Lady Cavs eliminateCedar Crest

by Brian O'Connell assistant sports editor

The women's basketball team opened the playoffs on a positive note, registering a 6950 win over the Cedar Crest Classics at the Dixon Center this past Tuesday.

This was the first of what Cabrini hopes will be an enjoyable ride which will crown them the champions of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.

Cabrini opened the game firing away to take an early 26-9 lead, thanks to 10 early points by first-year student Erin Crawford. Crawford scored 10 of the Cavs first 13 points of the game. The Cavs forced a fastpaced game staying in a 2-3 zone defense, creating turnovers and scoring on fast breaks.

'We were fortunate to win this game," head coach Dan Welde said.

"I was also pleased with the defense on [Cedar Crest's] Angela Ensley," Welde said.

Ensley, a junior forward, lead the conference in scoring during the regular season, averaging 24.9 points per game.

However, Cedar Crest managed to bounce back.

After a time-out, the Classics played a man-to-man, full court defense, forcing

Cavalier turnovers and pulling within 2619.

Cabrini responded to take a 42-32 lead into the locker room at halftime. Cabrini held a 21-20 edge in rebounding at the half.

First-year players Crawford and Mary Ellen Murphy combined for 25 of the Cavs' 42 halftime points, with Murphy chipping in with eight points.

Melissa Posse was not the offensive threat theat the Cavs are used to seeing. Posse finished the half with three points.

The second half was a war between the

UPNEXT... Cabrini Lady Cavaliers vs. Marywood Lady Pacers Friday,Feb.26

Time:TBA Location:Gwynedd-Mercy

teams. Cedar Crest came out firing in the second half.

However, Cabrini responded to take a 4835 lead and never looked back. The Cavs' defense was the story for the remainder of the game, forcing turnovers and converting on fast breaks to seal the victory.

Crawford and finished with nineteen points, while Murphy added fifteen points.

Posse, Cabrini's first-ever 2,000 point scorer, finished with five points.

For Cedar Crest, Angela Ensley led the way with eighteen points.

"I thought we played tough and really took it to them," Murphy said.

"I was a little nervous coming out for the first time in the playoffs," Crawford said.

Now, the Lady Cavs can look forward to the next playoff game of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, which will be held this Friday, Feb. 26, at Gwynedd-Mercy. Cabrini is the number two seed in the conference and awaits the winner of the MarywoodWesley game.

The championship tournament will be held this Friday and Saturday at the home of top-seed Gwynedd Mercy.

"Our goal is to take the rest of the playoffs one game at a time because we have a big weekend ahead of us at Gwynedd," said

Welde.

Now with one playoff win taken care of, the Lady Cavs strive to bring home the title which is well within their reach.

"This is a big weekend for us," said Murphy. "We don't want to think about the championship until it's time."

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