CARDINALS SURVIVE VALIANT COMEBACK AGAINST RANGE

Mooney came out red hot to start the game. South Range locked in during the fourth. And two great teams put on an unbelievable show last night.

The vaunted Lady Cardinal defense was on full display early on, as South Range went a full five minutes without any points. Even Izzy Lamparty, the Raider who recently eclipsed 1000 career points, could not seem to find a bucket. Gia Diorio and Katie Hough played give and go basketball, while Diorio showed beautiful touch on a high arching layup that somehow fell. Only one basket for South Range came from the floor in the quarter, a 3 pointer from Emma Cunningham. All the rest came from Izzy at the free throw line, and the Cardinals would lead 16-7 after one.

Maria Fire, a freshman for Mooney, had quite possibly her best game of the season. Coming in off the bench, Maria dominated the painted area with 15 points and 5 rebounds. 7 of those came from the free throw line, an area where Maria has struggled at times. Each shot that fell drew the team, and the crowd, to their feet. The Cardinal’s defense remained tight, and despite the efforts of both Lamparty sisters, Izzy and Gabby, the lead only extended by the end of the third quarter. Mooney went into the final frame up 46-29, but the Raiders finally began to wake up.

The following six and a half minutes were worst case scenario for Coach Baker and the Cardinals. They scored 0 points, barely made it past half court, and turned it over almost a dozen times. Gabby Lamparty’s defense forced 3 of those turnovers back to back to back, and she and her sister clawed the Raiders back into the game, cutting what was a 17 point deficit down to 3. Izzy finished with 17 points, Gabby with 11, and Lexi Giles hit a huge 3 to make it a one possession game. The Cardinals needed someone to step up. Enter Katie Hough, who found herself at the free throw line 4 straight times. After an initial miss, Katie, who sports an always perpetual smile, sank 6 straight free throws. She had 14 on the night, to go along with 4 rebounds and an assist. On the ensuing possession for South Range, Diorio stepped in front of a pass and found Alaina Scavina down the court. After not scoring for almost 7 minutes, Mooney scores 10 to close out the game and pick up a huge win against South Range.

Mooney goes to 11-8, and the Raiders go to 15-6.