COAL TOWNSHIP - Just a day after Marian Catholic beat Shamokin because of success at the foul line, Lourdes did the same thing to the Fillies.
The Red Raiders nursed the three-point lead they had going into the fourth quarter with 6-of-9 shooting from the foul line and hung on for a 33-28 win and their second consecutive title in the annual Red Raiders Tip Off Tournament Saturday.
The Fillies pulled to within one of the Red Raiders on a Emily Sofranko jumper, but a layup by Bailey Trell, two free
throws by Caitlyn Funk and a runner in the lane by Sarah Getchey restaked Lourdes to a seven-point advantage.
Marian got back to within three in the last minute of the game, but Nikki Komara knocked down both ends of a one-and-one to ice the game with nine seconds left.
"We won it on the foul line and we've been shooting hundreds of fouls during the week," Lourdes head coach Mike Klembara said.
And just as the Fillies had induced Shamokin into a slew of turnovers with their full-court press defense, Marian succumbed to Lourdes' pressure.
Marian had a 6-5 advantage after the first quarter, but had put Lourdes into a double bonus situation at the line by the end of the first half and had 20 turnovers.
Lourdes scored the first 10 points of the second quarter thanks to six points by Schultz on fast breaks.
"I've said to the girls that we're at times a lot of fun to watch," Klembara said. "We play four guards and that's a big thing because we're kind of press-proof in some respects. Now, we did turn the ball over, but if we're spreading the floor the way we're supposed to spread the floor we're going to have a lot of openings for people."
Part of Lourdes' ability to spread the floor and make opponents pay is Getchey's shooting from beyond the arc.
Getchey hit bookend 3-pointers in the third quarter. The first put the Red Raiders put by eight and the second broke a 20-20 tie.
"Sarah had two big buckets - that 3-pointer and then a runner in the lane (in the fourth quarter)," Klembara said.
Marian's Ashley Fannick led the Fillies with 10 points and seven of Marian's 12 third-quarter points.
Lourdes starts its season 2-0 for the second straight year and will step up and play Class AAAA Williamsport Monday.
"We're happy with this," Klembara said of the team's record. "We have Williamsport on Monday and Shikellamy on Wednesday. We're playing at Williamsport and that will be great exposure for our kids."
Game Summary
MARIAN CATHOLIC (28) - Green 3 0-1 6, Faust 0 2-3 2, Fannick 4 0-0 10, Sofranko 1 0-0 2, Nemeth 0 0-2 0, Krusinsky 3 2-4 8, Hill 0 0-2 0. Totals 11 4-12 28.
LOURDES (33) - Long 0 0-0 0, Trell 1 1-2 3, Komara 5 1-2 11, Schultz 5 1-2 11, Getchey 3 3-4 11, Funk 1 2-3 4, Pennypacker 0 0-0 0, Koshinskie 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 11-15 33.
3-point FGs: Marian - Fannick 2. Lourdes - Getchey 2.