Guerin Catholic picked up its third win of the season Tuesday night, ending a five-game losing streak and knocking off University, 45-34.
The visiting Trailblazers (14-6) started well and played from ahead, with a couple early buckets from Lindsey Syrek and a 3-pointer from Natalie Nickless pacing University to an early advantage. Things soon spiraled out of control for University, and the Golden Eagles (3-15) took the lead in the final minute of the first quarter, pulling ahead 12-10 on a Sydney Geis 3. That would prove to be the only lead change of the game.
Guerin Catholic added another 3 before the buzzer to lead 15-10 at the quarter, then stretched the advantage to 17-10. The Trailblazers struggled from the field in the second quarter, and nearly went the whole eight minutes without a made field goal; Lucy Snyder hit a layup as time expired to end a streak of 22 consecutive missed field goals by University, cutting the Guerin Catholic lead to 26-17.
The Trailblazers never got going from the field in the second half, either, and consequently never mounted a serious comeback bid. Guerin extended its lead slightly to 32-22 after three quarters, and the closest University got was six, when Lily Snyder scored to cut the lead to 40-34 in the final minute. Guerin, however, closed the game out at the free throw line, scoring the last five points to reach the final margin, 45-34.
After shooting just 4-for-29 from the field in the first half, the Trailblazers barely improved in the second half, finishing the game 10-for-56 (18 percent).
It was the first win in school history over University for Guerin Catholic, who was led in scoring by the trio of Geis, freshman Olivia Labus and Carly Hammons, who finished with 13, 10 and 10, respectively. The lion’s share of University’s scoring was undertaken by Syrek (14) and Nickless (10).
Guerin Catholic visits Brebeuf Jesuit for a girls-boys rivalry doubleheader Friday night, while University concludes its regular season Thursday with a trip to Tri-West.
Guerin Catholic 45, University 34
Guerin FG FT TP PF
Claire Sawyer 1 0-1 3 1
Olivia Labus 4 2-3 10 3
Sydney Geis 3 5-7 13 1
Hanna Bills 2 0-0 4 1
Carly Hammons 2 4-6 10 1
Danielle Mason 1 0-0 3 1
Sarah Holba 0 0-0 0 2
Grace Hackett 1 0-0 2 3
Totals 14 11-17 45 13
Guerin Catholic 3-pointers (6) Geis 2, Hammons 2, Mason, Sawyer.
University FG FT TP PF
Lindsey Syrek 4 6-10 14 4
Brooke Andrus 0 0-0 0 5
Lily Snyder 1 4-4 6 2
Lucy Snyder 2 0-0 4 1
Natalie Nickless 3 2-3 10 0
Lilly Fair 0 0-0 0 3
Haley Tomlinson 0 0-0 0 2
Totals 10 12-17 34 17
University 3-pointers (2) Nickless 2.
Score by Quarters
University 10 7 5 12 – 34
Guerin 15 11 6 13 – 45