The final piece of the 2016 NVL girls basketball tournament puzzle came together last night when St. Paul won 62-36 at Watertown.
Brigid Johndrow tallied 15 points and 10 assists while Lizzy Cretella led in scoring with 18 points. The Falcons finished 19-1 (17-1 NVL) and earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament. Holy Cross, the only team to beat St. Paul in the NVL this season, the top seed.
Here are the matchups for the quarterfinals on Saturday at Holy Cross:
No. 8 Wolcott (9-9 NVL) vs. No. 1 Holy Cross (17-1 NVL), noon
The Crusaders won easily at Wolcott on Jan. 8 in the only meeting between the teams. Of course, Holy Cross had Century McCartney in that game. They don’t now, unfortunately, because of the season-ending knee injury she sustained. The Crusaders are a different team without McCartney, but they are still very good. The Eagles are hoping to regain some momentum after losing five of six to end the regular season.
No. 6 Woodland (11-7 NVL) vs. No. 3 Kennedy (14-4 NVL), 1:45 p.m.
The Hawks won the lone matchup between these teams, 64-56 on Dec. 23 at Woodland. To say the least, Kennedy has turned the corner since, winning 15 of 16 games. The Eagles are one of the toughest teams in the NVL, and they could make some serious noise in this tournament. The Hawks were struggling at one point, having lost five of seven, but they rebounded with two straight wins to close the season.
No. 7 Seymour (10-8) vs. No. 2 St. Paul (17-1), 3:30 p.m.
The first divisional matchup of this year’s tournament happens in this game. The Falcons beat the Wildcats handily both times this season. St. Paul’s only loss in the NVL was to top seed Holy Cross. The Falcons have won seven straight games since that loss to the Crusaders. St. Paul and Holy Cross could see each other again in the NVL final, though others in the league will have something to say about that. Seymour had won five straight games before a loss in the season finale to St. Paul.
No. 5 Crosby (13-5) vs. No. 4 Watertown (14-4), 5:15 p.m.
These two teams met in the third game of the season, with the Indians taking a 54-35 win at Crosby. The Bulldogs righted their ship at the end of the season by winning five of six. Watertown had won five straight before losing its regular season finale to St. Paul last night.
The scene shifts to Kennedy High for the semifinals (Monday) and final (Wednesday). The semifinals are scheduled for 5 and 7 p.m. while the final is set for 7 p.m.
