PVI tops Gloucester Catholic, captures third straight SJIBT crown

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It went a lot differently than the first time they met, but Paul VI once again continues to find ways to win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top-ranked Eagles earned a 57-55 triumph over No. 2 Gloucester Catholic in a double overtime thriller to capture their third straight South Jersey Invitational Girls Basketball Tournament title on Sunday evening at Eastern Regional High School.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/tortreports/status/2020636650716414321?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/tortreports/status/2020636650716414321?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='789189' first='Brooke' last='Stagliano'] knocked down three three-pointers on her way to a game-high 22 points, and [player_tooltip player_id='601275' first='Rachel' last='Thatcher'] scored 19 for the Eagles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“These last three years, they've all been pretty good games to end with, and this one is just another to add, so I'm happy. I expected exactly what it was, I expected it to be a dog fight,” Stagliano said. “We always want to beat them, and they always want to beat us. We're just lucky enough to keep fighting with them and to drag it out and win.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The consensus top two programs in the region, the teams squared off on Jan. 24, and Paul VI was never really threatened in that contest, taking home a convincing 58-42 victory. This time around was a whole other story.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Credit to Gloucester Catholic. They made a big adjustment from the last time we played them. They were well prepared. They threw us a different look on defense, and we had a hard time adjusting,” Paul VI coach Orlando Hidalgo said. “Our girls are battle-tested. Rachel has been with me for four years, and Brooke now for three. They know what it takes to play on this team. They have a no-quit attitude; they're going to fight until the end. At the end of the day, it just wears teams down and fatigues them, and when that happens, teams make mistakes and we capitalize on them.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/tortreports/status/2020613285481972107?s=46","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/tortreports/status/2020613285481972107?s=46 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Paul VI took a 21-15 lead into halftime, but Rams outscored the Eagles 22-16 in the second half to send the game into overtime tied 37-37. Gloucester Catholic was able to climb out of a five-point deficit with 34.2 seconds left in the first overtime period, courtesy of a Paul VI turnover and a buzzer-beating three-pointer from [player_tooltip player_id='789537' first='Jalyn' last='Moore'] to send the game into double overtime tied 47-47.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='601275' first='Rachel' last='Thatcher'] set the tone right away in the second and final extra period by knocking down a pivotal three-pointer for the first points of the quarter. The Eagles would go on to outscore the Rams 10-8 in the final frame to seal the victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We knew they were coming for us. When you play a team more than once, it's harder (the second time). We just played our game and scouted them, and it worked out,” said Thatcher, who was able to redeem herself after missing the potential game-winning jump shot in the closing seconds of regulation. “I made a couple of mistakes, but I just put them behind and our team bought in. I wanted to buy in, too, and win. Our team works so hard, and just coming here shows we're one of the best teams in South Jersey–  the best team in South Jersey.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Paul VI improved to 17-1 with the triumph, with its only loss coming to nationally-ranked Shore Conference power Red Bank Catholic, 64-56, on Feb. 1. The victory marked the fourth over Gloucester Catholic under the tenure of Eagles' coach Orlando Hidalgo, who admitted it felt a little extra sweet to knock off the Rams for the second time to solidify their spot as the top squad in S.J.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I heard a lot of chirping on the sideline," Hidalgo said. "We're not very liked. When you're the top dog and you're constantly winning, you have a lot of people who want to see you fall. So I heard the chirping on the sideline, so it felt even greater to win this in a hostile environment. I was thankful.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->