Mother McAuley turns up the pressure in win against Aurora Central

Host Mother McAuley’s stranglehold on the game was starting to loosen in the fourth quarter Tuesday night in the second round of the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference playoffs. The Mighty Macs had led by as many as 15 points before Aurora Central cut the lead to five.

But Mother McAuley, which had a first-round bye, responded with a three-pointer by sophomore forward Ava Little and two quick layups off turnovers.

That and relentless pressure allowed the Mighty Macs to create the necessary separation for a 70-62 victory.

“It really comes down to us just really talking to each other and knowing when to rotate and go,” said senior forward Delia Sullivan, who finished with 20 points. “I think, especially, having Ava Little come into the game and having her come in and be at the top of the press is really good for us.”

At the end of the first quarter, Sullivan darted toward the basket for a quick offensive rebound and layup to extend the lead to eight. The play was small in the grand scheme of things but showed the sort of extra effort the Mighty Macs will need as they advance.

The Chargers proved to be a good test, hitting a barrage of three-pointers. Senior forward Ashley Watter was a mismatch problem and finished with 20 points, including four threes.

“I knew [Watter] could shoot the three ball well, so at least for us, we just wanted to put pressure on the ball,” Mighty Macs coach Curtis Lewis said. “But [Aurora Central] spaced the floor well and made it hard for us to pressure, just based on the floor spacing.”

Even in the halfcourt, the Mighty Macs were crowding ball-handlers.

“I thought we did a good job in moments,” Lewis said. “They didn’t always have to lead to steals. It just gave us more possessions.”

Junior guard Taji Alexa scored 25 points.

“Our drive-and-kick game was there, and we knew [when] to push the ball,” Alexa said. “We knew where everyone was on the court.”

Senior guard Quinn Arundel, the GCAC Player of the Year, added 17 more points for Mother McAuley, which plays the winner of St. Ignatius vs. Providence on Thursday.

“We’re trying to win the conference, and to just have the first win feels good,” Sullivan said.