When two great teams match up, you never want it to end. Fortunately for Spartans’ fans, they got to leave St. Mary’s High with a 55-50 win against Bishop Feehan in a battle of conference unbeatens.
St. Mary’s Niya Morgen stepped up late, scoring 12 of her team-high 21 in the second half. With the score tied at 47, Morgen dribbled past her defender and made a tough, running shot to put the Spartans up two – and they never looked back.
“She scores points when it matters,” Spartans’ head coach Jeff Newhall said. “That runner to put us ahead was a tremendous effort. With the clock running down, she got herself square and made the shot.”
After a clutch basket from Yirsy Queliz (11 points) to put the Spartans up four with 30 seconds left, it looked like things could be over. However, a big three from the Shamrocks’ Samantha Carlson cut the lead to one.
Then, it was on the Spartans to make their free throws.
Queliz made one of two, giving the Spartans a one-point lead instead of two. The miss didn’t deter her, however, as she ran back and deflected a pass, leading to Bella Owumi (13 points) grabbing the ball and getting fouled. Owumi made three of four free throws to lift St. Mary’s to victory.
“That was a little nerve-wracking,” Newhall said.
Despite the loss, Feehan led 19-11 after the first quarter and displayed excellent ball movement and vision. Newhall gave credit where credit was due.
“They’re an excellent team and an excellent program. I expected nothing less than this,” Newhall said. “I figured it would be a one or two-possession game.”
The Spartans used a big second quarter to get back into the game, outscoring the Shamrocks 16-5 in the frame. Between St. Mary’s defense and an offense that began to find its rhythm, everything started to click. Morgen’s layup with seconds left gave the Spartans a 27-24 lead going into halftime.
“In the second quarter, we started making shots and now we’re playing with a little more juice,” Newhall said. “Our energy level rose. Sometimes, you’ve got to get slapped in the face before you wake up.”
Despite the loss, Feehan head coach Amy Dolores believes there are “a lot” of strong things to take away.
“I was very proud of the way our kids competed,” Dolores said. “St. Mary’s is a great team and also a tough place to play. We’ll get on film and work on the little offensive and defensive things. It was a great game to prepare us for the state tournament.”
St. Mary’s next game is Monday at home against Winthrop with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
