud of what this group has accomplished.”