Cardinals Fly Past Eagles in the Fourth

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata women's basketball team couldn't quite hang onto their lead as they lost to Catholic, 79-71, Tuesday evening inside Memorial Gymnasium. 

Cassie Mock (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central Martinsburg) drilled a three from the top of the key off a pass from Averie Hess (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore) to open the scoring for the Eagles. The Cardinals answered with a three of their own before Madison Colyer(Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) found Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa. / West Perry) down low, who finished with a nifty reverse. 

The teams traded buckets as the game kept its fanatic pace early on. Colyer got a steal on one end, and she took it the other direction. She kicked it to Grace Long (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) on the left-wing, who swished a three to make it 15-12 JC. A few possessions later, Colyer kicked it to Jamie Mahigel (Lewistown, Pa. / Mifflin County) on the left-wing, and she drilled a three to make it 20-17. Kynnedy Miller's (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon Area HS) three in the final 30 seconds made it 25-21 as the Eagles led by four after one. Juniata shot 58.8% from the field and made five threes in the first quarter. 

The second quarter was more of the same, with the Eagle lead never getting past six as Juniata couldn't gain any separation from the visiting Cardinals. Long's free throws in the final seconds pushed the advantage to eight, 48-40, heading into the half.  

Juniata jumped ahead early in the third, with an impressive sequence by Colyer expanding the lead to 12. First, she stole the ball on the right side and took it all the way down the other way for a layup. Next, she stole the ensuing inbounds pass on the left side and converted a jumper on the left side, which made it 54-42 a minute and a half into the third.  

The Cardinals slowly clawed their way back, with two foul shots in the final 27 seconds, making it 63-60 Juniata heading into the final frame. JC struggled with turnovers in the quarter, losing the ball nine times.  

Catholic scored twice in the first 49 seconds to take the lead, and they would not relinquish it. The Eagles managed to cut the lead to four in the final five and half minutes, first on a Taylor Vrabel (Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg) layup and a Mock jumper from Miller in the final 43 seconds. But JC couldn't complete the comeback as the visitors made their foul shots down the stretch to ice the game. 

All five starters scored in double figures for the Eagles, with Mock and Stauffer each tallying 12. 

The Eagles are off this weekend and will take on Catholic next Tuesday. Tipoff is at 7:00.