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By JOHN ERZAR jerzar@leader.net
Thursday, March 20, 2003 Page: 1B
POTTSVILLE – The lead was there at halftime Wednesday night.
So were the warning signs.
They came in the form of cracks in Bishop Hoban’s play that, if left
unpatched, would be certainly pried wide open by the state’s top Class 3A
girls basketball team.
And no matter how hard the Argents tried, they couldn’t prevent Allentown
Central Catholic from swallowing them up for a 49-34 victory in a PIAA Class
3A semifinal game at Martz Hall.
The win propelled District 11 and two-time defending state champion Central
Catholic (31-1) to its third consecutive trip to Hershey. The Vikettes will
play District 10 champion Villa Maria of Erie (25-6) at 6 p.m. Saturday at the
Giant Center in Hershey.
District 2 runner-up Hoban ended its season at 27-4.
“Turnovers were the thing,” Hoban coach Bob Schuler said. “In the third
and fourth quarters we got a little panicky. Too many turnovers against a team
like that.”
Hoban started strongly as 6-foot-2 center Meredith Alexis scored eight
first-quarter points, leading to a 14-9 lead. Central Catholic began narrowing
the passing lanes to the James Madison University recruit in the second
quarter, but guard Laura Valentine and forward Aimee Harenza sparked the
Argents to a 24-21 halftime lead.
But throughout the second quarter, Hoban committed 10 turnovers and it was
Central Catholic’s inability to capitalize that helped keep the Argents ahead.
Compounding Central Catholic’s troubles was Allison Matt, the team’s top
perimeter threat, struggling with her shot. That also was a problem for
forward Courtney Molinaro, one of three players 6-foot or better in the
lineup.
Everything changed in the third quarter. Molinaro, 6-3 Sara Antolick and
6-1 Jen Osborne set up posts inside, making Alexis’ defensive job difficult.
When Alexis covered one, the other popped open.
“Let’s be honest,” Schuler said. “Three big girls. We didn’t have
that.”
Antolick scored eight of her game-high 18 points in the third and Molinaro
added four more to give Central Catholic a 39-28 lead into the fourth quarter.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Alexis, who added just three free
throws in the second half to finish with a team-high 11 points. “We were
playing so great.”
What happened was Central Catholic extended its defense, disrupting the
Hoban ballhandlers. Alexis rarely saw the ball in the second half and Hoban as
a team managed just two field goals in the final two quarters.
“They are a very good team,” said Valentine, Hoban’s sophomore point
guard. “I, personally, had a hard time handling the ball. We had it, but
…”
Central Catholic also extended its offense in the fourth quarter, forcing
the Argents from their usually effective 2-3 zone defense.
“They made us come out and play man-to-man under desperation,” Schuler
said. “That did it, too.”
Alexis, Harenza and part-time starter Therese Price ended their Hoban
careers on a losing note, but Alexis tried to be positive.
“It was a great four years,” said the school’s all-time leading scorer.
“Every single year we made a run in states. It was tough for it to end this
way.”