Sports

USJN/Nike National Championships roundup: Bulldogs title defense remains alive

DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. – Carolyn Gallagher wasn’t going to let the NYC Bulldogs chance to continue to defend its title get away. The PA-Yellow Jackets had erased a double-digit deficit at the half, but the Archbishop Molloy rising senior forward made sure that was as close as they got.

“We have to win,” Gallagher said.

She made sure of that, scoring 14 of her game-high 23 points after the break to lead the Bulldogs to a 67-44 win in the opening round of the USJN/Nike National Championships Silver division playoffs Tuesday night. Aryn Mcclure added 11 points, Molloy guard Alexa (Weazel) Dietrich chipped in 10 and St. Joseph Hill’s Kelly Carey hit some big shots down the stretch. The Bulldogs face the VA-PSPA Rams Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. back at Capital Sports.

“We just kind of broke their back,” Gallagher said. “Once we got a lead, we started to really defend and started making our shots. It all just came together.”

Gallagher, who also poured in 27 points in her team’s overtime victory against the PA-Jaguars to help the Bulldogs go unbeaten in pool play, scored in a vareity of ways. She beat her defender to the basket from the free throw line, drilled open jumpers and put back offensive rebounds. Its skills like those that have Columbia, Harvard and Colgate, her top three choices, hot on her trail. She went to camp at Columbia and hopes to visit the other two in the near future.

“For me it’s education over basketball,” Gallagher said. “I really love Columbia.”

Gallagher is in no rush to commit. She wants to go enjoy the process and make a decision after she has gotten a feel for each school.

“This is a big decision,” Gallagher said.

NYC Warriors-Deluca 60, VA-Cardinal Elite 56: Warriors coach Joe Deluca called it his team’s best performance of the season, trailing by 10 points for most of their opening round game of the Gold bracket playoffs only to rally. He felt his team’s “fourth-quarter legs took” over.

“Instead of them running on us, we ran on them,” Deluca said. “We got in the bonus really early.”

Christ the King rising junior Kollyns Scarborough epitomized the team’s get it-and-go mentality, relentlessly attacking the paint. She was going to coast-to-coast, showing off her improved ball handling and court vision. Deluca credited Poly Prep point guard Jill Conroy with keeping the score close throughout the game and getting the offense to flow. The Warriors, who are now 5-1 in the tournament, face MD-Boo Williams-16 at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Capital Sports Complex in the quarterfinals.

They will be looking for their second straight title after winning at the White bracket at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago last week.

“We didn’t back down,” Deluca said. “There are other times this summer we just shied away from it. … They were not having it this time.”

LI Lightning-Slater 47, Ring City-Gratch 43: The Lighting trailed by six points with over three minutes to play, but ended the contest on a 12-1 run in the opening round of the Platinum bracket playoffs.

Kat Everson had a bucket and Sakara Hester-Torres converted a layup with 34 seconds to go put them ahead for good. Katie Lavelle added a steal and a layup, and Lauren (Boogie) Brozoski corralled a key rebound and knocked down a free throw in the closing seconds to seal the win.

“They were good,” coach Rich Slater said. “They didn’t let us get into any sets. We were just solid.”

The Lighting take on the MA-Bay State Jaguars Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. in the quarterfinals at the Capital Sports Complex.

jstaszewski@nypost.com