HS BASKETBALL: Bears dominate Sacred Heart in PIAA opener
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Mahanoy Area's #14 Claudia Clark leaps for a shot, contending with a Sacred Heart defender.
DREXEL HILL, Delaware County – The Lady Bears are back where they left off a year ago, after a dominant performance over Sacred Heart Academy, Bryn Mawr, in Tuesday’s PIAA 2A tournament opener.
The 18-4 Mahanoy Area girls’ squad boarded an R&J Tours charter bus to travel to the game, played at Bonner-Prendergast Catholic High School in the Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby Township, in line-of-sight of the Philadelphia skyline.
Sacred Heart was held to just four points in the first quarter, after striking first via two free throws, as Mahanoy held a 15-4 lead.
“We just stress defense. We get stops,” Eric Moucheron, head coach, said after the game. “Our defense will lead into our offense every time.”
As the Bears opened up their lead, Sacred Heart was held to the same figure in the second quarter, with the Lady Bears taking a 27-8 lead into the locker room.
By the middle of the third quarter, Mahanoy Area’s second-stringers were given playing time and the mercy rule was in effect.
A final score of 46-19 moves the Golden Bears to the PIAA 2A tournament quarterfinals, facing District 12’s Bishop McDevitt (1-9), another suburban Philadelphia team, on Friday at a site and time to be determined.
The Bears were in a similar position one year ago, when the coronavirus pandemic nixed their state playoff run after they advanced to the quarterfinals with another victory over Sacred Heart.
“Everything’s icing on the cake at this point. We’re so excited to be there [in the quarterfinals],” said Moucheron. “Our community is behind us.”
“The morale around school is phenomenal right now, and it’s all because of the work these girls do,” he added.
Full Photo Gallery
About Author
