Marian's game against Tri-Valley last night may have started a little ahead of schedule, but the Fillies defense made sure it showed up just in time to preserve a 46-31 Schuylkill League victory over the Lady Bulldogs.

Trailing by five points at the end of the first quarter, Marian seemed to be a little out of sync from the get-go. However, after a lackluster first quarter, the Fillies not only began to find their shot, they began to find their identity, which begins and ends with vintage Marian defense.The Fillies' full-court pressure started taking its toll on Tri-Valley, as Marian turned a 13-8 deficit into a 17-13 lead by outscoring the Bulldogs 9-0 to begin the second quarter.Back-to-back three-pointers by Katie Dietrich and Paige Doyle put Tri-Valley back ahead mid-way through the frame, but a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Brenna Karnish turned a would-be two-point halftime deficit into a 22-21 Marian lead entering the break."It was a big shot and it made a big difference in the game," stated Marian head coach Paul Brutto. "It gave the team some energy, and you're now up a point instead of down two at the half. Obviously, it was a big play going in, but it's how you come out that really matters."...And Marian passed that test with flying colors.The Fillies converted five of their seven shots in the third frame, and held Tri-Valley to just 2-for-14 from the field, as the Bulldogs missed their last 10 shots of the quarter - a quarter in which Marian broke away by outscoring the Bulldogs 14-4, en route to a double-digit lead (36-25)."They only scored 10 points on us after halftime (after scoring 21 points in the first 16 minutes), so our defense was much better in the second half than it was in the first," added Brutto. "We were more active and aggressive and we caused some turnovers, but the big difference was that we just didn't allow them to take the same shots they were able to get off in the first half."Abby Whildin scored a game-high 15 points to lead Marian (9-3, 5-1), while Madison Stoyer chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds."Madison played well for us tonight," lauded Brutto. "She didn't start for us for the first five games or so, but she's starting to come on strong. She gave us double-digit points tonight and she's scored in double figures the past couple of games. She has some size and a little strength inside, and she's one of the few girls on our team right now that possess those traits."For Tri-Valley (8-6, 2-4), Paige Doyle led the way with 11 points, including three three-pointers.In the JV game, Marian pulled off a 37-20 victory.TRI-VALLEYNewswanger 2-0-0-4, Doyle 4-0-0-11, Deibert 0-0-0-0, Header 2-1-2-5, A. Pacenta 0-0-0-0, Dietrich 3-0-0-7, Connell 0-0-0-0, Romberger 0-0-0-0, B. Pacenta 1-0-0-2, Harner 0-0-2-0, Scheib 1-0-2-2. TOTALS: 13-1-6-31.MARIANWhildin 5-5-5-15, Whitecavage 3-0-0-7, Correale 1-0-0-2, Shaud 1-1-4-3, Mahon 0-0-0-0, Capparell 0-0-0-0, Karnish 3-1-2-8, Stoyer 5-1-2-11. TOTALS: 18-8-13-46.Tri-Valley 13 8 4 6 - 31Marian 8 14 14 10 - 46Three-Pointers: Tri-Valley - Doyle 3, Dietrich 1; Marian - Whitecavage 1, Karnish 1.