Final

NFA holds on for its second straight Class LL title with a 50-47 win over Mercy. Kastine Evans had six of the Wildcats final 11 points before fouling out.
Mercy had one last shot, but Maura Calamari's 3-pointer from the left wing bounced off the rim in the closing seconds.
Evans finished with a game-high 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Amber Bepko led Mercy with 19 points.

Third quarter
NFA leads Mercy 33-32. A fallaway jumper by Kastine Evans sparked a 9-0 Wildcats' run.

Halftime

Mercy leads NFA 28-24 at the half.
The Tigers finished the second quarter on a 9-0 run, capped by a three-point play by Maura Calamari.
Amber Bepko leads Mercy with nine points. Kastine Evans leads NFA with 10 points.

First Quarter

NFA is up 12-10 after the first quarter. Amber Bepko drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to close the period. Kastine Evans has four points for NFA.

Pregame

No. 9 Mercy takes on third-seeded and defending champion Norwich Free Academy.

On paper, this looks to be an even matchup. Both teams are undersized. Mercy's Amber Bepko and Norwich Free Academy's Kastine Evans can both can flat-out score and each have a reliable point guard in Sadie Edwards (Mercy) and Stephanie Long (NFA).

It will likely come down to which team's defense rises to the occasion. Also the Wildcats' experience, they won the Class LL title last season, may be a factor.

This is the Wildcats' eighth championship game appearance and they are eyeing their seventh state title. This is the Tigers' third appearance in a state final. Mercy won the Class L title in 1996, the school's only state championship.