Myers beats buzzer to lift Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic girls past Beaver in WPIAL Class 4A title game

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, March 2, 2018 | 8:39 PM

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For 31 minutes and 53.4 seconds, No. 3-seeded Beaver had the defending champions on the ropes. They just couldn't land the knockout punch.

Everyone in attendance at Pitt's Petersen Events Center found out that Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic sophomore guard Tess Myers can take an inbound pass, dribble the length of the court, stop and score on a short jumper off the glass in 6.6 seconds as time expired as No. 1 North Catholic pulled off a 50-49 come-from-behind win over the Bobcats.

The Trojanettes claimed the 18th girls basketball title in school history.

“I don't know what I was thinking,” said Myers, recalling her game-winning drive down the floor. “Coach (Molly Rottman) called a time out, she told me to get the ball, go and don't stop.”

The score marked an end a 29-point fourth quarter where Myers scored six of her team-high 16 points in the final two minutes of the game.

“Absolutely,” said Rottman, recalling how she drew up the game's final play. “That was the plan for (Myers) to do that. But, we had no business being in the game with 6.6 seconds with the way we played the first three quarters.”

Trailing 48-47 with the fateful 6.6 seconds showing on the clock, Beaver senior guard Sydney Barney stepped to the free-throw line and connected on two free throws to give the Bobcats a 49-48 lead.

Senior guard Bella Posset scored a game-high 30 points for Beaver.

“We held them for as long as we did, and then unfortunately they made a bunch of shots,” Beaver coach Greg Huston said. “We held them to (11) points in the first half, but unfortunately we gave up 40 (points) in the second. That's just the way it goes.”

Beaver (18-6) flustered the Trojanettes for the first three quarters. Routine shots didn't find the basket, the Bobcats' defense made the North Catholic shooters uncomfortable and, while out-sized in the middle, Beaver was able to out muscle the Trojans on the boards.

Beaver scored the game's first points on a Posset layup and North Catholic senior Dani Short responded with a put-back to tie the game, 2-2, before the Posset started doing her thing and connecting on the long ball from behind the 3-point arc. Short finished the game with 13 points for Beaver.

“(Posset's) one of those types of players that once you get her going it's hard to get her to stop,” Huston said.

Beaver got out of the first quarter with a 9-3 lead and was in total control of the game at both ends of the court. Posset lit up the scoreboard with another 3-pointer and Barney added a 3-pointer of her own to pad the Bobcats' lead at 15-6 lead with 5:41 remaining in the first half. Myers added a basket to draw the score to 17-9, but the Trojans were just struggling to keep their heads above water until capturing some momentum.

“We were shooting 17 percent in the first half,” Rottman said. “We just had a little bit of nerves. I said at halftime, ‘I can scream and yell, but we just have to relax.' Sometimes it's easier to play aggressively when you're playing not to lose.”

Short scored on a layup to begin the third quarter, but once again, Posset responded with another 3-pointer to put Beaver ahead 25-13.

Senior guard Paige Ziggas and Barney both buried 3-pointers to give the Bobcats a 31-17 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Myers closed out the third quarter scoring North Catholic's final six points to make the score 33-21.

Short kicked off the Trojans' 29-point fourth quarter with a layup and a foul shot to cut Beaver's lead to nine points. Sophomore Kylee Lewandowski added a layup to bring the score to 41-36 with 2:50 remaining. Lewandowski struggled for most of the game but came through late.

“I had to keep attacking in the fourth quarter because my layups weren't falling (early),” Lewandowski said. “I remember them telling me to keep driving, keep driving and eventually they'll fall.”

North Catholic reclaimed the lead at 48-47 for the first time since early in the first quarter on a Myers basket with 14 seconds remaining.

“These girls stepped up,” Rottman said. “We've played from behind before, and I think that helped them. This group and our three seniors wanted another banner on the wall.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Beaver, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, North Catholic