By Dave Ahlstrand

The Lady Irish won the 33rd Annual Mansfield Lady Lions Invitational Saturday night with a 54-51 victory over Mountain Grove.  Catholic jumped out to a quick 13-9 first quarter lead, but the Lady Panthers closed the first half with a flurry of steals and easy baskets off the press to head into the half with a five point lead.

The Panthers extended the lead to as high as 13 points in the third parter but the Irish clawed back to striking distance, 42-47 entering the fourth. Catholic sustained the lead with a few minutes left in the game. Solid free throw shooting and good ball control enabled the Lady Irish to close out the win.

Katie Galligos (18 points) and Lila Griesemer (dominant on the boards) both made the all-tournament team while Peyton Wiseman scored a game-high 21 points (56 in the 3-game stretch) and was named the tournament's most outstanding player.

The Lady Irish are back in action Monday evening against Hollister with Senior Night recognition between the JV and Varsity games. Come out and support the team as they look to extend their current win streak and thank the seniors for their contributions to the program.