Merion Mercy surprises second-seeded Radnor

It was an upset according to the seedings, but there was no doubt who the better team was in the Radnor gym Friday night.

Behind a total team effort, 10th-seeded Merion Mercy easily knocked off second seed Radnor, 50-30, in the quarterfinals of the PIAA District 1 Class AAA girls' basketball tournament.

"The rankings are what they are in terms of records," Merion coach Rob Baxter said. "I think they could have been flipped, but we are where we're supposed to be."

Merion (16-10) jumped out to an 23-11 halftime lead and stifled the home crowd behind strong play from junior forward Tina DiGiacomo and senior guard Julia D'Orazio. DiGiacomo finished with a game-high 12 points, and D'Orazio added five points and 12 rebounds.

"She makes things happen," Baxter said of D'Orazio.

"She may not always get points, but she's always doing something for us and propels everyone else to play a little bit harder."

Radnor (19-7) improved its play in the second half, sparked by junior guard Myonie Williamson, who finished with eight points and six rebounds. But the Red Raiders were unable to put a run together. Merion built its lead to as many as 26 points.

Baxter attributed his team's success in the tournament to its experience in Catholic Academies play. The Golden Bears beat seventh-seeded Villa Joseph Marie in the first round.

"It's a big advantage," Baxter said. "Every game, doesn't matter what the records are, seems to be a battle, and you never feel like you get an easy game."

Merion Mercy will move on to play Pope John Paul II in the semifinals. The third-seeded Knights defeated sixth seed Chichester, 56-39, Friday night.

"We need to do a better job of getting into our offensive sets," Baxter said. "We get a little rattled and we don't run our plays, and eventually that's going to catch up to us."

Merion Mercy   9 14 12 15 – 50

Radnor   4 7 8 11 – 30

MM: Tina DiGiacomo 12, Mary Zeller 9, Christina O'Shea 9, Caroline Corzel 6, Martha Zeller 5, Julianne D'Orazio 5, Valez Jackson 2, Maria DiGiacomo 2.

R: Lindsay Price 8, Myonie Williamson 6, Taylor Quinn 6, Brynn Waler 4, Kyla Crombie 3, Shannon Quinn 3.