No. 4 Brentwood girls take control of Section 2-2A with win over No. 3 Serra Catholic

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 | 10:42 PM

It was billed as a showdown between the top two teams in Section 2-2A, Serra Catholic and Brentwood.

Serra Catholic rolled through the first half of section play undefeated, while Brentwood lost just once, a 65-58 decision to the Eagles.

But the host Spartans led virtually from start to finish in the rematch Tuesday at Brentwood, winding up with a convincing 62-33 victory and a half-game lead in the section standings.

Brentwood improved to 12-3 overall and 7-1 in section play with its fifth consecutive win and seventh in eight games. Serra Catholic, which had its four-game winning streak snapped, dropped to 11-4 and 6-1.

The Spartans’ veteran coach, Rachel Thomas, rated Tuesday’s victory among the top three of her successful coaching career.

“I think we played an amazing game, both offensive and defensively,” Thomas said. “We shut them down early and frustrated them.

“Our objective now is to win out and get the first section title on the gym banner since 1994, then carry this (momentum) into the WPIAL playoffs.”

Brentwood, which defeated Winchester Thurston, 70-47, in its previous game, was led by senior point guard Abby Wolf with 16 points and senior guard Natalie Murrio with 15. Wolf tossed in three treys while Murrio connected for two.

Seven other players reached the scoring column for the Spartans, as Thomas substituted liberally throughout the contest.

Brentwood held leads of 15-8 and 27-12 after each of the first two quarters. The Spartans outscored the visitors 20-8 in the third quarter, and 15-13 in the fourth.

The score was tied at 5-5 early in the first frame. Brentwood outscored the Eagles by a 57-28 margin from that point on.

Serra Catholic did not have any players in double figures. Junior guard Rayna Andrews and senior guard Gigi Mele-Madigan paced the Eagles with nine and eight points, respectively.

Brentwood toppled Serra Catholic’s defensive average by 20-plus points, and held the Eagles to 20-plus points below their offensive average.

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Brentwood