MOONEY GUARDS AGAINST CRUSADERS INVASION

YOUNGSTOWN OH- The ladies of Cardinal Mooney defended home floor for the fourth time this season as the Canton Central Catholic Crusaders came to town. Mooney had won 2 of their 3 home games prior to the meeting while the Crusaders were making their first road trip of the season.

Mooney had the hot hand early on in the night as they went on a 15-3 rampage in the first quarter allowing only field goal and a free throw. Maria Fire and Olivia Rouser were dominant in the painted area forcing the Crusaders into tough shot after tough shot. It was Sam Rotunno that got the offense rolling early in the night as she accounted for 6 of the teams first quarter points.

Action evened out as they moved into the second quarter. The Crusaders led by Kristen Belden mounted 13-points in the second quarter which pulled them within single digits of the Cardinals. Makayla Johnson would cap off the half with a buzzer beater three from near half court to make 25-16 going into the break.

Both teams cooled off in the third quarter after a combined 23-point second they had just 14 combined points. Strong defense led the way on both sides as turnovers and fouls came by the handful. Both teams were on the edge of the bonus as they entered into the fourth quarter.

The fourth belonged to Mooney as they dropped 16-points to close out the game. Alle Blohm put on a magnificent minute long stretch in which she handed Mooney all the momentum thanks to a three pointer, a steal, and free throws. She scored all five of her points during this minute long stretch. Her points proved to be all the Cardinals needed to strike down the Crusaders run that had brought them within three points.

The final run pushed Mooney out front, and they pulled off their third win of the season 47-33 over the Crusaders. Sam Rotunno led all scorers with 12-points and grabbed more than a few steals and rebounds to help out her night. They will host the Canfield Cardinals this Saturday at 2:30PM on YSNLive.com and look to continue their now two-game long winning streak. The Crusaders were sent home with their second loss of the season but were led in scoring by Kristen and Sarah Belden who each had six points. They will play host to the Tuscarawas Catholic Crusaders next Wednesday before a six-game road trip takes them through the month of December.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna