For The Dialog
MILLTOWN – Padua, coming off a near-upset of No. 4 St. Elizabeth over the weekend, rebounded in fine fashion on Feb. 22, coming back from a five-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat St. Mark’s, 50-41.
The game was tied at 31 after the third quarter, and the Spartans’ Kaitlynn Wolff started the fourth with an offensive rebound and converted it into a three-point play. Her sister, Kayla, then hit two free throws to give the home team a 36-31 lead. After a three-point shot for Padua’s Gabby Julian, St. Mark’s Kendra Schweizer drained a 12-foot jumper to put her team in front, 38-34.
That is when Padua senior Megan Mallon took over, as she hit four straight free throws and two layups as part of a 10-0 Pandas run as they claimed a 44-38 lead. Mackenzie Scully also made four free throws, and Olivia Craig scored on a layup in the final minute for the final margin.
The Pandas were hitting the three ball early as Julian scored on two triples and Mallon added one as the visitors led, 14-8, at the end of one quarter. Mallon scored twice more from long distance in the second and had all eight of the Pandas’ points. She said the three-pointers were just falling.
“My inside game wasn’t working early, so I hit a three, and after I made it I hit a couple more,” she said.
St. Mark’s Delaney Carey took over in the last few minutes of the first half, leading an 11-2 run that gave the Spartans a 25-22 halftime advantage. She scored nine points during that stretch, all inside. A low-scoring third quarter went 8-5 in Padua’s favor, setting up the fireworks in the fourth.
Mallon ended up with 28 points to lead the Pandas, and Julian added 11. Padua improved to 9-10 and finishes the regular season Tuesday at second-ranked Sanford at 5:15 p.m. Mallon said the team’s tough schedule – Padua has played its conference foes twice, Caravel twice and Concord – will help the Pandas as the tournament nears.
“We struggled early against the tough schedule and picked up some wins coming down the stretch,” she said.
Carey led the Spartans with 17 points, while Kaitlynn Wolff had 13. St. Mark’s finished the regular season at 7-13 but should earn a spot in the postseason when the brackets are announced on Friday afternoon.
