O'Connor powers Kellenberg girls over St. Anthony's

Emma O'Connor wasn't getting too many touches in the first half and Kellenberg was facing a six-point halftime deficit. The instructions for the second half were to get the ball to O'Connor.

O'Connor, a senior center, took a three-pointer on her first shot of the half, then hit two free throws and drilled another three-pointer.

O'Connor kept getting the ball and she continued to score. O'Connor dominated the third quarter with 14 of her 25 points. She also had 13 rebounds, six steals and four assists in a 46-37 win over host St. Anthony's last night in CHSAA play. Kellenberg (13-5, 10-2) moved into sole possession of first place and if it wins the final two league games, the Firebirds will win the league title and be the top seed in the postseason.

"The first half I wasn't on," O'Connor said. "As soon as I hit that first three, I began to feel it. The team was told to give me the ball."

O'Connor capped a 14-2 run with two free throws with 3:53 left to give Kellenberg a 33-27 lead. Jennifer Sixsmith hit a jumper and a three-pointer to bring St. Anthony's (16-5, 8-3) within 35-34, but O'Connor finished the quarter with a layup.

O'Connor didn't score in the final quarter, but she threw a long outlet pass to Katie Cunningham for a fast-break layup with 2:36 remaining to extend the lead to 43-37. She forced a steal on the next possession and fed Cunningham, who had seven of her 11 points in the fourth quarter, for an open three-pointer with 1:54 left to make it 46-37.

"They were really pressuring Katie in the first half," Kellenberg coach Meghan Moran said. "They got her frustrated a little bit. But she was able to use her experience as a senior point guard to come up clutch in the fourth quarter."

St. Anthony's scored only 12 second-half points, including three in the final quarter. The Friars turned the ball over 13 times in the second half and were held scoreless for the final 3:50.

"Our youth shows itself sometimes," St. Anthony's coach Ken Parham said. "There are pockets where we play really well and there are times where we fall apart at the seams."

O'Connor and Cunningham led Kellenberg to the CHSAA championship last season.

"We're the most experienced in the league," Cunningham said. "We've been playing together for a while and it really benefits us."