SAN FRANCISCO - Archbishop Mitty finished a perfect 12-0 conference slate with a convincing win over St. Ignatius Saturday night. The Monarchs used their superior height and depth to overwhelm the Wildcats 66-35 to spoil Senior Night for the host Wildcats.
After being down by nine after the first quarter, the Wildcats used an 8-0 run to pull within 20-17. The 8-0 run was highlighted by a three-pointer courtesy of leading scorer Hanna Lee.
After a quick timeout by head coach Sue Phillips, the Monarchs immediately responded .
Three consecutive threes from Haley Jones, Danielle Guglielmo, and Jahny Anderson put the Monarchs up by 12 to pull away. They extended their lead to 14 to take a halftime lead of 33-19.
The Monarchs continued to increase their lead in the third quarter to outscore the Wildcats 13-8. Between Madeline Holland and freshman Haley Jones’ effort, the Monarchs offense was nearly unstoppable.
Mitty’s offense was characterized by crisp passing and unselfish plays. The Monarchs repeatedly found Jones and Holland under the basket for easy layups.
Jones, a freshman, paced the Monarchs with 16 points and seven rebounds. She contributed five points in the third quarter to continue the Monarchs’ dominating offensive effort.
Holland led the Monarchs in the third quarter, contributing four points and five rebounds.
“They’re a good offensive and defensive team," said Holland of the Wildcats. "They got a lot of 'O' boards so we had to adjust to that.”
When asked about her team’s success, Holland added: “Our mentality is to push hard no matter who we play; if we’re up by a lot or down by a little. Coach Phillips reinforced that during halftime.”
The Monarchs continued their offensive and defensive dominance in the fourth quarter. Out-rebounding the Wildcats 11-2 and getting points from five different players, the Monarchs were able to seal the victory.
“One of our greatest strengths is our depth and versatility with our lineup,” Phillips said. "We can go with different combinations; a smaller quicker lineup versus a bigger, longer lineup and do different trapping schemes.”
St. Ignatius put up a good fight, but Mitty’s disciplined offense and overwhelming height was challenging for the Wildcats to handle.
Wildcats coach Mike Mulkerrins was pleased with his team’s effort and credited the seniors.
“Four of our seniors have had to battle through injuries," said Mulkerrins. "I credit them to be out here to play hard for their school. [Mitty] is a highly talented team; they’re really young, they’re long, athletic. They’re a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams.”
The CCS playoffs start this week with Mitty looking poised to go deep into the playoffs. Matchups will be announced tomorrow.
