The girls played a strong game on Saturday, trouncing a decent St. Mark team by the score of 31-19.  Pressure defense and some nice shooting sparked the girls to an early 8-2 lead after one quarter.  The Fogarty twins looked like the Twin Towers early on, as Jessica scored 6 points and Emma grabbed a steal and took it all the way for a lay up.  There was no let up in the second quarter, as Madeleine Ackels banked home a 12-footer and Kaitlin Carpenter hit a runner in the lane for two more.  It was 12-6 at half.

 

    The second half was more of the same.  Emma with a free throw, Kaitlin with an offensive rebound and put back, Caitlin Bubel with a beautiful bank shot, taking an assist from Hallie Liskow.  Catherine Brandt with some tough rebounding inside, just missing on a couple of shots.  And Elizabeth Cortez finished off the third quarter by taking a perfect inbounds pass from Caitlin Bubel and swishing it for a 19-12 lead after three.  The Lady Bearcats saved their best quarter for last, springing for 12 points in the fourth.  Hallie hit her patented runner in the lane.  Emma with a strong move and drive for a lay in.  The sisters working in synch, as Jessica made a nice pass inside and Emma banked it in for two more.  Emma, continuing what was probably her best game ever, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring two more.  Hallie with two free throws.  And Ellie Logan capped off the game, taking another assist from Jessica and scoring, running the final score to 31-19.

 

    Saturday's game may very well have been the girls' best game of the season, had they not played again on Sunday and topped Saturday's performance.  Having lost to Pius in the pre-season, the coaching staff obviously put in a game plan to slow down the Tiger Attack that had been so effective in December.  SMS got off to an incredible start, running out to a 10-1 lead after one quarter.  Kaitlin was torrid early, knocking in 4 points.  Jessica picked up where she left off on Saturday, with a bucket.  Emma kept the momentum going with an inside hoop and Hallie finished off the quarter with a shot from the corner.  The 10-1 lead was just what the doctor ordered against a good opponent, but you knew Pius would not go down without a fight.

 

    Although Pius chipped away at the lead, the Bearcats maintained control of the game in the second.  Jessica was the spark plug this time, scoring 4 and dishing out an assist to Madeleine.  The defense was doing a number on the Tigers.  Inside, Catherine, Caitlin, Ellie, Emma and Elizabeth shut down the drives to the basket.  The guard tandem of Jessica, Madeleine, Kaitlin and Hallie picked off one steal after another to set up scoring opportunities.  The result was the Bearcats held a 17-11 lead going into the half.

 

    The second half saw the teams play to a virtual tie, but because SMS had the early lead, they held on for a 31-25 victory over a quality opponent.  Because the second half was "missed" by the author (a game to be coached at Rita interrupted) there are no specifics from the second half.  However, there is no doubt that the second half mirrored the first, as effective pressure defense, fine passing, and just enough scoring were the key ingredients in the win.

 

    With the victory over a good St. Pius team, SMS now stands at 3-2 and has gained the exact type of momentum they need to position themselves for a playoff run.  This weekend showed what kind of game these girls can bring week in and week out.  Come out next weekend and see if the Lady Bearcats can continue their strong play as the second half of the season begins.