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PIAA 5A: Gwynedd Mercy's slow start costly against Bethlehem Catholic

03/16/2023, 12:30am EDT
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)

POTTSTOWN — With one starter injured and one of the youngest lineups left in the state tournament, Gwynedd Mercy Academy’s margin of error was slim. 

Then the Monarchs dug themselves a hole they couldn’t get out of.

Bethlehem Catholic dominated the first 10 minutes of their PIAA 5A quarterfinal, scoring the first 16 points before Gwynedd finally found its footing. That the Monarchs won the final 22 minutes didn’t matter, the opening run too much to overcome in a season-ending 34-24 loss.

“We came out, clearly we were a little bit frazzled, unfocused, weren’t ready to play, being a very young team,” GMA coach Tom Lonergan said. “And BeCa took advantage of that. I don’t think we could have had a worse quarter than what we had.”


Kendra Rigo (above) had 17 points to lead all scorers. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

It was a quarter-and-a-few minutes Gwynedd would like to get back, that’s for sure. The Monarchs turned it over seven times in the first quarter, missing equally as many shots, Bethlehem Catholic capping the opening quarter with a 3-pointer from Kendra Rigo to lead 14-0, a layup to open the second bringing the gap to its largest.

The Hawks (19-8), who won the District 11 5A tournament for the seventh consecutive year, took advantage of the fact that Gwynedd is without its starting forward, Dylan Burke, the junior out for the playoffs with a knee injury suffered last month, going inside early and often to Rigo and junior forward Akasha Santos. Santos had two dishes to Rigo for layups, before the 5-11 forward popped out for her first of two first-half triples.

“Our girls did a really good job early on of controlling the boards and rebounding the basketball,” BeCaHi coach Jose Medina said. “It’s unfortunate to have a knee injury this time of year, we wish her well [...] I’m sure (Burke is) a big miss on their end, but credit to our kids being ready to go.”

Hannah Griffin, the Monarchs’ four-year senior and Holy Cross commit, got them going with a couple buckets, and freshman Bailey Balkir added a 3-pointer as Gwynedd (21-7) scored nine points over the remainder of the period, getting that edge down to 21-9 entering the break. 

They spent the following 14 minutes continuing to chip away, getting within 30-24 in the final three minutes left on a Balkir long 2-point jumper, BeCaHi only with two points in the first five minutes of the final frame. 

But a Gwynedd side that shot just 3-of-21 from 3-point range missed several open looks in the next couple possessions, BeCaHi hitting its foul shots to close out the 10-point win. Gwynedd Mercy won the final three quarters 24-20, but that will only be the silverest of linings. 

“We never shot it as well as maybe we could have shot, but I sure was proud of their effort, how hard they played,” Lonergan said. “Outside the first quarter, I believe we won all three quarters after that. It was just that we had a bad first quarter, and unfortunately it’s a four-quarter game.”


Hannah Griffin (above) scored nine points in her final game in a Gwynedd Mercy uniform. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Rigo, who Medina said was considering Susquehanna among other small-college options, finished with a game-high 17 points as the only player on either team in double figures, adding six rebounds. The Hawks’ usual leading scorer, Cici Hernandez, finished with five points as she focused her efforts on guarding Griffin, who finished with a team-high nine points, plus three rebounds, assists and steals for the Monarchs. 

“I reminded her, she’s had four good years,” Lonergan said. “Four state tournaments, winning at least one state tournament game in each of those four seasons, going to the Elite 8 a couple times. She has an opportunity to be very proud of what she was able to accomplish in four years here [...] she’s surely going to be missed.”

Bethlehem Catholic advances to the quarterfinals, where it will face District 1 champ West Chester Rustin on Saturday at a time and location still TBD. 

Lonergan and the Monarchs have a bright future to look forward to with four starters returning, including Balkir and another promising freshman, Emilia Coleman, whose sisters Sofia and Bianca were standouts for the Monarchs and are now playing at Kutztown and Navy.

“A big key is going to be what they do between now and November,” Lonergan said, “and I’m confident that those younger kids will go out there and work and put in the time and effort to become a better product.”

By Quarter
Gwynedd Mercy:        0   |   9   |   7   |   8   ||  24
Bethlehem Catholic:  14  |   7   |   7   |   6   ||  34

Shooting
Gwynedd Mercy: 9-38 FG (3-20 3PT), 3-4 FT
Bethlehem Catholic: 12-42 FG (4-15 3PT), 6-8 FT

Scoring
Gwynedd Mercy: Hannah Griffin 9, Bailey Balkir 6, Cara Lapp 5, Emilia Coleman 2, Lauren Drakely 2

Bethlehem Catholic: Kendra Rigo 17, Cici Hernandez 5, Yarian Fernandez 5, Akasha Santos 2, Ella Bincarosky 2, Aliyah Brame 2, Mekhyla Britt 2

~~~

Wed., March 15
Boys 6A
(11-1) Parkland vs. (1-7) Garnet Valley (6 PM)
(1-2) Spring-Ford 43, (3-3) Hempfield 39
(12-1) Roman Catholic 60, (1-3) Lower Merion 56 (OT)
(7-2) New Castle 65, (1-4) Downingtown West 56
(3-1) Reading 86, (1-6) Upper Darby 58
(1-9) Coatesville 61, (1-8) North Penn 55
(12-3) Archbishop Wood 72, (3-6) Chambersburg 45

Girls 5A
(1-1) West Chester Rustin 49, (2-2) Abington Heights 46
(12-1) Archbishop Wood 42, (1-2) Villa Maria 29
(1-3) Bishop Shanahan 43, (2-1) Pittston Area 35.
(11-1) Bethlehem Catholic 34, (1-4) Gwynedd Mercy 24

Boys 4A
(1-1) Bishop Shanahan 69, (2-1) Scranton Prep 57

Girls 4A
(12-1) Lansdale Catholic 79, (4-2) Jersey Shore 42
(3-5) Trinity 67, (12-2) Audenried 50
(2-1) Scranton Prep 51, (1-1) Nazareth Acad.47 (OT)
(3-1) Wyomissing 40, (12-3) Neumann-Goretti 33

Boys 3A
(12-3) Devon Prep 82, (2-2) Mid Valley 52
(12-1) West Catholic 56, (2-1) Holy Redeemer 47
(3-1) Trinity 91, Math, Civics & Sciences 84 Girls 3A
(2-1) Dunmore 52, (12-1) Imhotep Charter 34

Boys 2A
(11-1) Mahanoy Area 58, (12-1) Constitution 40
(1-1) Dock Mennonite 60, (12-2) Sankofa Freedom 44

Girls 1A
(4-2) St. John Neumann 40, (1-1) The Christian Acad. 37


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