(CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.) – Samira Murphy (Sr., Virginia Beach, Va. / Great Bridge Christian) scored 25 points and
Adrianna Stricek (Fy., Harrisburg, Pa. / Trinity) recorded her 13th double double of the season, but it wasn't enough as Wilson fell to Bryn Athyn Saturday afternoon. Despite the defeat in the regular season finale, the Phoenix will have a bye to the CSAC Tournament semifinals after earning the No. 2 seed in next week's playoffs.
The Basics
Score: Wilson 62, Bryn Athyn 73
Venue: Gannett Field House
Records: Wilson 16-8, 13-5 CSAC; Bryn Athyn 13-10, 11-6 CSAC
How It Happened
- Murphy and Stricek got started early with nine and seven points, respectively, in the first quarter, but Bryn Athyn countered with a balanced attack as six different players reached the scoring column. Murphy provided some momentum headed to the second as she hit a 3-pointer to make the score 18-16 in favor of the Lions just before the period expired.
- In the second, Bryn Athyn extended its lead to 33-25 after a 3-pointer by Kearah Henry and a jumper by Norma Thornhill, but the Phoenix was able to cut the deficit down to three and went on a 7-2 run capped by a Yaya Cannon (Sr., Lancaster, Pa. / Lancaster Catholic) jumper to end the half.
- A Stricek jumper late in the third gave Wilson a 41-40 lead, its first since early in the first. After the Lions regained it after a pair of free throws, the Phoenix went on a 6-0 run, its largest of the game, with buckets by Stricek, Murphy and Cannon. That also gave Wilson its largest lead of the game at 47-42.
- Outside shooting helped the Lions regain control in the fourth quarter. The first came at the start as Henry tied the game for the visitors at 47-all. Wilson was able to go back up by four, but the Lions eventually tied the game and took the lead once again on another Henry trey that made the score 60-57. The Phoenix answered with a Murphy jumper on the opposite end to close within one, but consecutive triples by Kaylia Duncan put Wilson up 66-59. After the Phoenix were forced to foul, the Lions hit 5-of-6 from the charity stripe to close out the game.
Inside The Numbers
- Murphy finished the game 7-of-15 from the field and 10-of-13 from the foul line. She just missed a double double with nine rebounds and filled up her stat line with three blocks and three steals.
- Stricek poured in 19 after going 8-for-11. She pulled down 10 rebounds for game-high honors and led the team with five assists.
- Cannon also finished in double figures with 10 points and dished out three assists.
- Teams were even in the paint with 36 points each, but Bryn Athyn controlled the boards and outrebounded the Phoenix 42-33.
Up Next
Wilson will have to play the waiting game to see who it plays next. The one sure thing is that the Phoenix will host their CSAC semifinal game no matter the opponent. It will come against the highest-seeded team remaining in the tournament following Monday's games. Those will feature No. 6 Keystone at Clarks Summit and No. 5 Bryn Athyn at No. 4 Saint Elizabeth.
