Taylor Wilson, seen here going up for a shot in a game last month, scored 12 of her team-high 14 points in the third quarter in Friday’s PIAA Class 6A quarterfinal at Nazareth Area. The Patriots, however, were shut out on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter en route to a 50-35 defeat. MEDIANEWS GROUP FILE PHOTO
By Matt Smith
Archbishop Carroll had one hot quarter and three not-so-good ones Friday night.
Ultimately, the inconsistency on offense resulted in a season-ending loss in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinal round at Nazareth Area.
The Patriots were shut out in the final stanza and dropped a 50-35 decision to the District 11 champion Blue Eagles (17-1).
Carroll seemed to get a late start in pregame warm-ups. There were roughly 12 minutes left on the pre-game clock before the Patriots rushed out onto the floor to get their work in, while Nazareth had spent the last 15-plus minutes in shootaround.
Not to make any excuses for the Patriots, who were forced to move up to the highest classification in the state this year, but they were cold in the early going.
Karli Dougherty, one of Carroll’s senior leaders, said the Patriots were ready to go, but perhaps they were feeling the pressure of playing an excellent team that had the home advantage.
“We were really prepared, but we were nervous,” said Dougherty, who produced four points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. “We were a little bit nervous like anyone would be. I mean, we’re going in states, so who wouldn’t be a little bit nervous? If you lose, you’re done. Yeah, we definitely did have a slow start, but we definitely turned it around.”