C.R. North shuts down Lower Merion

Council Rock North overwhelmed Lower Merion on Wednesday night in the District 1 Class AAAA girls' basketball semifinals, dropping the Aces, 45-32.

The only time Council Rock North trailed was by 2-0. The Indians shut down Lila Jones, Lower Merion's leading scorer (14.5 ppg.) and held her to seven points. They stopped 6-foot-2 sophomore reserve Carmen Torres, who had recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds in the quarterfinals against Cheltenham, holding the forward to six points.

Senior forward Emily Grundman broke a five-game streak in which she hadn't scored in double figures for North, recording a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.

North was business-like. The Indians sealed the interior, outrebounding the Aces, 23-19. They committed just eight team turnovers to Lower Merion's 15.

But with about two minutes to go, something bad happened - potentially season-crippling. After getting hit, starting guard Lauren Gold came up lame. She will need an MRI and was on crutches after the game.

"I don't know what we'll do without her," North coach Lou Palkovics said. "She makes us go."

North advanced to the district title game, scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Villanova against Mount St. Joseph.

"I do know that Lauren is a trooper, so hopefully she'll be able to pull through," Grundman said. "But if she doesn't, I don't think it's something that we can rely on. We can't blame anything on the fact that we [might] be without Lauren."

The Indians reeled off 11 straight points after trailing by a bucket after the game's first possession. That was just the first of a series of runs that became the theme of the game.

Holding a seven-point advantage after the first quarter, North went off. The Indians opened the second with a 9-2 run that pushed the lead to 20-6. Then, over the final five minutes before halftime, they outscored Lower Merion 8-6, putting their intermission lead at 18 points.

North (25-1), the tournament's top seed, shot 50 percent in the opening half, 9 for 18. Meanwhile, the Aces shot only 5 for 18, 27 percent.

Lower Merion (21-4) had overcome a nine-point deficit to beat Cheltenham, but the Indians ran too far in front for a comeback to be possible. North's biggest lead, 20 points, came after the first possession of the third quarter. The Aces never got closer than 12.

Lower Merion was led by Sheba Hall (Manhattan recruit), who scored 12 points and had a team-high seven boards.

Lower Merion   4 6 7 15 – 32

Council Rock North   11 17 5 12 – 45

LM: Sheba Hall 12, Jessie Porter 4, Rosie Stahler 2, Lila Jones 8, Carmen Torres 6.

CRN: Devin Gold 4, Alyssa Dumont 2, Lauren Gold 7, Emily Grundman 16, Megan Cunningham 3, Helena Gemmell 13.