Stayin' alive!

Marian could have called it quits long before playing rival Mahanoy Area on Monday in a Schuylkill League Division 3 girls' basketball game.Prior to the game, the math said the Fillies were a long shot at catching the division-leading Bears, who held a two-game lead with just two games remaining.But Marian wasn't conceding anything. The Fillies prevented - or at least delayed - a Mahanoy Area title-clincher by pulling out a 45-41 victory.To be sure, Mahanoy Area (18-3, 10-2) will be a heavy favorite to win the division and advance to next week's opening round of the league playoffs when it travels to Williams Valley (2-10 in league play) this evening.But the Fillies weren't thinking about that. They were just enjoying the victory."This is such a confidence boost for us,' said a happy Brenna Karnish, who led her team to the victory with a monster 25-point performance.Marian (14-6, 9-3) had a point to prove. It wasn't letting the Bears come into its house and leave with the hardware that has been resting in Hometown for what seems like eons."They did a great job tonight," said Mahanoy Area coach Tom Scheeler. "We knew it wasn't going to come easy. Marian finds a way to do things. Karnish was unbelievable for them."Karnish's big game helped the Fillies bounce back after an upset loss to Shenandoah in their last game more than likely derailed their division title hopes."We needed a big game like this to get us back to where we want to be, " Karnish said.While Karnish was carrying the offensive load, the Fillies were getting superb play throughout the night on the defensive side. They battled inside for rebounds, getting huge efforts from Brianna Raabe and Emma McClafferty. Then there was the guard play of Emily Shaud, who would toss in 12 points and seal the deal at the foul line in the waning seconds. Shaud shared backcourt time with Jillian Correale, Macy Alansky, and Reese Erbe, who all made contributions."Our guards did a great job defending," said Marian coach Paul Brutto. "We also got a great game out of Brenna, our senior leader, and then Shaud had a great game too."Mahanoy has a nice team. They've got some offensive weapons, so it's a really nice win."Marian had to weather some big runs the Bears put on down the stretch.Down 35-31 to open the final period, Mahanoy Area turned to its best player in sophomore Abbey McGee. The southpaw nailed two outside jumpers sandwiched around a Megan Babinsky foul shot that gave the Bears a 36-35 lead.Karnish then started to will her team to victory.First she hit an inside basket to give the Fillies the lead. She followed that up by swishing a triple from the Lakeside Ballroom before adding two fouls at the 35-second mark putting her team ahead, 42-38.Still it wasn't in the pocketbook after McGee hit a step-back trey from the top of the key closing the Bears to within 42-41.Marian then put the ball in the hands of its freshman guard Shaud, who iced the game at the foul line.CLUTCH ...Brutto called it a clutch win and said it shows what the Fillies are capable of doing.SHOOTING STARS ...McGee's 17 led Mahanoy. Karnish's big night for the Fillies included five triples.MAHANOY AREAMcGee 7-0-0-15, Bisco 3-0-0-8, Karmonick 2-0-0-6, Babinsky 1-2-4-4, Cavenas 2-0-0-4, Bernardyn 1-0-0-2, Byrne 10-0-2. TOTALS: 17-2-4-41MARIANKarnish 8-4-5-25, Shaud 3-4-6-12, McClafferty 1-2-4-4, Raabe 0-0-0-0, Erbe 0-0-0-0, Correale 1-0-0-2, Alansky 10-0-2, Schwabe 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 24-10-15-45.Mahanoy Area 7 5 18 10 - 41Marian 4 13 18 10 - 45Three-pointers: MA - Bisco 2, Karmonick 2, McGee. Marian - Karnish 5, Shaud 2.