Lady Bearcats Capture ECAC Championship
W
ith a pair of late free throws from sophomore Emily Fenton, the Lady Bearcats capped off a magical 2009-10 season with a 60-58 win over Juniata College to win the 2010 ECAC South region championship. Fenton’s two free throws, with 5.8 seconds left, broke a 58-all tie, and teammate Brittany Sedlock
intercepted Juniata’s in-bounds pass as time expired to clinch the championship for the Lady Bearcats. “I’m not going to lie, my heart was pounding,” Fenton said of her late-game heroics. “But my teammates were there, confident in me, and that made me feel a lot better under the pressure.” Unlike their previous two ECAC playoff games—wins over Pitt-Greensburg and Alvernia, where they trailed into the second half—the Lady Bearcats looked primed to take control from the start, jumping out to leads of 11-5 and 19-7. Juniata, recovered, however, and battled SVC blow for blow over the final 25 minutes, as the game featured four ties and six lead changes over the second half alone. Juniata led by as many as four—56-52—with three minutes left in the second half, but the Lady Bearcats kept their composure, and ended the game on an 8-2 run for the victory.
Junior Maria Baroffio led all scorers with 18 points, while Sedlock turned in her ninth double-double of the season, with 10 points and 12 rebounds, en route to being named the ECAC tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Playing against a much experienced team, the youthful Lady Bearcats kept their composure throughout the game, much to the delight of head coach Kristen Zawacki. “Everyone contributed in a different manner,” said Zawacki. “Point guard Kathy Bianco controlled the basketball. Emily was her usual self, knocking down shots and controlling the tempo. Baroffio got us off to such a strong start. Sedlock just had a terrific game, and tournament. She was certainly deserving of the MVP.” As had been the case throughout the season, the Lady Bearcats boasted a balanced scoring attack. Six players scored at least seven points in the championship tilt, including Baroffio (18), Sedlock (10), Fenton (9), Melissa Mansur (8), Megan DePrimio (8), and Devin McGrath (7). The victory ended the Lady Bearcats’ season with a 23-5 overall record, the highest amount of wins for the team in over a decade. “We’re no secret to anyone anymore,” she said. This tournament experience should prepare our kids for what they’ll see in Presidents’ Athletic Conference play throughout the year next season. I’m pleased with the whole experience, and that we were able to have such a year. We’re definitely more prepared to head into the schedule next season.”
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