Springfield’s Mia Valerio, left, makes er move in the fourth quarter Tuesday night as Merion Mercy’s Francesca Scarpone tries to keep up in a game won by the Cougars. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group).
By Terry Toohey
Once again Springfield found a way to win. That’s what the Cougars do. It night be often pretty, but it’s effective.
On a night when their shots weren’t falling, the top-seeded Cougars relied on their relentless defense and solid free-throw shooting to pull out a 29-25 victory over ninth-seeded Merion Mercy in the District 1 Class 6A quarterfinals Tuesday night.
“It’s not as much skill as hard work,” said junior forward Anabel Kreydt, who scored eight points, pulled down nine rebounds and handed out an assist. “That’s what we do.”
The two-time defending district champion Cougars (16-7) followed that script to the letter to extend their district playoff winning streak to eight games and advance to the district semifinals for the fourth year in a row. Springfield will host fourth-seeded Bishop Shanahan, a 42-39 winner over No. 5 Harriton Friday night. The Cougars beat the Eagles, 46-38, a little more than a month ago.