Last season, the Mount Mercy Academy basketball lost some games at the free throw line. In their first win of the 2012-13 season, it was the free throw shooting that helped them earn a hard-fought, 51-44, victory over neighbor West Seneca West in the annual West Seneca Tip-Off Tournament.

"I though the effort was outstanding," said Mt. Mercy coach John Glose. "The girls worked their butts off and their work ethic was great."

The Magic made 19 free throws and outscored the Indians by seven (19-12) at the charity stripe.

"We did a good job protecting the ball late," said Glose. "And we were able to knock down some foul shots."

The Magic, who had trouble shooting from the outside last season, came out firing as junior guard Maddie Parisi, senior Marissa Stack and junior Carolyn Grandits all drained three-pointers to give Mt. Mercy an early 16-10 first quarter advantage.

"They went zone for a couple of possession and we hit two three's and they got out of it right away," stated Glose. "We were able to get to the loose balls and that was the key to victory."

The Magic took a 27-19 lead into halftime. From there, the offense struggled finding its rhythm and West Seneca West was able to take advantage. The Indians had cut the lead to four (36-32) heading in to the fourth quarter thanks in the large part to the hot shooting of junior guard Jennifer Green, who poured in a game-high 21 points.

"We just have to do a better job on offense and being more organized," said Glose. "And, again, that comes down to coaching."

Last season, the fourth quarter was where the Magic would have trouble trying to close out teams, because of its foul shooting. On this night, however, the Magic was able to ice the game, and they needed every point.

Mount Mercy only made two field goals in the fourth quarter, but where able to add 11 points from the charity stripe to earn the victory. Sophomore guard Emily Sheehan led the way for the Magic with 14 points.

The win puts Mount Mercy in the final where they will play Depew, a 46-36 winner over West Seneca East.

Scoring:

Mercy 16 11 9 16 - 51

West Seneca 10 9 13 12 - 44

Mercy - Marissa Stack (7); Carolyn Grandits (7); Olivia Balys (3); Lee Haggerty (1); Kerry McGough (10); Maddie Parisi (6); Emily Sheehan (14); Meghan Sheehan (2)

West Seneca - Alicia D'Alessando (8); Jennifer Green (21); Morgan Hooley (6); Lauren Fibich (1); Lindsay Green (7); Barnolowski (1)