Garnet Valley and Kylie Mulholland, here taking a shot against Conestoga last month, fell short of Upper St. Clair in a PIAA state semifinal game Friday night. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matthew DeGeorge
Kylie Mulholland trudged to the bench at James Buchanan High School with 28.1 seconds left Friday night and buried her head in the top of her Garnet Valley jersey.
When Savannah Saunders joined her less than eight seconds of game clock later, the comeback they had tried to inspire definitively dashed, they comprised a poignant symbol of how the Jaguars’ run ended.
The Jaguars struggled to meter their physicality in the PIAA Class 6A semifinal against Upper St. Clair. Combined with a stellar shooting performance from the Panthers from 3-point range, Garnet Valley’s journey ended one win shy of Hershey with a 53-49 setback.
“I mean, it was 5-0 in both quarters on fouls, which didn’t help us,” Mulholland said. “Sav was on the bench most of the game, which we need her in the game. Having those fouls on us, they were very frustrating and flustering, and I think we kind of got off our game a little, and we didn’t play our best.”
Mulholland, Garnet Valley’s sparkplug point guard, wields the information as explanation, not excuse. Garnet Valley was whistled for 21 fouls to Upper St. Clair’s 10. The Jaguars committed the first 10 fouls of the second half, in the estimation of the officials, the District 7 champion’s defense judged pristine from halftime until 1:57 remained in regulation.
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