Lisa Mirarchi has been to the district title game before.
In fact, the senior guard for Villa Maria Academy has played in the game for all four of her years in a Hurricanes uniform.
With all that experience, there's not much Mirarchi can't handle. She has been up in the game, trailed at times, been victorious, and also lost.
Saturday, at Villanova's Pavilion, she even handled an elbow to her nose that sprayed blood all across her face.
The Hurricanes went on to win their third straight District 1 Class AAA championship, defeating Merion Mercy, 47-36.
"Four years in a row Villa making it to the championship is an awesome thing for the program," Mirarchi said. "This one was really special."
Villa Maria started the game on a 14-0 run, with the Golden Bears converting a free throw with less than three seconds remaining in the first quarter for their first point.
Merion Mercy picked up the pace in the second quarter, getting the game to within 27-15 at halftime.
Mirarchi was 8 for 8 from the foul line in the first half, adding a three-pointer for 11 points over the first 16 minutes. She went on to finish with a game-high 20 points and added four steals.
The Hurricanes (21-5), ranked ninth in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, were powered by their defense, frustrating the Golden Bears (17-11) all game.
"I think tenacious is a good word for it," Mirarchi said of her team's defense. ". . . That was our goal, to get up in their face and get them to turn it over."
The closest the game got was nine points, with a little less than four minutes remaining in the contest.
The win marked the program's fourth district championship since 2008 and 10th district title for coach Kathy McCartney since 1992.
Mirarchi, who played almost the entire contest, minus a couple of minutes when the cut on her nose was attended to, got to experience something new in the title game:
She held onto the ball until the clock ran out, throwing the ball up in celebration as the horn sounded.
"It's incredible. Everyone was giving it to me. I think they wanted me to have it at the end," Mirarchi said. "I mean, anyone could have had it at the end, but it just shows that our team is so unselfish."
Molly Namiotka added nine points for the Hurricanes, and Jackie Carlin scored eight. Tina DiGiacomo and Christina O'Shea led the Golden Bears with 11 points each.
Both teams will advance to the state tournament.
The Hurricanes will play West York, the fourth-seeded team from District 3, next Saturday. The Bears will face Gettysburg, the third seed from District 3, also on Saturday.
The PIAA state tournament, yet another thing with which Mirarchi and the Hurricanes are familiar.
Merion Mercy 1 14 9 12 – 36
Villa Maria 14 13 7 13 – 47
MM: Tina DiGiacomo 11, Christina O'Shea 11, Caroline Corzel 6, Julianne D'Orazio 4, Mary Grace Zeller 2, Valez Jackson 2.
VM: Lisa Mirarchi 20, Molly Namiotka 9, Jackie Carlin 8, Devon Tirney 4, Katie Mooney 2, Lexi Daggett 2, Mora Fetterolf 2.
Contact Kate Harman at rallysports@phillynews.com.
