Bishop Guertin girls basketball ups tempo to get win over Cicero-North Syracuse (video)

NASHUA - This season has seen the Bishop Guertin High School girls basketball team have to try a few different things in order to find the level of play the Cardinals want to see.

As the regular season comes to a close, the players and coaches may have figured it all out.

Bishop Guertin used its full-court pressure defense to get easy baskets and ran away from Cicero-North Syracuse in the third quarter for a 73-42 win on Saturday.

Brooke Paquette scored 20 points for the Cardinals (14-3), including six straight in the final 40 seconds of the first quarter to help Bishop Guertin go on a 16-2 run that turned a seven-point deficit into a 25-18 lead early in the second quarter.

The Northstars answered with a 10-4 run to cut the lead to one midway through the second on back-to-back 3-pointers by Alexa Kulakowski, but the Cardinals scored the final seven points of the half. That carried over into the third quarter, as Bishop Guertin outscored CNS 21-0 over an eight-minute stretch to take over the game.

"We were down early, maybe seven or eight," Bishop Guertin coach Brad Kreick said. "We made a nice run at the end of the first quarter, but I thought the key to the game was the first three minutes of the third quarter. We came out and had a really good stretch. The snowball started rolling down hill."

Olivia Murray added 16 points while Caitlin Wheeler had eight points, including two 3-pointers, and Hannah Lynch added seven.

Kulakowski led the Northstars with 14 points, but 12 of those came in the first half, and Jillian Howell was also in double figures with 11 points. Alita Carey-Santangelo had just four points for CNS, as she sat most of the third quarter after picking up her third foul early in the half.

"They made their shots, kind of got that momentum going, and then they played with energy pretty much the rest of the game," CNS coach Rob Siechen said. "The start of the second half was kind of a continuation of the first half. They had the momentum and we never could really stop it and slow it down."

CNS jumped out to a 16-9 lead on a 3 by Howell and a jumper by Kulakowski with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter, but momentum swung on the Cardinals' next trip down the floor.

A foul on Kulakowski sent Wheeler to the line, and after she made both free throws, Bishop Guertin went into its press. Molly Smith came up with a steal and scored off it, and when the Northstars had trouble getting the ball inbounds, Siechen called a timeout.

CNS got the ball in after that, getting a basket by Howell, but Kate Daly answered with a 3-pointer to get Bishop Guertin within two. The Northstars turned it over on their final three possessions of the quarter and Paquette scored off each, including a diving layup with a second left on the clock.

"If you look at the games we’ve played against the best teams on our schedule, they are her best games," Kreick said of Paquette. "I think that says a lot about a kid who can step up and consistently perform at a high level against quality competition. We’ve gotten comfortable with knowing she’ll be there for us."

A 3 by Wheeler to open the second gave Bishop Guertin a 25-18 lead but CNS came back, going on a 10-4 run, with the 3s from Kulakowski making it 29-28 with 3:49 remaining in the half. But Smith answered with a basket and another Northstars turnover led to a pair of free throws from Lynch.

Another 3 before the half from Wheeler gave the Cardinals a 36-28 lead going into the break.

"We weren’t mentally strong (Saturday)," Siechen said. "They made more shots than we’ve seen them make on film. This floor is so small compared to the floor we’re used to playing on. It’s easier to do somethings and we weren’t smart a couple of times. I think we gave them 10 quick points in the second quarter and that started the momentum swing."

While the Cardinals have had to do things differently on defense for most of the year, they've only allowed an in-state opponent to score more than 45 points against them once.

"I think with this team, we’ve had to find a little bit of a different way to apply pressure than what we’ve done with some of our prior teams," Kreick said. "A lot of what you throughout the season was growing pains, maybe more for me than anyone else. Just trying to find the right balance between pressure and staying composed.

"I think we’re starting to find that right rhythm. We’ve got to play fast. We just have to find the right way for this team to play fast in a way that works for them. I feel like we’re getting there."

Bishop Guertin ends the regular season Sunday at 3 p.m. at Goffstown. The Division I playoffs are scheduled to begin on Tuesday and a win against the Grizzlies would likely secure a top four seed for the Cardinals.