Mercyhurst Prep girls basketball falls to Westmont Hilltop in PIAA 3A semifinals
CLARION ― Throughout the first half, Monday, it seemed like every loose ball and every rebound was just an inch or two out of Mercyhurst Prep players' reach.
Every shot, contested or not, seemed to be one or two inches offline from going in the basket.
Every aspect of the game seemed just a little off for the Lakers in a 46-16 loss to Westmont Hilltop in a PIAA Class 3A girls basketball semifinal at PennWest Clarion.
“It was tough as a coach because you want to help them and everything we tried didn't work,” Mercyhurst Prep coach Dan Perfetto said. “We couldn't get a stop and we couldn't make a shot. We got some open looks but they just wouldn't fall.”
Westmont Hilltop (23-4) moves on to play Lancaster Catholic for the PIAA 3A title Thursday at 6 p.m. in Hershey. Mercyhurst Prep ends the season with a 24-4 record.
Westmont Hilltop came out in a 2-3 zone to start the game and Mercyhurst Prep couldn't find a way to get open shots. The Lakers' ball movement was too slow to get ahead of the zone and they settled for long 3-pointers or off-balance runners.
At the other end, junior Christiana Gordon, a 1,000-point scorer, went to work. She hit shots and distributed the ball throughout the game.
“It's all about teamwork. I have trust in my teammates and they trust me,” Gordon said. “I know I can score 27 points on a given night, but so can everyone else on this team.”
Mercyhurst Prep trailed 30-9 at the half and had a few stops defensively to start the third quarter, but Gordon was too much as the Hilltoppers invoked the running clock to secure the win. She scored 27 points to lead all scorers.
“She can do it all. She made a lot of shots and attacked the basket,” Perfetto said about Gordon. “We couldn't make a shot in the first half. A lot of times when that happens we rely on our defensive pressure, but they were able to get by us and get to the hoop.”
Olivia Kulyk finished with 13 points while the rest of the Lakers scored three against the stingy Westmont defense.
Successful season despite semifinals loss
“I told the girls to be proud of what they accomplished and this one game doesn't define them,” Perfetto said. “When they look back they'll know they won a District 10 championship and reached the Final Four. That says a lot about who they are, and they'll learn from this game.”
Mercyhurst Prep says goodbye to several seniors, including Kulyk, who is one of the leading scorers in school history. But the Lakers also have a young core coming back next year.
“We play a lot of younger kids and this will drive them in the offseason,” Perfetto said. “They'll want to get stronger and work on their skills and be ready for next year.”
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNreisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Mercyhurst Prep girls basketball falls in PIAA semifinals
