PIAA BOYS CLASS A Kennedy Catholic defenders foil Guilfoyle for quarterfinal date

The Golden Eagles will play Monessen Saturday for a berth in the Western final.
By JOHN BUTERA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
INDIANA, Pa. -- With clutch foul shooting from Leanne Madden and a defensive effort that picked up with each quarter, the Kennedy Catholic High girls basketball team continued its quest for a second straight state championship Wednesday, turning back Bishop Guilfoyle 45-40 at Indiana University.
The PIAA Class A victory advanced Kennedy Catholic (24-5) into quarterfinal game against Monessen (24-4) on Saturday at a time and place to be determined.
"I like our chances," Kennedy Catholic coach Pat Mastrian said. "We're playing as a team right now, and as long as we keep doing that, we'll be all right."
With the score tied at 33 at the outset of the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles benefited from Guilfoyle's poor shooting as the Marauders missed their first seven field goals and didn't score a basket until 27 seconds remained.
Meanwhile, Kennedy Catholic opened a 40-34 advantage with 55 seconds to go, but Guilfoyle wasn't finished, making a 3-pointer and a basket and free throw within nine seconds to trail 42-40.
Clinching free throws: Madden sealed the verdict when she connected on a one-and-one with 16 seconds remaining.
Madden was 5-for-6 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter as part of her game-high 17 points.
"I like the pressure," Madden said. "I wanted to be there. I wanted to do it for my teammates."
Guilfoyle jumped out to a 13-10 lead after the first quarter. When Angela Greaser connected on six consecutive points midway through the second period, the Marauders stretched their lead to 21-10.
That was their largest lead of the game, however, as Greaser's basket at 4:03 was their last field goal of the period.
The Golden Eagles finished the first half on a 9-3 run, including a basket by Madden with eight seconds remaining that pulled her team within 24-19.
"We told them we thought they played a good first half, but we knew we had to play a little bit harder," Mastrian said. "I wasn't pleased that we had given up 24 points, but we hadn't been in that situation so I knew we needed to settle down and hit some shots."
Down 30-26 with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter, Kennedy Catholic fashioned a 7-0 run while Guilfoyle again was experiencing a long scoring drought.
"We knew we were still in it, even though we were behind at the half," Madden said. "It was just a question of playing good defense and executing on offense. We knew if we did that, things would fall into place."
Greaser, who led her team with 16 points, had a steal and basket late in the period to get Guilfoyle within 33-32.