ERIE, Pa. – A strong second quarter gave Mercyhurst Prep all the cushion needed as the Lakers defeated Northwestern, 59-41, to win their second straight District 10 Class 3A title.
See the trophy presentation:
The Lakers outscored the Wildcats, 16-8, in the second quarter after leading just 10-6 at the end of the first. Mercyhurst Prep did that damage with leading scorer Olivia Kulyk spending most of the quarter on the bench with three fouls.
“I knew I messed up on that foul, but we just have to keep the energy going on the bench,” Kulyk said during her Cole Orthodontic Associates player interview. “I knew I had to do something (coming back in the game), I hadn’t really done too much throughout the game, so it pushed me to keep going.”
See Kulyk’s full Cole Orthodontic Associates player interview:
And keep going she did, scoring 12 of her team-high 16 points in the second half, nine in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, the Lakers held Northwestern’s Makayla Presser-Palmer to just three points in the first half.
“You got to come in with a mindset, you gotta be ready to lock down,” Kulyk said. “Just stay focused no matter what happens.”
Presser-Palmer had a game-high 20 points. Taylor Stagl added seven for the Wildcats.
Mia Mangini had 12 points and Mari Nixon had 11 points for the Lakers.
Both teams will advance to the PIAA Tournament. Mercyhurst Prep will host Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the WPIAL’s No. 7 seed, while Northwestern will host Keystone Oaks, the WPIAL’s No. 5 seed.
WILMINGTON 69, SENECA 40
MEADVILLE, Pa. – Wilmington’s offense exploded for 53 first-half points and the Greyhounds topped Seneca, 69-40, in the District 10 Class 3A third-place game.
Maya Jeckavitch scored 11 of her game-high 13 points in the first quarter as the Hounds got out to a 30-11 lead. Ellery Phanco knocked down two of her four triples in the second quarter where Wilmington scored another 23 points to take a 53-22 advantage into the locker room.
Phanco and Lia Krarup each finished with 12 points, and Reese Bruckner added 10 points in the win.
Mallory Hammill paced the Bobcats with 10 points.
Wilmington will head to Avonworth, the WPIAL runner-up, on Saturday, March 9 for a PIAA Tournament first round game.
JAMESTOWN 39, YOUNGSVILLE 21
MEADVILLE, Pa. – Jamestown raced out to an 11-2 lead and never looked back, securing its second straight District 10 Class 1A crown with a 39-21 win over Youngsville.
Ivy Riley scored six of the Muskies’ 11 points in the frame on her way to a game-high 14 points. The Eagles came back to outscore the Muskies, 11-5, in the second quarter to pull within three at the half, 16-13.
Jamestown’s defense tightened up in the second half, holding Youngsville to four points in both the third and fourth quarters. The Muskies, meanwhile, saved their best for last and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to clinch their second straight title.
Alayna Cadman added 13 points for Jamestown.
Zaylee Cressley and Riley Robinault each had eight points to pace Youngsville.
Jamestown will host DuBois Central Catholic, the No. 3 seed from District 9, on Saturday, March 9 in the first round of the PIAA Tournament.
