Adams big reason BG on to final
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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
When a team wins 20 games before the playoffs start and earns the top seed in the district playoffs, there usually isn't much tinkering to what has worked to get it there.
Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic coach Kristi Kaack decided to defy that logic and roll the dice by inserting sophomore Gia Adams into the starting lineup as the regular season came to a close, and Tuesday night that move might have been the one that helped the Lady Marauders punch their ticket to the PIAA Class 1A championship game.
Adams scored 15 points, missed just one shot, and played excellent defense on Williamsburg star point guard LeeAnna Royer to provide the spark in Bishop Guilfoyle's 51-45 win over the Lady Blue Pirates in the PIAA semifinals at the Altoona Area High School Fieldhouse.
"We were just looking for a little bit more speed and a little bit more ball handling," Kaack said. "We thought (former starter Anberlyn Petrecca) was doing a nice job, but we were just looking to try and be a little bit more aggressive on the defensive end at guarding the ball, and we knew some of the opponents that were coming up. We wanted Gia's defense to be there from the start."
Adams made her second 3-pointer of the game early in the second quarter to make the score 18-11, made another trey with 1:43 left in the third quarter to tie the game at 37 and made a runner to cap a key 7-0 BG run that put the Lady Marauders ahead, 44-40, with 5:39 left.
"She was huge on the offensive end," Kaack said. "But on the defensive end, I was even more impressed. I thought she did a great job containing Royer. (Royer is) a really great player. The way she was able to pressure her and keep her in front of her allowed us to stay back with (Williamsburg senior Ayla) Hileman. I was proud of the way she defended the ball tonight."
After Hileman cut BG's lead to one on a deep 3-pointer with 3:45 to play, Adams made two free throws to restore the lead to three.
"She was on fire in the first half, probably the whole game," Williamsburg coach Amy Hileman said. "She came to play today. As a sophomore, those are big points. She couldn't miss."
Adams said she was hitting everything in pregame warmups.
"Honestly, it's just kind of a feeling," Adams said. "You're feeling good putting the shots up, and it can carry over into the game. I just had a lot of confidence that if I shot it, I was going to make it."
Levada Gorsuch brought Williamsburg back within one on a layup with about a minute to play, and Adams got caught in a trap with about 50 seconds to play and appeared to shuffle her feet. There was no whistle, and she got the ball to Maurie Querry who was fouled and made both free throws with 48 seconds left.
Hileman missed an open look at a deep 3-pointer that could have tied the game, and Morgan Ruggery made three free throws to set the final score.
"We had close games all year, especially with Williamsburg," Kaack said. "We knew it was going to be a battle, but they had such a calmness in them. I didn't think they got too crazy. We were patient on the offensive end and took our time to get what we wanted. We were calm and engaged on the defensive end when they took the lead, and I don't think we would have been like that at the beginning of the year, but we were tonight."
The Lady Marauders will play District 2 champion Mountain View in Friday's PIAA Class 1A championship game at Hershey's Giant Center at noon. Mountain View defeated Greenwood, 46-23, in the other semifinal on Tuesday.
"I know absolutely nothing about the team we play," Kaack said. "I have not looked ahead one game this year, and I have encouraged them not to do that either. My work will start tonight when I go home and take a look."
Despite starting two freshmen and three sophomores, Kaack felt BG's run to the state title game was possible.
"I think we knew what we had on the bench and in the locker room at the start of the year," Kaack said. "But losing (senior) Sarah Geishauser right before the start of the season (to an injury) was a blow. I thought that was going to hurt from an experience level, but I watched these kids grow all year long. Once we started the state playoffs, I thought we knew they had it in them. We just had a really hard road to get there."
Alana Lightner and Stella Yeskey, along with Adams, got some minutes last season when the Lady Marauders made it to the District 6 final and lost to Williamsburg before bowing out of the PIAA playoffs in the second round.
"We grew up every single game, every single practice," Lightner said. "We wanted this so bad. I'm so proud of our team. I knew we were going to have some good teams coming up, but I can't even explain how this feels. It's going to be surreal to be in Hershey on Friday. I have no words."
Bishop Guilfoyle also beat Williamsburg in the District 6 final, 46-42, but in the eyes of the Lady Marauders, they have grown even more during their four PIAA playoff wins.
"There's a huge difference in this team, even from playing in the district championship," said Querry, who banked in a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer from nearly halfcourt. "I feel like we're a whole different team. Defensively today, we all just played great."
Ruggery led the Lady Marauders with 18 points.
"The difference today was that we came out with the first punch," Ruggery said. "We got a quick lead, which helped us keep it close for the rest of the game, which was big."
Williamsburg got a team-high 14 points from Hileman. Gorsuch finished with nine points and 12 rebounds, and Laney Prough had nine points and six rebounds for the Lady Pirates. Royer had two first-half 3-pointers and was held scoreless in the second half.
"They are an excellent defensive team," Hileman said. "They make every shot tough. They make you think about it. Every shot is contested. We just didn't finish when we needed to finish."
The Fieldhouse was packed for the game on both sides of the gymnasium with more than 2,400 estimated in attendance. The fact BG's young team excelled in that environment was a testament to how much it has grown.
"It was awesome," Kaack said. "The last time I remembered it being like this was when we played Oakland Catholic (in the regular season her senior year at Altoona), and this is exactly what it was like then. I was proud of my kids. On the floor, you couldn't really hear anything. I couldn't really communicate with them. They did a good job doing that with one another on the floor and not having to look at the bench to get a lot of information like they normally do."
WILLIAMSBURG (45): Hileman 5 1-2 14, R. Prough 1 0-0 3, Royer 2 0-0 6, Gorsuch 3 3-6 9, L. Prough 3 3-4 9, Ranalli 2 0-0 4, Carper 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 16 7-12 45.
BISHOP GUILFOYLE (51): Query 1 4-4 7, Ruggery 5 6-8 18, Yeskey 3 0-0 5, Lightner 2 0-0 4, Adams 5 2-2 15, Petrecca 1 0-0 2. Totals -- 17 12-14 51.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Williamsburg 8 19 12 6 -- 45
Bishop Guilfoyle 15 14 8 14 -- 51
3-point goals: Williamsburg 6 (Hileman 3, Royer 2, R. Prough); Bishop Guilfoyle 6 (Adams 3, Ruggery 2, Querry).
Records: Williamsburg (27-4); Bishop Guilfoyle (28-3).
Officials: Brian Jaymes, Kevin Laird, Vicki Markiewicz.