Amber Bepko hit a 3-pointer with 1:22 left in a second overtime, which lifted No. 9 Mercy to a 55-54 with No. 4 Career.

Bepko struggled early, but finished with 18 points. Danielle Machold led the Tigers with 19 points, 15 coming in the first half.

Bria Moore, whose 3-point attempt was off the mark as time expired, finished with 15 points for Career. J'Voni Hilton also had 15 points for the Panthers.

Mercy will play in its third state title game this weekend (either Friday or Saturday) against No. 3 Norwich Free Academy at Mohegan Sun Arena.

It's been a pretty impressive - and surprising - run for the Tigers. Mercy has knocked off top-seeded Lauralton Hall and the Panthers after losing two of the state's best players in Rachel Roberts and Bianca Simmons to graduation last year.

As for Career, the Panthers saw their string of three straight title game appearances come to an end. Career will likely be in the hunt again next season, as the Panthers will only lose Hilton to graduation.

For updated state tournament brackets, click here.

A balanced attack continues to lead Career. The No. 4 Panthers advanced to the Class LL semifinals 62-42 win over No. 5 Holy Cross. 

Nicole Bentley and J'Voni Hilton each had 12 points. Jasmine Claxton added 11 points, while Nicole Anderson and Bria Moore each chipped in with nine points.  

The Panthers outscored the Crusaders 19-6 to open the game.

In other Class LL action, No. 9 Mercy beat No. 1 Lauralton Hall 48-39, knocking out the first top seed this year.

Sadie Edwards and Amber Bepko combined for 41 points for Mercy.

Keylantra Langley poured in 23 points for Lauralton Hall, but didn't get much help. Nicola Matero added six points.

For the rest of Wednesday's results, check out the Register's updated brackets here.

Career's quest for a fourth straight title-game berth finally begins Friday night.

When the No. 4 Panthers host No. 13 Hamden Friday night in the second round of the Class LL state tournament, it will be the first time the Panthers played in 13 days.

Career last played Feb. 20, losing to Branford in the SCC quarterfinals.

"It's tough," said Panthers coach Kevin Walton of the long layoff. "We had to wait almost two weeks. We just have to bring them back and get focused. We're excited to play Friday."

Friday's game will be the first time the two SCC teams played each other this season. There are some interesting sub plots when the Panthers host the Green Dragons.

Hamden senior Lianna Carrero played her freshman year at Career. Career junior guards Trinity Barnes and Nicole Bentley, along with sophomore Morgan Rams, are all transfers from Hamden.

The Green Dragons knocked off No. 20 New Britain Tuesday night with a 56-42 win. Cara Deroy led Hamden with 25 points.

The Panthers are one of nine Class LL teams that received a first-round bye.

For state tournament brackets, click here.

Andreana Thomas returned from a leg injury for the second time this season to finish with 18 points off the bench and lead Hillhouse to a 52-35 win over Career.

Bria Holmes added 13 points for the Academics, who lost 58-46 to the Panthers earlier this season.

UConn women's coach Geno Auriemma was in the building to get a first-hand look at Holmes.

Career didn't have an answer for the Academics' two-three zone and only scored one basket over the final 4 minutes.

Junior guard Nicole Bentley is thriving in her newfound role of coming off the bench for Career.

Not only is Bentley a spark defensively and as a ball handler, she has also given the Panthers a scoring punch recently. Bentley is averaging 12 points over her last four games. She scored 16 points in a win over Wilbur Cross and followed with 17 in a victory over Branford Jan. 12, both critical wins.

The Panthers are 7-0 since Bentley started coming off the bench after starting the first three.

“She’s starting to play like she’s capable of playing,” Career coach Kevin Walton said. “We gain when she comes in off the bench for us, we don’t lose anything. She’s capable of starting for us, but she’s accepted her role.”

Weaver at Glastonbury, 7 p.m.: Latiqua Patterson and Weaver look to avenge an earlier loss this season against Glastonbury.

Lyman Hall at Career, 7 p.m.: Behind 31 points from Lindsay Karle, the Trojans handed the Panthers a surprising loss earlier this year. But Lyman Hall will be without Karle for this game because of a shin injury. They will have senior Jen Ruys back though.

Mercy at Branford, 7 p.m.: The Hornets dropped their season opener to the Tigers. Sadie Edwards and Amber Bepko torched Branford for a combined 50 points in that meeting. If the Hornets can slow that potent duo, the outcome may be different this time.

Both teams are deep and talented. But Career just had a little more of both in its 61-53 win over the Branford.

Four Panthers scored in double figures, led by Nicole Bentley's 17 points off the bench.

Branford cut the Career lead to six points early in the fourth quarter, but that's as close as the Hornets would get.

"They executed better than us," Branford coach Ted Kaczynski said. "They were more patient than us on offense. We couldn't get close enough to put some pressure on them."

Speaking of pressure, Branford did do a superb job of handling Career's defensive pressure. That was a concern coming in. But the Hornets problem was after they did break down the defense, they had trouble finishing.

Courtney Schissler led Branford with 19 points and Brittany Kenney added 17 points. Kendall Milles chipped in with eight points.

The teams will meet again on Feb. 1. That will likely decide the SCC Oronoque Division race.

"We certainly showed we can play with them," Kaczynski said. "We just have to bring our A game."

Here are some intriguing matchups in the final week of 2009...

Portland at Coginchaug, Monday, 7:30 p.m.: Both teams are off to hot starts. It should be interesting to see which team remains undefeated. Will it be a Kelley Coleman-led Portland squad or the Blue Devils' balanced attack?

Kolbe Cathedral vs. Career, at Wilbur Cross, 5 p.m.: Two perennial powers square off. The Cougars have won four straight since dropping their season opener. The Panthers come in after a big win over Hillhouse.

Hillhouse at Wilbur Cross, 7 p.m.: This will be the first meeting between these city schools. It may be a down year for the Governors, but records have to be disregarded when these two teams face each other. This is the final game of Vanguard Classic tripleheader. Guilford plays Hamden at 3 p.m., followed by the Kolbe Cathedral-Career matchup.

Hand Holiday Tournament championship, at Hand, 7 p.m.: This will likely be Lyman Hall vs. Lauralton Hall. And if that's the case, it will be interesting to see how the Crusaders hand Lindsay Karle, who went off for 31 earlier this season in an upset win over Career.

Also, make sure to check back Sunday evening to see who the new No. 1 team is in the latest Register Top 10 poll.

Hillhouse suffered its first loss of the season Monday, falling to Career 58-46.

Would the game be different if Academics injured point guard Andreana Thomas played?

Probably.

Career played well and has tons of weapons, certainly making the Panthers a Class LL contender despite their current 2-2 mark.

But the Panthers sagged off Hillhouse defensively, forcing it to shoot. With Thomas' solid jumper, that plan wouldn't have been as successful. Also, Hillhouse's top scorer Bria Holmes did not have the ball in her hands enough. If Thomas played, that would have been a different story and Holmes likely would have finished with more than 15 points.

Bottom line is Hillhouse needs Thomas back. She is expected to return from her knee injury in January. Hopefully in time for the Academics' Jan. 16 matchup with Norwich Free Academy. That could be the state's best regular-season matchup of the year.

Bria Moore scored a game-high 18 points as Career followed a 1-2 start with a big win over Hillhouse. The Panthers beat the Academics, the No. 1 team in the Register Top 10 poll, 58-46 tonight at the New Haven Athletic Center.
Listen to Moore talk about the victory, Career's depth and a tough upcoming stretch for the Panthers.