The fourth straight season, the McAuley Catholic girls basketball team will compete for a district championship.
Second-seeded McAuley Catholic defeated third-seeded Bronaugh 48-41 in a semifinal contest of the Class 1 District 5 tournament on Tuesday night at Thomas Jefferson.
“Tonight was a fantastic game,” Warriors coach Mike Howard said. “It was a rematch of a game that came down to the wire last week at Bronaugh. We came up on the short end of that game and we were determined not to let that happen again. Our girls battled extremely hard tonight and showed a lot of energy and grit. Our leaders stepped up and made some big shots down the stretch. Our seniors were determined to get back to the district championship game for the fourth time in four years.”
The Warriors (18-10) will meet No. 1 seed Golden City (21-5) at 6 on Friday in the district championship game.
“We face a difficult challenge in Golden City for the district championship,” Howard said. “We will study film and be as prepared as possible for this game. Our girls will be ready! They are not ready to be finished playing!”
McAuley led 13-7 at the end of the first quarter and took a 23-22 lead into halftime.
The Warriors won the third period 13-5 to go up 36-27. Bronaugh outscored McAuley 14-12 in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors never gave up the lead.
“I want to applaud Bronaugh for a fantastic season,” Howard said. “They only had six girls on their roster all year. We have faced our own challenges this year, so we know what it’s like to play with low numbers. But to do it for an entire season says a lot about their character and commitment. Hats off to them for making the most of what they have.”
Kennedy DeRuy scored 22 points to lead McAuley, while Kloee Williamson had 12 points and Avery Eminger added nine.
Nicole Hagerman scored 18 points for Bronaugh and Gretchen Banes added 10.
Golden City handled fifth-seeded Sheldon 46-25 in Tuesday’s other semifinal.
Brooke Beerly scored 23 points for Golden City, while Maggie Reed added 12.
Madison Garren and Deborah Lamb scored eight points apiece for Sheldon.
