POTTSVILLE - With the Marian Fillies returning just one starter from last year, not too many people expected them to be around at this time of the post-season playoffs.
Head coach Paul Brutto has had his team in the playoffs like it was a yearly ritual. So to see his team one game away for a shot at a District 11 Class A title didn't surprise him.
The Fillies (16-9) ran in to a more experienced Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg team on Wednesday night and they came up a bit short, falling to the Spartans, 40-32 at Martz Hall in Pottsville.
The Spartans lost to the Fillies last year in overtime and waited 12 months to erase that memory.
Marian had to play without leading scorer and junior guard Gabby Green, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the win over Nativity over the weekend.
The Fillies also had freshman Savana Krusinsky, who was playing well with six points in the first quarter, become ill in the second quarter. She was taken to the locker room, suffering from nausea, and didn't get back into the game until just under 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Marian was able to stay with Notre Dame during the first half as Emily Sofranko scored all eight of her points befor