HERSHEY, Pa. – Layke Fields’ old-school 3-point player with 5.1 seconds left lifted Kennedy Catholic to its second straight PIAA Class 2A title, 42-40, over District 6 champion Marion Center.
Full stat packet • Layke Fields shows why she is the best girls’ player in PA • Tough Schedule prepared Kennedy Catholic for close title game
“My coaches believed in me,” Fields said. “They put the ball in my hands to make a play. That is what I did. I wouldn’t have the confidence I have without them.”
Watch Fields’ full postgame interview
With her team down, 40-39, Fields got the ball in the high post, took a dribble, missed her initial shot, got the rebound, and put in the putback while getting fouled.
Fields’ chance to win the game came after Lydia Miller, Marion Center’s best player who scored 18 points on this day, missed two free throws with 28.9 seconds left.
After a timeout and a foul, Monique Vincent got the pass into Fields, who went to work for the basket.
“That was a set we hadn’t run in about 10 games,” Kennedy Catholic head coach Justin Magestro said. “We had three great options. The first option was Bella (Magestro) coming off a handoff and a layup if they doubled on Layke. The second one was for Layke getting downhill, which ended up happening. And the third was a kick out to Mo (Vincent). We felt those were the three best options we could have. One of those was going to work. I bet you we ran that play 20 times this year. I guarantee we scored 19 times on it. It’s a go-to for us. You have to believe in the kid who is big and strong and who was having a great game. So, we called her number.”
Kennedy Catholic, which led by three, 21-18, at halftime, trailed by seven, 30-23, halfway through the third quarter after Marion Center started the second half on a 12-2 run.
The Golden Eagles were still down six, 40-34, following two free throws by Lydia Miller with 3:58 left.
But that was the last two points for the Stingers, as Kennedy Catholic finished the game on an 8-0 run.
Bella Magestro started the run with a 3-pointer, one of just two made by the Golden Eagles, with 3:40 to play.
“I knew that was when we were going to come back,” Magestro said. “As soon as someone hits a shot, we are all fired up, and our defense is great. I thought it was amazing.”
Watch Bella Magestro’s full postgame interview
For Magestro, just a sophomore who had nine assists, two steals, and five points, to take and make that shot at that point, especially considering she hadn’t been scoring much lately, was something her dad and coach wasn’t surprised about.
“As a player and as a daughter, we talked about it every day,” Justin Magestro said. “You know what, you do things that make the team win. She just finds ways to make us win. Defensively, she has been solid as a rock. I think she is averaging more assists the last four games than points. She buys into the concept of, hey, whatever it takes to win. That was a big three. I thought she was shooting the ball really good at halftime and before the game. We really haven’t run that play in a while We have two options off of that for her to hit a three or for Layke to slip.”
Photo by Paul Burdick
Following the Magestro triple, it was right back to Fields in the post with 2:17 to play to get the Golden Eagles within a point.
It was a monster game for the best player in the state, as Fields finished with 29 points. 17 rebounds, and four blocked shots while shooting 14 of 21 from the field.
“We have done it all year,” Justin Magestro said. “No change. When we felt we had mismatches in the post, we got the ball to her. I don’t know how many possessions we went into the paint. We forced their hand. They chose double or single, and sometimes when they did we made them pay for it.”
Marion Center seemed content with allowing Fields to get her points while closing out on the Kennedy Catholic guards.
Kennedy Catholic’s Layke Fields puts up a shot while Marion Center’s Mya Lipsie tries to get a hand in her face. Photo by Paul Burdick
That strategy, for the most part, worked, as the rest of the Kennedy Catholic squad struggled from the field shooting 4 of 15.
“My hats off to Marion Center,” Justin Magestro said. “Just a great, classy coaching staff. Their players played hard, classy kids. They worked their butts off. Unfortunately, someone has to lose this game. They have a couple of seniors. My heart goes out to them.”
After a slow start that saw it leading 8-5 at the end of the first quarter and tied at eight following a Macie Miller 3-pointer at the start of the second quarter, Kennedy Catholic went on an 8-0 run to take a 16-8 lead thanks to six points from Fields.
But just when it looked like the Golden Eagles were going to pull away, Marion Center stung back going on an 8-0 run of its own capped by a 3-pointer from Mollie Shadle to tie the game at 16.
While Kennedy Catholic was able to secure the three-point halftime lead, it didn’t last long, as Shadle hit a long two and then a three in the first 1:33 of the second half to give the Stingers their first lead of the game, 23-21.
By the time Shadle, who scored 11 points, hit her third 3-pointer of the game, the advantage was up to seven. That was part of a 6 of 15 performance from behind the arc for Marion Center.
“They shot the ball way better from 3-point land than I thought they would,” Magestro said. “I knew they could shoot it from there, but they had some kids hit some threes that were contested that we didn’t see a lot of that on film. I knew they could shoot, don’t get me wrong, but they hit some big threes when we had a hand in their face.
Vincent, who came into the game hot from behind the arc at 15 of her last 22, hit her only triple of the game to stabilize things for the Golden Eagles, and Kennedy Catholic was able to get within two, 30-28, late in the third quarter before going to the fourth quarter down five, 33-28.
“Every timeout we were preaching stay together, stay as a team,” Vincent said. “We are going to get the job done.”
Watch Kennedy Catholic celebrate, get its medals and trophy
Celebration
Medal Ceremony
Trophy Ceremony
Fans can go back and relisten to the game via Sports Radio 96.7 FM’s Facebook page with Bob Greenburg and Mark Slezak on the call.
STRONG KENNEDY CATHOLIC 42, MARION CENTER 40
Score by Quarters
Marion Center 5 13 15 7 – 40
Kennedy Catholic 8 13 7 14 – 42
MARION CENTER – 40
Macie Miller 2-13 1-2 7, Brynnley Haggert 0-0 0-0 0, Mya Lipsie 1-3 2-2 4, Lydia Miller 6-15 5-7 18, Natalie Black 0-6 0-0 0, Mollie Shadle 4-11 0-0 11, Averi Ruddock 0-0 0-0 0, Alivia Ruddock 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-48 8-11 40.
KENNEDY CATHOLIC – 42
Madison Pfleger 1-1 0-0 2, Monique Vincent 1-6 1-2 4, Bella Magestro 14-21 1-3 29, Tori Harvey 1-1 0-0 2, Lochlyn Shimrack 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-36 4-7 42.
Three-pointers: Marion Center 6-15 (Shadle 3-5, Macie Miller 2-5, Lydia Miller 1-5). Kennedy Catholic 2-10 (Vincent 1-4, Magestro 1-6).
Rebounds: Marion Center 23 (Lipsie 7, Lydia Miller 6). Kennedy Catholic 26 (Fields 17, Vincent 3, Magestro 3).
Assists: Marion Center 9 (Lipsie 4, Macie Miller 3). Kennedy Catholic 13 (Magestro 9, Vincent 3).
Steals: Marion Center 6 (Macie Miller 3). Kennedy Catholic 5 (Magestro 2)
