2 weeks Ago By Ed Morlock
SPRINGFIELD — Gwynedd Mercy Academ’s offense got off to a fast start in the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies championship game against Villa Maria Academy Monday night at La Salle College High School. Bailey Balkir and Megan McDonnell both knocked down three-pointers in the first quarter and combined for 12 points. The Monarchs made five field goals in the opening eight minutes and scored 16 points.
Over the next 24 minutes, Villa Maria held Gwynedd Mercy to six field goals and 26 points. The Hurricanes defense tightened up after the first quarter and played a big role in VMA winning the AACA title, 47-42. “Our defense was really locked in today,” VMA coach Kathy McCartney said.
“(Gwynedd) did hit those shots early. Part of that was we were playing a zone and we were backing off their shooters. You can’t give those shooters daylight because they’re very good at it.
” “We always talk about working together and we were all on the same page,” VMA junior Sophia Tray said. “There’s been times where one player is in a man, one player is in a zone. We were all together.
We were playing coherently and I think that was really important for us. We were all talking with each other and, most importantly, we were having fun.” Villa Maria senior Abby Ferry was tasked with defending Balkir, who was named league’s Most Valuable Player in a ceremony after the game.
Balkir scored seven points in the first quarter and finished with 13. “She’s a great player,” Ferry said. “You just have to keep her in front.
She has all the skills. I use defense to get me going, so I just knew I had to keep her in front and limit her touches. I tried to do that.
” The defense allowed Villa Maria, which trailed 16-8 during the first quarter, to cut its deficit to three, 21-18 at halftime. The Hurricanes took two brief leads in the third quarter – the first on a Briella Romeo three-pointer, 25-23, and the second, 26-25, on a Tray free throw – before heading to the fourth quarter down by one, 29-28. After forcing a miss on the first possession of the fourth, VMA moved in front for good, 30-29, when Tray made a layup.
“The kid’s a beast,” McCartney said of Tray, who scored eight points in the fourth. “She’s just an absolute beast. She’s our go-to kid.
She makes mistakes, but she has that next-play mentality so it doesn’t matter. She can miss a wide open layup and then be like whatever, I’m going to keep playing. She’s got that Energizer Bunny stuff – she never runs out of gas.
” Balkir hit a baseline jumper to get the Monarchs within one, 32-31, with 5:20 to play, but it was their only basket during a 14-2 VMA run. The Hurricanes held GMA scoreless for the next four-and-a-half minutes. Five different Hurricanes scored during that stretch to build a 40-31 lead with less than a minute to go.
The rivals traded free throws and baskets over the final 52 seconds. GMA got as close as four, 46-42, when when Brooke Evans hit a three with five seconds left, but that’s as close as the defending league champions would get. Tray scored a game-high 17 points for the Hurricanes, who won their eighth AACA title in program history and first since 2023.
Erin Urbanski added nine and Rebecca Croft had seven. Evans joined Balkir in double figures with 11 points for GMA. Cara Lapp added eight and McDonnell had six.
Both teams will be competing in the District 1-5A playoffs. Gwynedd Mercy, which swept VMA during the regular season, is the No. 1 seed and has a first-round bye.
Villa Maria is the sixth seed and hosts No. 11 West Chester East Friday night. AACA All-Star Team First Team Bailey Balkir, GMA Morgan Cross, MSJ Megan McDonnell, GMA Grace Pizzica, VJM Sophia Tray, VMA Second Team Avery Akright, VJM Riley Deal, VJM Caroline Dougherty, MSJ Abby Ferry, VMA Cara Lapp, GMA Honorable Mention Dyan Hall, MMA Villa Maria Academy 47, Gwynedd Mercy Academy 42 Villa Maria Academy 10 8 10 19 – 47 Gwynedd Mercy Academy 16 5 8 13 – 42 VMA: Tray 6 5-8 17, Romeo 1 1-2 4, Croft 3 1-2 7, Ferry 3 0-0 6, Urbanski 4 1-2 9, Vickers 2 0-0 4, Dean 0 0-0 0, Broadhurst 0 0-2 0.
Total 19 8-16 47. GMA: Evans 3 4-6 11, Lapp 2 4-4 8, Balkir 3 6-6 13, McDonnell 2 1-6 6, Kelly 0 0-0 0, McCarthy 1 0-0 2, Amos 0 2-2 2, Rose 0 0-0 0. Total 11 17-24 42.
3-point goals: VMA: Romeo. GMA: Balkir, McDonnell, Evans..
