Pickin' Splinters

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Hintz scores at the horn; Mercy outlasts HF-L in overtime

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Our Lady of Mercy’s Audrey Hintz goes to the basket during Thursday’s non-league matchup. HF-L’s Teagan Kamm defends on the play. (Photo: RON ANDREWS)

By PAUL GOTHAM

HONEOYE FALLS, N.Y. — The play did not go as designed, but the outcome was favorable for the Our Lady of Mercy Monarchs.

Audrey Hintz grabbed the rebound off her own missed shot and finished along the right side of the lane to lift Mercy in overtime.

“I’m glad we pulled that one out,” the junior center said after the Monarchs’ 48-47 win over Honeoye Falls-Lima, Thursday night. “I’m just so excited. It was looking a little grim for a little bit. We pulled through, and I’m so glad I could do that.”

Trailing by one with 9.2 seconds remaining in the extra period, Hintz grabbed the rebound off a blocked shot and missed on her first attempt before scoring as the final horn sounded.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM RON ANDREWS HERE. 

“It was not what we drew up, but I guess it was better than what we drew up,” Mercy head coach Kara Ingalls said with a smile. “It was more exciting than what I drew up. We preach doing the little things and getting offensive rebounds is a little thing. The fact that she was hungry for it and got the two offensive rebounds in the last seconds was special. Very proud of her especially being a junior. It’s a big moment for her.”

The buzzer-beater capped an effort that saw Mercy erase a five-point deficit late in the third quarter and take a six-point lead early in the fourth only to have HF-L rally and tie the game at the end of regulation.

“We wanted that win so badly,” Hintz said. “After coming off two losses, we wanted to get back and get that win, so we can move forward for the rest of the season.”

Trailing throughout most of the first half, Mercy used a 12-1 run that started late in the third and stretched into the fourth to take a 38-32 lead. Hintz scored eight and handed out an assist during that stretch when the Monarchs defense forced six turnovers.

“Offensively, we were struggling.” Ingalls explained. “We weren’t hitting those outside shots that sometimes we get. I knew that if we were going to get momentum, it had to come from our defense and it had to come from pressuring them.

“We knew that if we could press them the whole second half, we would get them tired and hopefully fatigue them a little bit to get some of those easier transition points. That’s what we needed. We needed to get easy shots to hopefully then build on our offense.”

But the Monarchs could get any separation from HF-L.

Teagan Kamm scored six straight to tie the game. The senior converted a pair of free throws, then took a dish from Clare Ruff and finished in the lane before scoring in transition for a 38-38 game.

The 6-foot-1 center converted two more from the stripe, and the Cougars led 40-38.

“Teagan Kamm is a great player,” Ingalls said of the Assumption University commit who grabbed her 1,000th career rebound early in the third quarter of Thursday’s game.

“We knew we had to defend her as a team because she’s a beast. That’s what we had to do. We knew we had to put a body on her. Even when we had people around her, she still rebounded over us. She’s a fantastic player. She’s going to do really well in college.”

Sophie Dearcop hit a free throw, and Karli Harnischfeger used a spin move from the wing to get free for a layup and a three-point Mercy lead at 43-40.

Ruff sent the game to overtime with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Libby McDonough hit a free throw to start the scoring in overtime. Hintz converted two from the stripe for a three-point Mercy lead.

Kamm connected from the right wing and then set up Grace Hoffman for a 47-46 HF-L lead with 40.2 seconds left in overtime.

After committing a turnover, Mercy’s defense forced a shot-clock violation to regain possession for the game winner.

Hintz led Mercy (7-4) with 13 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Maddie Fitzgerald, Harnischfeger and McDonough scored 10 points apiece. Harnischfeger handed out five assists. Dearcop added five points.

Mercy had fallen to Waterloo and Bishop Kearney in its previous outings.

Kamm finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. Kamm is averaging 17.4 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. Ruff scored nine points. Whitley Easton had five. Shaye Angelo and Caroline Smith had four apiece for the Cougars (6-4). Samantha Osovski (3), Hoffamn (2) and Mollie Finn (1) rounded out the scoring for HF-L.

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