Mercy Loses First Game of Season to Lauralton Hall, 52-41

Mercy was on fire in the first quarter of the Mercy Classic championship game, racing out to a 12-point lead over Lauralton Hall of Milford with ease. Unfortunately, much of the game had yet to be played.

The Crusaders shut down Mercy on the road over the final three quarters, winning 52-41 Thursday night and handing the Tigers their first defeat of the season.

I knew they were a very good team,” said Mercy Head Coach Tim Kohs. “While we played a very good first quarter, we should have been up more. That’s hard to say when we held them to six points, but when we were up 11-0 we had two chances for easy baskets, but we didn’t get them and gave up baskets instead.”

The Tigers led 18-6 following a Liz Falcigno free throw to begin the second quarter. But for the remainder of the period, Lauralton Hall went on a 16-6 run to get within a basket at the half, 24-22.

Mercy seemed to be regaining its composure as they scored the first two buckets of the second half, but it was imagined. The Crusaders limited Mercy to four points through the remainder of the quarter and earned a 34-42 lead on Cassie Gildea’s bucket to close out the quarter.

Lauralton Hall was able to take the lead by controlling the game in a multitude of ways. The Crusaders defense limited Mercy’s offensive flow and forced the Tigers into poor shots, the team used offensive movement to consistently find open shots, and Lauralton Hall easily controlled the boards on both ends.

Lauralton Hall controlled the fourth quarter.

“I think maybe fatigue got to us,” said Kohs. And they rebounded better as the game went on. I will say that Gildea is as good of a player as I’ve seen this season. She’s a menace on defense. She was on Maria {Weselyj} and did a great job. We just couldn’t handle her.

After closing to within two at 37-35 with 6:55 left to play, the Tigers didn’t score again until a traditional three-point play from Falcigno with 1:51 remaining, a score that only served to cut the deficit to 44-38. From there Lauralton Hall scored the next six points at the line to put the game away.

Lauralton Hall turned its defense up even more in the final quarter and refused to permit Mercy a strong look at the basket. Tiger offensive positions were rushed and frequently ended after one poor shot, leaving a possible comeback dead in the water.

“Offensively we found out we are nowhere near where we need to be,” said Kohs. “I’m not disappointed in that we competed and played very hard. But we did not play well. I’d like to play teams like that 20 teams a year. We’ll get better.”

Maria Weselyj led Mercy with 14 points. Jordan Nappi and Liz Falcigno each had 10 points, and both were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Cassie Gildea scored 14 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Michelle Desantis had 10 and was the Mercy Classic’s MVP.

Mercy next plays at Sacred Heart Academy of Hamden on January 6.