York, PA - She had circled this night in her mind two years ago, long before the reality of her final home game had taken root in Rachel Forjan's mind.

So when a pass found York Catholic's senior guard unmarked along the left wing Tuesday night -- with barely a minute left and the Fighting Irish girls' basketball team holding a two-possession lead against Delone Catholic -- Forjan had no intentions of letting the opportunity pass.

Forget pulling the ball out.

Forget running down the clock.

Just shoot.

When Forjan's 3-pointer plunged through the net, it put away the Irish's 57-46, senior-night victory over the Squirettes on Tuesday at James Forjan Gymnasium.

"The schedule comes out two years in advance, so I saw it in 10th grade and was like 'Hmm... our senior night is against Delone,'" Forjan said. "It's been in the back of my mind ever since."

The victory gave York Catholic (20-2, 12-1) a season-split with their rivals, and secured the Irish's third straight YAIAA Division IV title. It also gave York Catholic a No. 1 seed in the upcoming YAIAA tournament, which begins Saturday.

For Forjan and her fellow seniors -- Karli McFatridge, Carly Marks and Tara Kowal -- Tuesday's senior-night sendoff was another highlight for a class that has accumulated more than 70 wins during the last three years.

Forjan -- playing her final game in the gym named after her grandfather -- had 15 points, including a flurry of crucial shots in the second half. Her final 3 gave the Irish a 50-42 lead with a little more than a minute to play.

Forjan pumped her right fist as she headed back down the floor.

"There was some hesitation," Forjan said. "I thought, 'Do we need this 3?' Then I was just like, it'll be big if I make this."

Junior Morgan Klunk had a team-high 18 points for the Irish, while McFatridge added eight. Marks chipped in seven points and 13 rebounds, 10 of which came in the first half.

"Carly Marks played the game of her life," York Catholic coach Kevin Bankos said.

"This is the last time I'll ever play on this court," Marks added. "I just wanted to do everything I could, as we all did."

Delone Catholic (19-3, 11-2) was paced by Duke recruit Sierra Moore (21 points), who shrugged off an 0-for-5 start to fuel an 11-0 Squirettes run in the second quarter. Delone took a 20-16 lead into halftime.

The bigger problem for the Irish was turnovers. They had 11 at the half and 16 after three quarters, hounded by Delone's press.

As the second half wore on, that trend reversed. Marks put the Irish ahead for good, 32-31, with a pair of free throws late in the third quarter. The Irish hit 22 of their 32 foul shots on the night.

In the fourth, a spate of Delone turnovers spawned an 8-0 York Catholic run that pushed the gap to 45-36. The Squirettes committed seven giveaways in the fourth quarter, compared to eight in the first three quarters.

Meanwhile, Delone failed to capitalize on open looks; they shot 3-of-20 from 3-point range.

"I thought our shot selection today was better than it was Saturday against Lancaster Catholic," Delone coach Gerry Eckenrode said. "We just didn't knock the shots down."

A Marks lay-up off a pass from Forjan gave York Catholic a 47-40 lead. Then, after a Squirettes bucket, Forjan put the game away.

After the game, Forjan wore a gold Vanderbilt shirt -- a nod to former York Catholic star and current Vanderbilt freshman Kady Schrann. Forjan visited Schrann recently, and the two talked before Tuesday's game.

For Forjan and her teammates, winning a division title without the program's all-time leading scorer was yet another milestone.

"They think it's this year for them," Forjan said of Delone. "We just proved that it's going to be a little harder than they thought."

@johnsclayton; 771-2045

  

DELONE CATHOLIC (46)
   Comly 1 0-2 3, Sierra Moore 6 9-11 21, Sponseller 1 0-0 2, Maria Photiades 3 5-6 13, Ball 2 1-2 5, McMaster 1 0-0 2, Durbin 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 15-21 46.
YORK CATHOLIC (57)
   Rachel Forjan 5 1-2 15, McFatridge 2 2-3 8, Mazzur 0 0-0 0, Chesko 1 2-2 4, Hess 0 0-0 0, Kowal 0 1-2 1, Morgan Klunk 5 8-9 18, Echevarria 1 2-2 4, Marks 1 5-12 7, Laslo 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 22-33 57.
Delone  4  16  13  13 -- 46
York Catholic  7    9  18  23 -- 57

   3-point goals -- Delone Catholic 3 (Comly, Photiades 2), York Catholic 5 (Forjan 3, McFatridge 2).
   JV score -- York Catholic 41, Delone Catholic 21.