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When Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic started its Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference girls basketball championship game hot, Forest Hills coach Carol Cecere stopped the game to assess the mindset of her team.
"We took a timeout and asked them if they were ready for this," Cecere said. "A game like this is a big game, and I wanted to make sure they were mentally ready. I challenged them, and then boom, boom we had two offensive hits and settled down a little bit."
The booms Cecere was referring to were back-to-back 3-pointers by senior Alexis Henderson that turned a five-point deficit into a one-point lead and started a 14-0 run that stretched into the second quarter and helped the Lady Rangers down a young BG squad, 51-44, at Penn State Altoona's Adler Arena on Saturday.
"They are led by four seniors who have played varsity minutes for them for a few years now," Bishop Guilfoyle coach Kristi Kaack said. "You know the expectation when you step on the floor. I was really happy with the way we battled and competed tonight."
Despite the big run, the Lady Marauders pulled within one point at halftime before Forest Hills stretched it back to five. Once again, BG fought back, but could never tie the game or take the lead.
Gia Adams' 3-pointer with 5:02 left in the game made it 38-37, but Forest Hills senior Arissa Britt blew by her defender on the next possession for a layup to start a 7-0 run that basically decided the game.
"I felt like every time we were within two, we got a really good look and just didn't knock it down," Kaack said. "Sometimes that's going to happen. Unfortunately, I think we missed the mark on some defensive assignments tonight that really hurt us."
Henderson led Forest Hills with 20 points, and Olivia McLeary added 12 points. The Lady Rangers went 10-of-14 from the foul line one game after struggling from the line in a semifinal win over Hollidaysburg.
The Lady Marauders, who will enter the District 6 Class 1A playoffs at 21-3 and as the top seed by hosting Purchase Line tonight, got into Saturday's championship game by avenging a loss at previously unbeaten Bishop McCort in the semifinals -- a sign of the team's growth.
"We have played all year without Sarah Geishauser, which is an enormous hole for us and the team," Kaack said. "I feel like our team has had to really step up and fill that void that was missing. I feel like in the last two weeks, we have really grown up and done that. We're looking forward to districts and state playoffs now."
Morgan Ruggery led Bishop Guilfoyle with 19 points, and Adams scored 10 points off the bench.
Forest Hills will enter the District 6 Class 3A playoffs as the top seed, also with a 21-3 overall mark.
"They came out in the first half and were hot," Cecere said. "Their shooting percentage was high, and they are a great shooting team, but we mixed up some defenses to try and counter that and it sort of helped."
FOREST HILLS (51): Britt 3 2-4 8, McLeary 6 0-0 12, Henderson 4 8-10 20, Burkey 3 0-0 7, Schirato 1 0-0 2, Maul 0 0-0 0, Spangler 1 0-0 2. Totals -- 18 10-14 51.
BISHOP GUILFOYLE (44): Querry 0 0-0 0, Ruggery 6 3-6 19, Petrecca 2 0-0 4, Yeskey 3 0-0 6, Lightner 2 0-0 5, Adams 4 0-0 10, Gofus 0 0-0 0, Lechner 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 17 3-6 44.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Forest Hills 19 4 13 15 -- 51
Bishop Guilfoyle 12 10 10 12 -- 44
3-point goals: Forest Hills 5 (Henderson 4, Burkey); Bishop Guilfoyle 7 (Ruggery 4, Adams 2, Lightner).
Records: Forest Hills (21-3); Bishop Guilfoyle (21-3).
Officials: Vicki Markiewicz, George Figura, Craig Andros.