On Saturday, the Cats took care of business with a rock-solid 33-12 victory over the Bulldogs from St. Cecilia.  The Cats jumped to an 11-0 lead after one, sparked by Madeleine Ackels' four points on an 8-foot runner and a lay up.  Jessica Fogarty added 3 points in the quarter, including a free throw, and Hallie Liskow and Kaitlin Carpenter each had a bucket.

 

    The lead was extended to 19-0 at halftime, as the Bearcats had achieved a rare halftime shutout on defense.  This time it was Emma Fogarty on the offensive, as Emma was brilliant throughout, canning consecutive 12-footers.  Ellie Logan got a tough offensive rebound and put it back for two and Caitlin Bubel did the exact same thing, with a put back of her own.

 

    SMS went into lock down mode in the second half and the third quarter was a 6-6 tie.  Kaitlin had a driving lay up, Emma swished her third of the day from outside and Catherine Brandt continued to impress inside, grabbing another offensive rebound and putting it in for two points.  The Cats finished it off in the fourth quarter, with an 8-6 run, highlighted by some fine defense and rebounding from Elizabeth Cortez.  Kaitlin supplied most of the scoring with two buckets on impressive drives.  Madeleine had another lay up and Jessica sank two free throws to round out the 33-12 victory.

 

    Sunday was a different story, as St. Philip came calling with a tough team that was fighting for the playoffs as well.  The Mustangs jumped to a 6-1 lead in the middle of the first quarter, with SMS only managing a free throw from Hallie.  But the last 3 minutes of the quarter was a spectacular display of offensive basketball, as SMS went on an 11-2 run to lead 12-8 after one.  Caitlin Bubel provided the spark of the day, grabbing consecutive offensive rebounds and scoring both baskets.  Kaitlin then drove hard inside for a hoop and a 7-6 lead.  Caitlin B. capped off her incredible run with yet another offensive rebound and hoop.  When Hallie stole the ball, drove in and scored on a lay up, and then converted the three point play with a free throw, SMS enjoyed the 4 point lead after one quarter.

 

    St. Philip got back in the game in the second quarter, and even took the lead by halftime.  After Madeleine took a Jessica pass and made a tough lay up from the left side, SMS was up 14-8.  But all SMS could muster the next 5 minutes was a Jessica length-of-the-court driving lay up.  Meanwhile, the Mustangs were scoring at will and took a 20-16 lead with only a few seconds left in the half.  SMS got the spark it needed as Ellie Logan fought for a loose ball, picked it up, and flicked it just as the buzzer sounded.  Ellie's shot at the buzzer was good, and SMS had some momentum at half, even though they trailed 20-18.

 

    The third quarter was the only low scoring quarter of the game, but SMS did manage a 4-3 advantage to cut the deficit to one.  Kaitlin made a terrific shot from under the basket after an offensive rebound, and Madeleine had a steal and then a remarkable lob, outlet pass over the heads of two defenders to Hallie, who grabbed it in stride and took it in for two.  Still, the Mustangs clung to a 23-22 lead with 6 minutes left.

 

    The fourth quarter was reminiscent of the last 3 minutes of the first quarter, as SMS seized control of the game and never let up.  Jessica got it started with a beautiful 6-footer from the corner and SMS had a lead they would never relinquish.  From there, the Lady Bearcats demonstrated the importance of free throw shooting in a tight game, and the demonstration was as impressive as any you will ever see, AT ANY LEVEL!  First, Hallie was fouled and hit two of two to make the score 26-23.  Kaitlin was next to take her turn at the stripe, hitting one of two.  Jessica got into the act with one of two.  And Kaitlin finished it off with 4 straight swishes.  The 7 for 10 performance from the line during crunch time was the difference in the game.  The Fogarty girls ended the scoring, with Emma continuing her hot outside shooting from Saturday with another 12-footer, and Jessica knocking down one more free throw.  SMS had their much-needed 35-25 victory, enjoying two runs in the last three minutes of the first and the entire six minutes of the fourth quarters to the tune of 24-4.

 

    The doubleheader sweep by the Bearcats was huge and it puts SMS at 6-6 for the season.  But, these girls are playing their best ball of the season right now, especially offensively.  The girls have worked hard the last couple of weeks, going 3-1 down the stretch with the only loss being the heartbreaking buzzer-defeat at the hands of league-leading Parish.  The 6-6 record should earn a playoff spot, where the girls are hoping to make some noise in the tournament.  Stay tuned because these girls have not yet played their last game wearing the St. Monica uniform.