By Matt Smith
The third time was the charm for Marple Newtown and Garnet Valley.
In the Central League semifinals Saturday, the Tigers and Jaguars avenged regular-season heartbreaks, clinching their sports to Monday’s final (Ridley, 6 p.m.).
Marple defeated No. 2 Springfield, 45-40, in overtime. Nikki Mostardi hit a floater to give the Tigers the lead in overtime, and Mary O’Brien was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory.
The third-seeded Tigers (17-5) were winless in two contests against the Cougars, the reigning league champions.
“It was a monkey off our backs,” coach Ryan Wolski said. “It was a close game the entire time. The kids battled. They wanted it. (Springfield’s Taylor Hunyet) hit two big free throws for them (to tie the game in the fourth quarter). Same kid who made them to beat us last time. I was thinking, oh no, here we go again.”