Trending
MILTON -- It wasn't so much of what Muncy didn't do, but what Mount Carmel did do that caused a lopsided win for the Red Tornadoes on Saturday afternoon. Mount Carmel is seeking a ninth District 4 title in the last 10 years, and looked every bit the part of a No. 1 seed.
The Red Tornadoes used a trapping defense, hot shooting from guard Lauren Shedleski and dominant play of center Dani Rae Renno inside, while cruising to a 61-22 victory.
Mount Carmel (19-5) will face South Williamsport, while Muncy (15-9) will get a shot at an elusive state playoff bid against Southern Columbia in the third-place game.
Mount Carmel jumped out to a double-digit lead late in the first quarter, and was never in any trouble. Shedleski scored seven of her game-high 20 points in the opening period, and continued to be a factor from beyond the arc in the second quarter. Her three from the left corner pushed the Red Tornadoes' lead to 22-8 with 6:36 left in the first half.
"I was happy overall with the way we played," Mount Carmel coach Lisa Varano said. "We came out, and we executed the game plan really well. We started off fast, and that's a really big confidence booster."
As Shedleski cooled off a little bit, Renno began to assert herself under the basket. The recent 1,000-point scorer scored 10 of her 16 points in the second quarter. Renno scored on an out of bounds play that expanded the lead to 26-10 with just over five minutes left in the first half, and she scored on back-to-back shots from close range that helped balloon the cushion to 34-10 at halftime.
"They are absolutely the cream of the crop in District 4," Muncy coach Ed Rogers said of Mount Carmel. "Varano is probably the best coach in the district as well, so that's a deadly combination, especially when you not only are going to have disciplined and athletic girls, but a great coach. Throw in the tallest girl in the district, and it's a recipe for disaster. We had a game plan, we didn't execute. It wasn't our girls' fault they didn't execute, I think they were just outmatched."
Things didn't go much better for Muncy in the second half. Quality looks at the basket were hard to come by, and second chances were limited. Bell Hitesman's height was negated by Renno, and she was limited to just four points on two third-quarter field goals. Aleaha Bigelow and Avery Bigelow each scored a team-high six points to lead the Indians. Avery Bigelow, just a freshman, hit two shots early in the game when the score was still competitive.
"It's one of those situations where Avery gets to watch her older sister, learn from her and use that to motivate her," Rogers said. "She's not playing like a freshman, basically. It helps having that older sister. Avery is a competitor. She doesn't like to lose and be outshined by anybody."
This will be the second consecutive year Muncy will be in the consolation game. The Indians were competitive with Southern last year until the final minutes in a 45-36 loss. Rogers hopes this is the year Muncy can take another step forward.
"I told the girls, somebody can still wrap a medal around your neck, so don’t let this define you, let it drive you," Rogers said. "This was our third year in a row in this exact game, and we haven't come up with a win yet, but these girls still want to move on. Fortunately, we got to see South and Southern, and they didn't see anything they were afraid of."
Mount Carmel 61,
Muncy 22
MUNCY (22)
Avery Bigelow 3 0-0 6, Mia Edkin 2 0-0 4, Arianna Copeland 0 0-0 0, Aleaha Bigelow 3 0-0 6, Bell Hitesman 2 0-2 4, Brandy Hitesman 0 0-0 0, Cierra Charles 1 0-0 2, Maria Paternostro 0 0-0 0, Lauren Steele 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 0-2 22.
MOUNT CARMEL (61)
Mia Chapman 1 0-0 2, Caroline Fletcher 1 0-2 2, Lauren Shedleski 7 2-2 20, Brooke Bernini 1 0-0 2, Dani Rae Renno 8 0-4 16, Lauren Ayres 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Reisinger 5 2-2 12, Jenna Pizzoli 0 0-0 0, Katie Witkoski 2 0-0 5, Molly McCracken 1 0-0 2, Madison Sosky 0 0-0 0, Jewel Scott 0 0-0 0, Maddie McCracken 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 4-10 61.
Muncy 8 2 8 4 -- 22
Mount Carmel 17 17 13 14 -- 61
3-point goals: Mount Carmel 5 (Shedleski 4, Witkoski 1).