Photo by Michael Boytim Bishop Carroll's Emily Lucko puts up a shot in the paint against a Farrell defender.

CLARION — Bishop Carroll Catholic junior Adelyn Myers got off to a fast start Wednesday by scoring the first seven points of the contest in a PIAA Class 1A girls basketball game against District 10 champion Farrell at PennWest University’s Tippin Gymnasium.

When Farrell rallied to take a two-point lead late in the first quarter, Myers decided to push the gas.

She gave the Lady Huskies a cushion by scoring the first five points of the second quarter and never allowed Farrell to pull within a basket in a 53-44 win.

“She makes us go,” Bishop Carroll coach Nick Smith said. “We had mismatches, she exploited them. She was hitting and kept going. She’s the one we rely on sometimes when we can’t get into our offense. She played a heck of a game for us today.”

Myers finished with a career-high 30 points including a 3-pointer to set the final and turn away a Lady Steelers fourth-quarter comeback.

“When our team is at our best, we don’t usually rely on any one player,” Myers said. “But when I saw we were a little slow out of the block today, we always have someone that picks it up, and I decided it was going to be me. Anyone on our team is willing to take that position, and that is what makes us good. It’s still early in the playoffs. We want to play BG again. To do that, we all have to step up. It was just one of those days for me — I felt good.”

Before Bishop Carroll gets a possible shot at Bishop Guilfoyle Academy — which beat it for the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference and District 6 titles — the Lady Huskies will have to get through Williamsburg, which crushed Elk County Catholic on Wednesday and will meet Carroll in the PIAA quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

“We figured that was going to be the matchup even when the state brackets came out,” Smith said. “We figured it would be four District 6 teams in the quarterfinals again. We’ll have to get back to work, study film of them tomorrow and we’ll have to play our butts off to win that game. They are a good team as well.”

Myers had a three-point play with 4:14 to play in the third quarter that gave Bishop Carroll its largest lead, 37-23, but Farrell slowly chipped away at that lead.

“We spotted them seven points at the beginning of the game,” Farrell coach Ed Turosky said. “As a coach, you’re concerned with your group of kids and how they respond to that deficit. I thought the girls did a great job getting back into the game and showed a lot of resilience and heart.”

Ja’Niya Daniels, who was suspended for last year’s second-round PIAA game against Bishop Carroll won handily by the Lady Huskies, made two free throws with 4:51 to play that cut BC’s lead to 42-38. Daniels finished with a team-high 12 points.

Farrell had a couple opportunities to cut it to a one-score game but could not convert.

“I thought we struggled to get the ball in the hoop at crucial times today,” Turosky said. “That cost us. That set us back when we were trying to rally.”

Myers, Ava Pablic and Sarah Miller made baskets in the final two minutes to seal the game. Pablic finished with 10 points despite missing parts of the game with foul trouble.

But the story was Myers making just about everything she shot in stark contrast to some games this season in which she’s scored in single digits and not taken many shots.

“I wish I could tell you (why her scoring is inconsistent). I would love to know that,” Smith said. “Adelyn has a different mindset. This is my third year with her, and I still haven’t figured her out. But I love coaching her. I don’t know what happens, but when she gets it going — no one can stop her.”

Turosky has seen his team’s season end twice at the hands of Myers.

“She had a phenomenal night tonight,” Turosky said. “The kid is a great player. I have seen her two years in a row, and I have watched a lot of film of her over the last week. Kudos to her. I don’t want to know how many points she had. But she had a great night, and you have to respect kids like that. I know she probably spends a ton of time in the gym getting shots up. We played good defense on her, but she just did a good job creating shots and getting some baskets on her own putbacks.”

Bishop Carroll topped Williamsburg, 60-47, in last year’s quarterfinal game to earn a semifinal matchup with Bishop Guilfoyle. Williamsburg’s LeeAnna Royer, now a senior point guard for the Lady Pirates, did not play in that game.

“It’s always super fun when you know the team you’re playing,” Myers said. “Last year in Altoona, that was awesome. The atmosphere, everything about it, is so hype. I’m definitely excited.”

BISHOP CARROLL (53): Delauter 0 0-0 0, Lucko 3 3-4 9, Miller 1 0-0 2, Ad. Myers 13 1-1 30, Pablic 4 2-2 10, Saxion 0 2-2 2, Av. Myers 0 0-0 0, C. Myers 0 0-0 0. Totals — 21 8-9 53.

FARRELL (44): Davis-Roberts 2 0-0 4, Daniels 4 4-4 12, Stewart-Wilson 5 0-3 11, Frantz 3 0-0 6, Blue 2 6-6 11, Thomas 0 0-0 0. Totals — 16 10-13 44.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bishop Carroll 15 11 13 14 — 53

Farrell 13 5 12 14 — 44

3-point goals: Bishop Carroll 3 (Ad. Myers 3); Farrell 2 (Stewart-Wilson, Blue).

Records: Bishop Carroll (25-4); Farrell (12-13).

Officials: Scott Easton, Dave Gilmore, Aiden Hartle.