“It was a really close game and I knew we needed to get up a little bit,” she said. “I have the trigger, so I’m going to pull it. I had confidence in my shot and I made it. That’s all that matters.”
Irish senior Abbigail Peterson scored 17 points and junior Mallory Mullen added 12 as Catholic Central beat Cedarville 55-48 at Jason Collier Gymnasium, moving one step closer to its first OHC title in school history. The Irish improved to 13-4 and 10-3 in the South Division.
With the win, the Irish took a two-game lead on Cedarville with three games remaining on their schedule.
“We’ve been talking about playing team defense and being resilient for over the last two weeks,” Peterson said. “This is probably the most resilient I’ve seen them play. In times where they could’ve just let down or gave up, they fought the whole way through. I was super proud of them.”
Cedarville senior Luisa Christian scored a game-high 23 points and Elly Coe added 14 points for the Indians. It was Cedarville’s first game since Jan. 16 due to COVID-19 protocols. They’d practiced just once before Wednesday’s game, said Indians coach Molly Cary.
“The benefit is that we’re fresher and we’re excited,” she said. “They wanted it. They were taking it to the hoop. There were just some key possessions at the end where I wish we would’ve executed better.”
The Irish led 20-11 after the first, but the Indians cut the lead to six on a buzzer-beater by Christian that made it 29-23 at the half. They cut the lead to two on a bucket by Coe late in the third quarter.
With 1:30 remaining, a basket by Christian brought the Indians to within one point at 49-48.
On Central’s next possession, Castle let a 3-pointer fly from deep, sinking it to give the Irish the lead for good.
Castle is one of three Irish players averaging double-digits in scoring, but Brandon Peterson said they’d like to make her light even greener.
“We’re trying to get her to have more of the green light,” Brandon Peterson said. “A lot of times we think she’s being too hesitant. She’s such a dynamic player and one of the best athletes on our team. She just showed ice water in her veins. To be able to be that deep and not think about it, that’s what we’ve been trying to get her to do.”
The Indians beat Greenon on Thursday night to move to 8-6, 7-5. The host Greeneview on Saturday afternoon.
“We know who Central has played and how they’ve played,” Cary said. “For us to be able to hang with them, it’s going to give us confidence as we finish the season out.”
The Irish host Minster on Tuesday and Lehman Catholic on Wednesday. With a victory at Greenon on Saturday, Feb. 6, the Irish can clinch their first OHC championship since the league was formed in 2001.
“It’s what they’ve been looking forward to the past two years,” Brandon Peterson said. “We’re just excited.”
About the Author