RADNOR, PA – Much of the game was close when the Archbishop Carroll Patriots hosted the Neumann-Goretti Saints in Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) girls’ basketball action Friday, January 11, 2019. As it turned out, Carroll launched quite a fourth quarter comeback after trailing by two points after three quarters and ultimately walked off of the court with a 57-45 victory.
Defense and foul shooting during that final quarter proved to make an impact.
“I think our defensive intensity, really shutting down their guards helped a lot,” said Archbishop Carroll senior Mary deSimone. “We really transitioned well. We got quick shots.”
With this result, the Patriots improved to 7-5 overall and 4-1 in the PCL. They went in to the contest knowing it would likely be a tight one.
“We anticipated a good game,” said Archbishop Carroll head coach Renie Shields. “Our team worked together on defense, took advantage of opportunities.”
Video Highlight from Carroll vs. Neumann-Goretti
Junior Erin Sweeney had a strong opening quarter for Carroll that led 13-11 going in to the second stanza. Senior Harlem Jennings, freshman Grace O’Neill, sophomore Karli Dougherty along with deSimone all kept their team moving in the right direction. Junior Diamond Johnson, seniors Nia Jordan and Kiara Koger as well as sophomores Jonelle Price and Sara Coppola helped the Saints secure a 40-38 surplus after three quarters.
At this point, it was anybody’s game. O’Neill, Sweeney and deSimone combined for an 8-0 sprint that made the score 46-40. From there on out, Carroll simply kept its composure in the remaining minutes to seal the win.
Sweeney triumphed with a total of 24 points on the evening. O’Neill registered 15 points while Jennings and deSimone added eight apiece. Leading the way on the floor was Dougherty who finished with five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
“Every possession was going to matter,” said Sweeney. “Every time we had the ball we had to take care of it.”
The Saints dropped to 8-5 on the season. Things just did not go their way this time, however, the team still sits stop PCL rankings with a 5-1 record.
“We didn’t come out as strong as we would like,” said Johnson. “We didn’t defend them. We just have to play harder in the next game.”
Carroll and Neumann-Goretti have a lot of tough competition ahead, particularly in the PCL. The Patriots’ have definitely increased their level of confidence after several hard fought matches. They know that they can compete against any team.
“I think that the past couple wins we got against tough teams are giving us confidence,” said Sweeney.
In more PCL action, Neumann-Goretti hosts Bonner-Prendergast Tuesday, January 15, while Carroll travels to the home of Cardinal O’Hara. Both games are set for 7:00 PM.