McGann-Mercy’s only league loss this season was against Mattituck. They got their chance for revenge Wednesday night in front of a home crowd.
Their chance unfortunately wasn’t much of a chance.
Mattituck, coming off their first loss of the season in a down-to-the-wire thriller against Port Jefferson, couldn’t have played any better.
The Tuckers (8-1 League VII, 9-1 overall) put together what their coach Steve Van Dood called the best first quarter he’s ever seen. They simply could not do any wrong. Mattituck finished the quarter up 25-4.
“The girls came out amp’d up out of the locker room,” Van Dood said. “It’s kind of the same way we started against them last time.”
McGann-Mercy (6-2 League VII, 6-3 overall), which easily could have folded up the tents and called it a night, refused to give up and put together a 14-6 run to start the second quarter to give a little bit of life to the Monarch faithful.
The game was within 13 points, 33-20, before another Mattituck burst would put the game out of reach again by ending the quarter on a 10-0 run.
Katie Hoeg was unstoppable.
“Inside game, outside game, passing, steals, intensity, ferocity, pressure, she’s the whole package,” Van Dood said of Hoeg. “She’s really matured into some player.”
Mattituck continued to pour it on and there was nothing the Monarchs could do to stop them. The Tuckers won handily, 76-47.
A game that was meant for revenge didn’t quite work out that way. The Tuckers were just too good too often. The win clinched a playoff berth.
In addition to Hoeg’s performance, Liz Dwyer chipped in 13 and Jane DiGregorio scored 12.
Jules Cintron scored a team-high 12 for the Monarchs.
McGann-Mercy returns to action on Saturday at Babylon at 2 p.m. Mattituck plays Pierson/Bridgehampton at home next Wednesday at 5:45.
SoutholdLOCAL photos by George Faella
