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By Matt Smith

Mary DeSimone’s hot hand from 3-point land in the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal round helped Archbishop Carroll advance to the final four for a second year in a row.

The senior guard didn’t have many opportunities to shoot the ball Tuesday, but didn’t disappoint when she held Carroll’s state fate in her hands.

DeSimone stood at the foul line in overtime and made both attempts to give Carroll the lead for good against District 11 champion Southern Lehigh. The Patriots then went 9-for-10 at the charity stripe in the extra session en route to a 39-32 victory.

Carroll will thus play District 7 champion Chartiers Valley Saturday in the Class 5A championship game at the Giant Center in Hershey. Carroll is vying for its third PIAA title.

DeSimone was ready for the pressure-packed moment.

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By Bob Grotz

Bonner & Prendergast was right where it needed to be entering the final frame of its PIAA Class 4A girls semifinal with Bethlehem Catholic Tuesday at Souderton High.

One quarter separated the Pandas from what could be a first trip to the state championship game, the contest knotted at 35.

The Pandas grabbed just their third lead since the first quarter on a free throw from Maeve McCann in the first minute.

But in the time it takes to say, step-back jumper, junior point guard Jaleesa Lanier deposited the first of four fourth-quarter buckets, including one of her four three-pointers, to kickstart a 12-2 run that proved fatal to the Pandas, who exited on the wrong side of 64-50.

It was the second straight season Tom Stewart and the Pandas (20-10) hit the green only to miss the birdie putt. They just didn’t have an answer for Lanier, who finished with 26 points.

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By Terry Toohey

Bonner & Prendergast’s talented cast went into the locker room at halftime of a PIAA Class 4A state semifinal with Lower Moreland up eight points and not exactly happy about it.

The District 1 champion Lions definitely had the Friars out of their comfort zone, so the Bonner & Prendie players had a little chat.

“We were talking about how this could be our last 16 minutes ever,” senior guard Mike Perretta said. “We just woke up and jumped on them from the start.”

The District 12 champions put together a third quarter for the ages to roll over the Lions, 83-47, and advance to their first state championship game in program history.

The Friars (22-5) tallied 31 points in the period, one more than they had in the first half, to take a 61-31 lead into the fourth quarter. As scrappy as the Lions (28-3) were, the 30-point deficit was too much for Lower Moreland to realize its dream of going to the state final for the first time.

The win extended Bonner & Prendie’s winning streak to five games, the last four have been by an average of 26.25 points.

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By Matt Smith

Garnet Valley is going to work on its foul shooting in practice this week. It is one of the few basketball teams remaining in Pennsylvania that can say such a thing.

Despite shooting 55.8 percent from the floor (19-for-34) in a PIAA Class 6A semifinal at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School Monday night, the Jaguars incurred some problems at the charity stripe. Eight missed freebies had left the window cracked for Neshaminy, which had trailed by eight points with 45 seconds to play.

Amid the amplified roars of Neshaminy’s student section, Jill Nagy stepped to the line with 8.5 seconds to go. The senior guard missed the first shot, but made the second to put GV ahead by three points.

Neshaminy had a chance to tie. Senior guard Allison Harvey, who is probably the team’s best 3-point shooter, had an open look from the corner. The ball went in and out of the basket. Brooke Mullin corralled the rebound, but time ran out before Mullin could kick the ball back out.

Garnet Valley claimed a 51-48 victory and is going to Hershey Friday night to play for the program’s first state championship.

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By Bob Grotz

The Garnet Valley girls didn’t exhale Monday night until a last-second three-pointer by Neshaminy rimmed in and out.

Then the carrying on began, and deservedly so. The Jaguars are the first basketball team in the history of the school to reach a state title game. The Class 6A championship is Friday at the Giant Center in – just in case you missed the chorus – Hershey, Hershey, Hershey!

Not long after that, the Bonner & Prendergast boys punched their ticket to Hershey. Didn’t take long at all, the Friars effectively putting Lower Moreland away in the third quarter of an 83-47 decision in the Class 4A bracket.

Two of the most memorable moments in those games came from players who didn’t lead their teams in scoring but belong in the One Shining Moment highlights.

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By Aaron Carter

When you wear a size-16 shoe, generally speaking, you step wherever you would like.