Fast start, great foul shooting pushes Mercy girls basketball past rival Marian, 35-29
Sarah Cunningham made seven free throws in the fourth to secure the Catholic League-Central win for the Marlins.
By Brandon Folsom Hometownlife.com
Gary Morris talked confidently as he made his way to the gymnasium to rejoin his girls basketball team.
The final 15 seconds of the JV game was ticking off the scoreboard as the Farmington Hills Mercy coach walked past both the trophy cases and concession stand at Bloomfield Hills Marian.
Then he passed through the gym's doorway where he found the Marlins waiting to take the floor.
"You know," he said, watching his team gather near the ticket table, "I think if we have a really good first five minutes, that'll be the key to winning this game."
Mercy got through 20 minutes of warmups, and it did, in fact, have a really good first five minutes against its rival.
The Marlins (6-1, 2-0 Catholic League-Central) scored six of the first eight points.
And then it exited the first quarter with a 15-6 lead thanks to a 9-1 run that saw Maya White total four points, Lauren Smiley hit a runner in the paint and Sophie Dugas cash in at the rim on a tough drive to the hoop.
Morris got the start he wanted.
But, in reality, it was how the Marlins finished the game that got them the 35-29 victory Jan. 7.
Marian's Grace Rotter hit a turnaround shot to knot the score at 24 with 5:05 left. But Mercy proceeded to make nine free throws in the bonus to seal the win.
That included Sarah Cunningham, who scored a team-best 11 points, going 4 of 6 from the foul line in the waning moments. What's more, the senior was 7 of 10 from the charity stripe in the fourth while the Marlins shot 12 of 17 from the line throughout the quarter.
"Obviously, it's a lot of pressure with all of the noise in the background in that close of a game," said Cunningham, referencing Marian's rowdy student section. "I just tried to take a deep breath and block out as much noise as I could, and I focused on my form to make sure it'd go in."
Mercy clung to a 31-29 lead as Marian came up empty-handed on a possession with 17.8 seconds left.
The Mustangs resorted to fouling immediately to preserve time, but they sent Cunningham to the line. Her two makes in the double bonus gave the Marlins breathing room with a four-point lead.
And then Smiley, who finished with eight points, tacked on two more free throws to put any chances of a Marian comeback out of reach with 3.7 seconds left.
So was it nerve-racking winning the game for your team?