PIAA AA Girls’ Basketball: 3-pointers help Marian outlast Elk Lake
Photo by James Gelatko
BERWICK — Live by the three and die by the three.
That’s the way the Marian Fillies play the game.
Tuesday night in its PIAA AA second-round matchup with Elk Lake, Marian did not shoot the ball well from beyond the arc in the first half.
But the Fillies refocused and were able to turn the tide in the second half, hitting six 3-pointers while digging in on the defensive end to come away with a 47-45 victory over the Warriors at Berwick High School.
The win puts Marian (23-4) in the state quarterfinals for the second straight season. The Fillies will play District 5 champion Berlin Brothersvalley (24-2), which downed District 3 champion York Catholic 71-52, on Friday at a site and time to be determined.
“We live by the three and we do die by the three,” Marian head coach Damian Fritz said. “But we were able to hit some big shots in the second half. Deanna Pugh kept us in it in the third with her shooting and Olivia Serfass had two big threes for us in the fourth.
“I thought we got just enough paint touches throughout the game to open up some good looks for us. So proud of all of our girls for the way that they played tonight. They dug down deep and they kept fighting.”
It was a struggle on the offensive end for Marian in the first half as it went just 4-for-16 from 3-point range, yet the Fillies trailed by just one at the break, 23-22.
Trailing 6-1 late in the first quarter due to seven turnovers in the frame, Marian was able to muster an 11-0 run to take a 12-6 lead with 7:02 left in the second. Triples from Carley Hasara, Serfass and Pugh jump started the Fillies’ offense, but they went cold for the rest of the first due in large part to the Warriors’ swarming 3-2 zone defense.
Elk Lake’s three-point shooting, on the other hand, was the reason for its advantage at the intermission, as it hit four from deep in the second quarter. Leah Traver led the Warriors (23-4) with 10 points at the half while Madisyn Casselbury scored seven.
Marian was led by Serfass’ seven with Addy Fritz and Hasara helping out with five in the first half.
“I thought we played our 3-2 zone really well throughout the game,” Elk Lake coach Meghan Casselbury said. “We did switch it up to a 2-3 there later because I wanted to knock out the inside looks. I have so much trust in our girls up top and their ability and we tried to extend it a bit as well.
“But their shots started to fall and ours didn’t. It was just one of those things. And then in the fourth quarter they played great man-to-man defense. So credit has to go to them.”
Before Marian was able to go on a run in the fourth, it was Elk Lake that took control in the third. The Fillies needed four 3-pointers in the third, with three of them coming from Pugh, to just stay in the game, as the Warriors built a 41-34 advantage after three.
A hoop plus the harm from Travers and an inside bucket from Katie McGlynn got Elk Lake out to a 28-22 lead. Marian stayed close and took a 31-30 lead off one of Pugh’s triples, but the Warriors finished the third on an 11-3 run to carry serious momentum heading into the fourth. Traver scored 12 points in the third to keep the Warriors out front.
“I don’t know, I just really caught fire during that stretch in the third,” Pugh said. “My teammates kept finding me and getting me the ball. And even though we were down, we kept believing. We all had so much confidence in each other and we never gave up.”
An inside bucket from Olivia Thomas and a three from Serfass to start the fourth cut the lead to two at 41-39, and a tough offensive rebound and putback by freshman Addy Marek knotted the game at 41-41.
Serfass followed with two more big buckets — a deuce from the left block on a well-designed set play that gave her a lob pass inside, and a three where she stepped up and pulled the trigger from the left wing — to give the Fillies a 46-41 lead. The spurt capped a 12-0 Marian run with 2:52 left to play.
A free throw from Travers and a clutch make from deep from Kylie Shingler brought the Warriors within 46-45 with 55 seconds remaining. That’s when Marian’s man-to-man defense continued to lock in as it held Elk Lake scoreless the rest of the way.
The Fillies’ biggest defensive stop of the game came with 15 seconds remaining, leading 47-45. Marian was able to deploy a successful double team on the right sideline just across the half-court line, forcing an Elk Lake turnover and then running out the clock to advance to the PIAA AA quarterfinals.
“That was a huge play. We were able to get the double team in a good spot and we were able to deflect the pass and I came up with the ball,” Serfass said. “This is what we worked so hard for in the summer. I love playing with these girls. We’re all so close and best friends and we’re excited to keep playing.”
The win advanced the Fillies to the state quarterfinals for the second straight season.
“I’m just really happy for our girls,” Coach Fritz said. “To go to back to back quarterfinals in states is a sign the program is certainly headed in the right direction.
“I have to give credit to our girls. They wanted to go man-to-man in the fourth quarter, switching from our zone, and they came through. It’s also just a testament to the school, our administration, our parents, really everyone involved with the program. This was a big win in a big game against a really good team.”
Serfass led the way for Marian with 15 points and Pugh added 12. Traver scored a game-high 23 points for Elk Lake.
