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Despite having one of their players achieve a significant personal milestone Wednesday night, the Bishop Carroll Catholic Lady Huskies' basketball season came to an end in a PIAA Class 1A first-round playoff game at Otto-Eldred High School.
Senior guard Savannah Smorto reached the 1,000-point mark for her career by hitting a floater for a second-quarter field goal, but Carroll dropped a 53-37 decision to District 9 runner-up Otto Eldred.
"Her work ethic, determination, and leadership have meant everything to this team,'' Carroll coach Chris DeGol said of Smorto, a three-year starter. "She's a great teammate who all of our players look up to. She has set the standard of what is expected for Bishop Carroll basketball.''
Smorto was humble about her accomplishment.
"It's an incredible feeling, but I couldn't have done it without my coaches, teammates, family, and God,'' said Smorto, who led Carroll with 10 points.
Otto-Eldred (23-3), led by junior Katie Scheeler's game-high 27 points, won the game at the free throw line, hitting 13 of 16.
Carroll closed a nine-point deficit at the start of the third quarter to three points late in the fourth quarter, but Otto-Eldred held on by hitting 11 of 13 free throws in the final period, with junior Anna Merry making six of six and Scheeler four of four.
"They made their foul shots,'' DeGol said of Otto-Eldred. "I'm very proud of our girls.''
Rebounding was also a key for Otto-Eldred, which got a game-high 20 rebounds -- including 13 defensive boards -- from junior Bri Heller.
"We did a good job on the glass, limiting their second shots,'' Otto-Eldred coach Shawn Gray said. "Bri Heller helped us with a monster game on the glass.''
Carroll, the third-place finisher as a sixth seed out of District 6, wrapped up a 10-16 season.
"Our postseason run as a sixth seed says a lot,'' DeGol said. "We believed in ourselves and we believed in our system.''
BISHOP CARROLL (37): Smorto 4 0-0 10, Ostinowsky 4 0-0 9, Becquet 1 0-0 3, Heinrich 1 0-0 2, M. Koscho 2 0-0 6, Long 3 0-0 6, Laughard 0 1-2 1, C. Golden 0 0-0 0, Buynack 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 1-2 37.
OTTO-ELDRED (53): Scheeler 9 6-6 27, Merry 1 6-7 9, Close 1 0-0 3, Drummond 3 0-0 9, Heller 2 1-3 5, Rhinehart 0 0-0 0, Bell 0 0-0, Mackenzie 0 0-0 0, Ramsville 0 0-0 0, Hannah Gordon 0 0-0 0, Heidi Gordon 0 0-0 0. Totals - 16 13-16 53.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bishop Carroll……………… 7 10 11 9 -- 37
Otto-Eldred………………… 11 13 13 16 -- 53
3-point goals: Bishop Carroll 4 (Smorto 2, M. Koscho 2, Becquet, Ostinowsky); Otto-Eldred 8 (Scheeler 3, Drummond 3, Close, Merry).
Records: Bishop Carroll (10-16); Otto-Eldred (23-3).
Officials: Scott Johnson, Mark Austin, Bill Zupich.