While their comeback was exciting, the end result left the Norwin girls basketball team wanting more.
Norwin surged from 16 points down with a madcap third quarter, but couldn’t complete the rally in a 53-50 loss to Bishop Guilfoyle in the opening game of the Shootout at Seton Hill on Saturday night at Seton Hill University’s McKenna Center.
Norwin (9-6), the third-ranked team and defending champion in WPIAL 6A, trailed 43-27 with 2 minutes, 53 seconds left in the third. But the Knights went on a 14-0 run, piling up 23 points in the quarter to close the gap to 43-42 early in the fourth.
The Knights scored 12 points in just over two minutes in the third. That after they managed just 16 in the first half.
But Bishop Guilfoyle (13-2), the defending PIAA Class A champion, weathered the storm to collect its seventh win in eight games while ending Norwin’s five-game winning streak.
A back-and-forth fourth quarter saw Norwin rally from eight down to make it a 52-50 game with just under a minute to play.
Bella Furno splashed in a wide-open 3-pointer from the wing with 40 seconds left.
Norwin regained possession with 13.1 seconds remaining but could not get a shot off.
Lexie Heller had the ball near the top of the key but got tied up with Anberlyn Petrecca for a jump ball.
Bishop Guilfoyle regained possession under the basket, and Petrecca and Norwin’s Ava Christopher ran into a tieup, and the Maurauders got the ball back with 2.3 seconds left.
“Tonight is about game situations that grow character,” Norwin coach Brian Brozeski said. “Experience like that is critical. How do you chip away?
“The mental side is just as important as the physical.”
Petrecca made 1 of 2 free throws to cap the scoring.
“We took a timeout to set up a play,” Brozeski said. “We had multiple scoring opportunities and wanted to get a late strike out of it. (Petrecca) for them came up clutch and tied us up.”
Even with a large lead, Bishop Guilfoyle coach Kristi Kaack was not comfortable. Not against a 6A team of Norwin’s ilk. Even thought the Knights started slow.
“They are such a good offensive team,” Kaack said. “They have the ability to score quickly. We wanted to try to play physical like Norwin. I am proud of how we played.”
Bishop Guilfoyle took a 31-16 lead into halftime on the strength of five first-half 3-pointers.
In a game of runs, the Marauders ran off 13 straight points in the second quarter and outscored Norwin, which did not have a field goal in the frame, 14-4.
The Marauders made seven 3s for the game — including three from Petrecca, who had 12 points.
Maurie Querry led the Marauders with 13, while Morgan Ruggery chipped in nine and Mary Haigh, the daughter of Utah State assistant coach Joe Haigh, had eight.
Norwin made six 3s, including four from Furno, who had a game-high 16 points.
Kendall Berger added 14, including nine in the third. Her leaning 3 at the end of the quarter cut the deficit to 43-39.
“We haven’t been shooting it well (from deep),” Kaack said. “I think tonight was a turning point for our shooters.”