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GREENSBORO — Olivia DeFrancesco said she didn't even like to watch Bishop McGuinness play when her sister, Anna, played for the team. The Villains are sure glad she had a change of heart.

DeFrancesco came off the bench to provide a much-needed spark for Bishop McGuinness in the first quarter and finished with 15 points to help the Villains overcome a slow start in a 56-46 win over Cherokee in the 1-A regional semifinal game Wednesday at Fleming Gym on the UNCG campus.

With the win, Bishop McGuinness (24-6) keeps its hopes alive for a sixth straight 1-A state championship. Six straight titles would be an NCHSAA record. It plays River Mill Academy from Graham in the regional final at Fleming Gym at 2 p.m. Saturday.

"I used to not like going to the games. But once I got into basketball, I started liking it more" DeFrancesco said. "I just had to stay focused; be strong with the basketball and play hard on defense."

As soon as DeFrancesco entered the game she had an immediate impact, hitting three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer and then scoring off an offensive rebound that gave the Villains an early 7-6 lead. Then with the Villains trailing 12-7 in the first quarter, DeFrancesco connected on a 3-pointer and was fouled. She sank the free throw to pull Bishop within 12-11.

"That's what we hope to get from her," said Bishop McGuinness coach Brian Robinson. "She came off the bench and kept us alive in the first quarter. Whether you are a sophomore, junior or senior, you're expected to play at a certain level. I don't think we were at our best."

The Villains made only two field goals in the first quarter and finished the first half shooting 26 percent. But they made up for that by going aggressively to the basket and making free throws, sinking 13 shots from the charity stripe in the first half and 27 for the game.

"It was definitely nerves (in the first quarter)," said Bishop McGuinness' Megan Buckland, who also finished with 15 points. "We put pressure on ourselves."

After building a 26-23 halftime lead, the Villains opened the third quarter with an 11-5 run to take control and then had a similar run to start the fourth quarter and led 50-37 with about 3 minutes to play and that ended any thoughts of an upset by Cherokee (23-5).

"I told them before the game, we've got to make sure they don't jump on us early," said Cherokee coach Chris Mintz. "We got the lead and realized we can play with them. Then they had that little run in the third quarter. They got out a little further than we wanted them to."

Bishop picked up its game in the second quarter, but still most of its scoring came at the free throw line. After the lead went back-and-forth, the Villains Marie Petrangeli hit a 3-pointer to give Bishop the lead at 23-22 and they would build on that to lead 26-23 at halftime.

Bishop McGuinness 12 14 15 15 — 56
Cherokee 14 9 10 13 — 46

Bishop McGuinness (24-6) — Olivia DeFrancesco 15, Megan Buckland 15, Sammi Goldsmith 12, Cameron Nieters 5, Lauren Cushing 4, Marie Petrangeli 3, Sarah Coon 2.

Cherokee (23-5) — Avery Mintz 13, Celine Lambert 10, Elizabeth Wahnetah 7, Rayna Davis 7, Alexis Maney 4, Tashina Martin 2. Kayla Smith 2. Paige Jackson 1.