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MALDEN — After reaching the Division 4 North semifinals, Presentation of Mary Academy saw its season crashing to a halt before halftime.

Unable to successfully navigate the Manchester-Essex press, the fifth-seeded Panthers trailed by 17 points at intermission before dropping a 50-32 decision to the 16th-seeded Hornets last night at Malden High School. “We knew (the press) was coming,” first-year PMA coach Joe DeBlois said. “We reverted to our old ways. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but we just didn’t do what we’ve been doing the last few games.”

LOWELL — All Presentation of Mary Academy needed was the right girls shooting free throws at the right time.

After missing seven of their first 11 attempts from the line, the Panthers got four consecutive from sophomore Ashley Ventolieri and another from Danielle Silva during the final 68 seconds last night as PMA held off fourth-seeded Lowell Catholic for a 46-42 victory in the Division 4 quarterfinals. The fourth-seeded Panthers, the highest remaining seed in the tournament, will play No. 16 Manchester-Essex at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Malden.

METHUEN — Kate St. Peter and Meg McDonough had been there before times before only to suffer first-round disappointment each time. Presentation of Mary Academy’s two seniors, however, finally took the next step.

 Presentation of Mary, by defeating Chelsea 49-33 last night, recorded their second straight undefeated Commonwealth Conference small school division title. Danielle Silva led the Panthers (15-4 overall, 11-0 in CAC action) with 14 points, Meg McDonough added 11 points and Kate St. Peter ans Rosie Pagan dominated the boards.

PMA topped Essex Aggie, 61-55, on Senior Night. The senior captains led the way. Kate St. Peter led all scorers with 25 points and Meg McDonough dished out 11 assists. Alex Hammel of Methuen played a strong all-around game for Essex Aggie.

Behind 10 points from Kate St. Peter, PMA clinched the Commonwealth Conference Large title with a 39-32 win over Mystic Valley.

A strong CAC Large school in Shawsheen got the better of CAC Small foe Presentation of Mary, pulling away for a 49-35 victory. Senior forward Kate St. Peter had a solid game for PMA with 12 points.

METHUEN — Considering the circumstances, Joe DeBlois' expectations of a .500 season may have seemed lofty.

After all, he had assumed the head coaching position of Presentation of Mary's girls basketball team just a couple of weeks before the season started. Bob Melillo, the Commonwealth Conference Small Coach of the Year rewarding a 14-7 season, had left to helm the Haverhill program.

Presentation of Mary's Daniella Silva hit a 3-pointer from half court as the third quarter buzzer sounded, putting the Panthers up by one and leading the way for a 30-26 win over Mystic Valley. Silva led PMA (10-3) with 10 points.

A superb, balanced defensive effort squelched Northeast's offense and lifted PMA to a convincing 39-22 decision. Junior Danielle Silva was the lone player in double figures, scoring 12 points for the Panthers (4-0).