GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. -- Gwynedd Mercy fell, 60-49, to Haverford in championship game of its tip-off tournament on Sunday. Earlier in the day in the consolation game, Sage held off Penn State-Harrisburg 62-58.
The Griffins saw a push from the Fords late in the contest to go up by double figures as the two teams kept each other in check for most of the contest.
Susan Bossler netted a team-high 12 points, while hitting three of the team's eight three-pointers. Sydney Thompson added eight points and six rebounds with Olivia Roseman adding seven points, six boards, and three assists.
Tournament MVP Samantha Wetzel netted 14 points and added 17 rebounds. Teammate Maddie Gallic (15 points) and Anna-Sophia Capizzi (11 points) also reached double digits.
Heading into the second quarter, trailing by five (14-9), the Griffins saw the deficit grow to 26-15, thanks to an 11-2 Haverford run. However, Gwynedd clawed their way back in it, getting the score to 30-27 at the half.
Early in the third, Bossler's triple gave Gwynedd its first lead of the contest (32-30), but Wetzel connected to two of the next three Haverford buckets to reclaim the lead. Marisa Sullivan's baseline jumper made it a 39-37 game with just under a minute but Wetzel struck again down in the paint before the buzzer, making it a four-point game heading into the final stanza.
Two Wetzel free throws and a three from Gallic in the early stages suddenly put Gwynedd in a 46-39 hole. Bossler connected on her third trey of the day to get within four, but it would be the closest the team could get the rest of the way. Down just eight (54-36) with 2:26 to go, the Fords (3-0) put it away with a layup and a bucket off a steal to restore a double-digit deficit.
Each team totaled eight three-pointers and were even in the rebound category (32-32).
Joining Roseman, Wetzel, and Gallic on the all-tournament team was Janel Brown of Penn State-Harrisburg, and Macie Holmes of Sage.