Mercy High Advances in Regional Play

CANTON - Mercy High School senior captain Janelle McQueen walked off the court at Canton High School to a standing ovation from the Mercy fans.

Her game high 24 points not only helped her team pull even with opponent Hartland during an astonishing 23-2 run in the first half, but her 10 points in the third helped put the final nail in the coffin. Mercy defeated the Eagles 52-29 in the first round of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) 6A regional tournament.

McQueen was the only Marlin to reach the double digit mark in scoring. She also nabbed five steals for her team, which most recently won the Catholic League Championship over Ladywood. The senior guard missed just three shots and 16 of her points came in the paint.

Kelly Holda had 15 points to lead the Eagles (20-5), who were coming off their third win over rival Howell in the district finals. This is the first time the team has ever reached the 20-win plateau. Holda also led all players in rebounds, with seven.

The Marlins started out missing their first four shots and turning the ball over four times. Hartland pounced on the easy chances after key baskets by Holda, Hailey Pleshakov and Bailee Maggert. They gained an early 9-0 lead just three minutes into the contest.

However, after a Mercy timeout with 5:48 left in the first, they switched up their defense to a full-court press, and ran it the entire game. They held Hartland to two points from the 5:18 mark of the first to the 5:05 mark of the second quarter and forced a staggering 28 turnovers by the Eagles on the night.

“Unfortunately we started slow. They were playing a different speed than we were,” Mercy head coach Gary Morris said. “By the end of the first, we had settled down and were playing a little bit better. They were out-quickening us there, but we wanted to play a fast tempo against them. We were just sluggish to start. Definitely slow out of the gate.”

McQueen hit a trey and a jumper during the second quarter, in which her team took the lead for good. Captain Alexa Bahoura pulled the team within two points at the start of the quarter with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The Marlins had just four players scoring in the second, but still outscored Hartland 18-6.

Hartland battled back and cut the deficit to eight before the half, after Holda scored on a hook shot after a pass from Pleshakov.

Mercy led by as many as 22 in the third, again scoring 18 points in a quarter. McQueen led the charge with three consecutive lay-ups in transition, following Hartland turnovers.

“I think the press resulted in some turnovers. But they were the worst kind because they resulted in baskets,” Hartland head coach Don Palmer said. “After they made that run and got us down, we panicked. We’d shoot, they’d release, and we didn’t get back. We were kinda playing with our hearts and not with our heads.”

“They’re a quality opponent. We wanted to attack the press but we didn’t wanna go up and down with them,” Palmer added. “Once it started we couldn’t stop it. We were there for a half. We could have played a little bit better.”

The Eagles struggled from the floor, shooting just 4-for-15, and didn’t hit a single 3-pointer. They did improve on their free throw shooting, though, going 7-for-11 from the line. Mercy, on the other hand, made three 3-pointers, as opposed to Hartland's four, and the Marlins scored 18 2-point shots.

Hartland battled to the end. Holda along with Lindsey Pajot, a freshman, scored in the fourth quarter. Holda, Pleshakov and fan favorite Kayli Porta were all met by Palmer and teammates with open arms. Porta, played the entire playoffs with a torn ACL.

“I’m so proud of us. We accomplished so much,” Porta said. “We have no regrets. They’re a good team.”

With the win Mercy, will play Canton for the regional championsip Thursday at 7 p.m., in Canton.