Published: March 01, 2008 12:27 am      

Long trip pays off for McCort

CHARLEROI — Bishop McCort encountered some difficulties arriving at Charleroi High School for its PIAA Class AA girls first-round playoffs game on Friday.

First there was the snowstorm that hit the Johnstown area, thick enough to appear like fog.

The Crushers made it to Charleroi, only to have their bus driver take a wrong turn on the way to the high school.

The bus got stuck at the bottom of a hill, forcing parents and officials from Bishop McCort to pick up the players and coaches in cars to take them the last mile to the school.

Instead of being sluggish and tight to begin the game, the Crushers came out pressing.

Bishop McCort spotted the Prexies the first basket, then rattled off a 9-0 run and used that early momentum to take a 67-48 victory.

“We had a rough time getting here,” said Bishop McCort coach John Hahn. “Ten inches of snow in Johnstown, then we get here and the bus got stuck. But maybe it’s better that way. We had no time to think. Maybe we’ll do that next game.”

Marissa Basile gave the Crushers (27-2) a 3-2 lead with a 3-pointer. Then, Bishop McCort stole three straight inbounds passes and turned each into a basket.

Washington coach Mike Maltony had to call a timeout less than 90 seconds into the game.

“It was quick,” said Maltony. “That got us back on our heels. We had film on them, but film doesn’t do it justice.”

The Prexies (24-3) fell out of their game plan, rushing passes and shots. On the other end, the Crushers relentlessly drove the lane, exposing Washington’s interior defense. When the inside shot wasn’t there, Bishop McCort kicked it out for a jumper or 3-pointer.

Washington trailed by 12 after the first quarter, and it might’ve been more if it hadn’t been for Jocelyn Floyd’s superb defense.

Floyd came a rebound short of a triple-double, scoring 18 points with 11 steals. Five of those steals came in the first quarter. But, after Floyd picked up her second foul with 2:17 left in the opening quarter, she had to tone down her aggressiveness.

“She was as good as advertised,” Hahn said.

Washington recovered and slowly whittled away, but still trailed by nine at halftime. A 5-0 run – fueled by two Floyd steals and layups – began the third quarter, and suddenly Bishop McCort’s lead was down to 40-36. But the Prexies didn’t have quite enough to get over the hump.

Hahn called a timeout. Then, Basile and Lindsay Buchan each made a 3-pointer during a 12-4 run to stretch the lead back to 12. Washington never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

“I thought we had that spark we needed,” said Maltony. “Then they made their run. We couldn’t recover from their barrage of layups.”

Jenna Phillips (12 points) hit three 3-pointers in the first half, forcing the Crushers to change from a zone to a man defense. In the second half, she was shut down, scoring only two points.

The late arrival didn’t affect Bishop McCort offensively, either.

Three of the Crushers’ starters hit double figures, led by Basile with 18. Brittany Genday had 15 points and Sarah Pastorek 12. Julie Morey and Buchan each scored eight points.

They combined for 61 points.

“That’s been us all year,” said Hahn. “That’s what we need to win. We had since last Saturday to prepare. The girls couldn’t wait for this game.”

Bishop McCort moves on, but the Prexies, who ended their season with two consecutive losses, look to next season.