NORTH ALLEGHENY SPORTS NETWORK

Girls' Basketball

*SECTION CHAMPIONS*

STATE COLLEGE ENDS LADY TIGERS’ SEASON, 75-62

Game Stats

State College outscored the Lady Tigers, 75-62, in a Second Round PIAA game at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday night.  NA fell behind, 14-9, at the end of the first quarter and could never catch up.  Senior Kate Hobbs closed out her career at North Allegheny with a game high 21 points.  Senior Laura Dudas had 12 and junior Molly Friel added 10 for NA.  Suzy Carlson had 17 to lead the Lady Lions as one of four players in double figures.

State College extended the lead to 34-23 at half and 50-36 at the end of three quarters.  The Tigers tried to extend the game by fouling in the final quarter, but SC was able to make their foul shots and hold off the Lady Tigers.  Hobbs fouled out after going 7 for 11 from the field, 7 for 10 at the stripe, pulling down six rebounds and blocking three shots. 

The Lady Tigers shot 43.6% from the field but did not make a three-point basket.  The loss eliminated North Allegheny from the playoffs and ended their season.  NA finished with a record of 22-7 while State College improved to 25-2 for the season.

CONGRATULATIONS TO COACH PAUL SENECA AND THE LADY TIGERS FOR AN OUTSTANDING SEASON!!!!

GAME SUMMARY
STATE COLLEGE – 75    NORTH ALLEGHENY – 62

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

PIAA GIRLS' BASKETBALL
FIRST ROUND PAIRINGS
Western Regional

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

ALLDERDICE FALLS TO LADY TIGERS IN FIRST ROUND OF THE PIAA PLAYOFFS

Box Score

Coach Paul Seneca's Lady Tigers had an easy time with the Allderdice Dragons of the Pittsburgh City League as NA won an 81-36 decision on Friday night at Chartiers Valley High School.  Seniors Rosina Walton and Kate Hobbs led the scoring with 12 points each as fourteen Lady Tigers scored.  Sophomore Aly Cohen tallied 18 to pace the Dragons.

The Lady Tigers built a 14-7 lead in the first three and one-half minutes of the game and never looked back.  Senior Laura Dudas dropped in two free throws just 30 seconds into the game and junior Jessie Lang followed with a jumper to give NA a 4-0 lead.  After Hobbs dropped in a pair of foul shots, Cohen hit the first of two treys in the quarter to cut the margin to 6-3.  A baseline jumper by Walton, a foul shot by Hobbs, and a trey by Walton increased the margin to 12-3.  After junior Jessica Vanselow hit one of two from the stripe, Hobbs put a rebound back to make it 14-4.  After Cohen hit another trey, NA scored the next six points.  After junior Molly Friel made one of two from the line, Hobbs dropped in a pair of baskets and a foul shot to up the lead to 20-7.  Senior Shavonna Reed scored from under the basket and freshman Liza Walrath scored, but Dudas answered to increase the lead to 22-11 with 1:12 left.  Threes by Lang and Walton finished the first quarter scoring and NA led, 28-11, after one period of play.

Coach Seneca substituted liberally from the second quarter on as the Lady Tigers continued to increase the lead.  Senior Lori Merriman led the way in the second quarter with eight points off the bench with the starters playing just a few minutes.  Friel had three, Lang a pair of foul shots, Walton another hoop, and sophomore Mallory Skarupa a putback as NA outscored the Dragons, 15-4, in the quarter to take a commanding 43-22 lead into the intermission.

The second half featured the entire NA bench as sixteen players played, with fourteen getting into the scoring column.  The Lady Tigers outscored Allderdice, 38-14 in the second half on their way to the easy win.  Sophomores led the way for NA with Laura Casey scoring seven, Stephanie Wolf and Nicole Dudas adding four each, and Rebecca Mapel scoring four points for her first points of the year.  Junior Megan Mather had a field goal, while sophomore Kate Winland made two for two from the stripe, and freshman Rachel Divosevic banked in a layup for NA.  Sophomore Cara Davies had two steals, with junior Juliet Nellis picking up a steal and an assist as the entire Lady Tiger squad contributed to the victory.

With the win, the overall NA record improved to 22-6 and moved them to the second round of the PIAA playoffs against State College.  The Lady Lions are the District 6 Champions and enter the game with a record of 24-2.  The game will be played on Tuesday, but the site and time will be announced later.  We will have game information as soon as we receive it.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 81  ALLDERDICE - 36

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

LADY TIGERS LOSE HEARTBREAKER TO UPPER ST. CLAIR, 49-48

Box Score

Coach Paul Seneca’s Lady Tigers played Upper St. Clair even all night long at Franklin Regional High School, but a basket with five seconds remaining gave the Panthers a 49-48 win.  Sophomore Laura Casey had put in a rebound with 19 seconds left to give NA a 48-47 advantage.  Junior Jessie Lang had 16 points to lead the Lady Tigers while senior Kate Hobbs dropped in 14.  Seniors Jamie Allenbaugh with 17 and Kyra Kaylor with 16 paced the Panthers.

Neither team could score much in the early part of the game, with the defenses prevailing.  Hobbs, who would score eight points in the quarter,  gave NA a 2-0 lead 1:13 into the contest.  USC was not able to get on the board until the 4:56 mark when Allenbaugh tied the game at 2-2.  After Allenbaugh made one of two from the line, Lang scored to put NA ahead 4-3.  Junior Courtney Pawlak pushed USC back in front, 5-4, with some good work on the boards.   Hobbs answered with a short banker before Pawlak made a foul shot to tie the game at 6-6.  Pawlak scored again on a putback, and Kaylor hit her first basket to put the Panthers up, 10-6, with 52.3 left in the quarter.  Hobbs came back to score a pair of baskets, the second with just 2 seconds left, to tie the game at 10-10 at the end of the first quarter.

After senior Julie Rectenwald hit a trey to open the second quarter scoring, NA scored the next six points.  After Hobbs banked in her fifth hoop of the game, junior Molly Friel hit a short jumper to give the Lady Tigers a 14-13 advantage.  Lang’s basket at the 5:25 mark pushed the NA lead to 16-13.  After Kaylor scored to cut it to one, Friel got loose again to up the margin to 18-15.  Kaylor continued to keep USC close with a hoop, but Friel’s third basket of the quarter made it 20-17 with 3:58 left in the half.  Lang’s basket pushed the NA margin to 22-17, but the Lady Tigers would not score again in the quarter.  Baskets by Pawlak and Kaylor down the stretch cut the NA lead to 22-21 at the intermission.

The game remained close during the early moments of the third quarter.  Kaylor drained a trey from the corner just 26 seconds into the second half to put USC back in front, 24-22.  Lang answered with a long trey to regain the lead for the Lady Tigers, 25-24, just five seconds later.  After Allenbaugh scored, Lang hit four consecutive foul shots to push the NA lead to 29-26.  It was part of a 12-3 Lady Tiger run as NA threatened to take control of the game.  Baskets by Hobbs, Dudas, Lang, and Hobbs again gave the Lady Tigers a 37-28 lead with 3:25 left in the period.  Once again, NA went on a late quarter draught and did not score again.  Allenbaugh took over for USC, scoring the last three hoops of the period and cutting the NA lead to 37-36 at the end of the third quarter.

With both teams playing cautiously in the final period, points were hard to come by.  Allenbaugh’s basket and two free throws by Rectenwald gave the Panthers a 40-37 advantage at the 5:53 mark.  After sophomore Stephanie Wolf scored to cut the lead to one, Kaylor drove to the hoop scored, and dropped in the foul shot to give USC a 43-39 lead.  NA came right back, however, as Dudas hit a pair of treys, the second on an out-of-bounds play, to push the Lady Tigers back in front, 45-43, with 4:21 remaining.  Two foul shots by Kaylor tied the score at 45-45 at the 4:09 mark.  Neither team could score in the next couple minutes until Allenbaugh got loose for a short jumper to put USC on top, 47-45, with 1:54 left.  At the 1:11 mark, Lang made one of two from the stripe to cut it to 47-46.  After a USC miss, NA had several chances to score but came up short.  After the Panthers knocked a rebound out of bounds, Friel drove from the corner, but her shot was short.  Casey grabbed the rebound and put it in to give NA a 48-47 lead with just 19 seconds left.  After the basket, Kaylor tried to drive to the hoop but was cut off by the Lady Tigers.  A time out call by Coach Ernie Koontz with 7 seconds left saved the day for the Panthers.  On the out-of-bounds play, NA played great defense for 4 ½ seconds, but Rectenwald got loose at the last second and dropped in a left-handed layup to put USC back ahead, 49-48.  From my vantage point at the far end of the court, I could not see what happened, but it looked like USC knocked the ball back on the court after the made hoop.  According to the Tribune-Review, Casey went out to retrieve the ball and ran back out of bounds to throw in the in-bounds pass.  The officials ruled it a turnover, and the Lady Tigers hopes were gone.  USC will move on to the final against Oakland Catholic with a hard-fought 49-48 victory.

It was a great effort by the Lady Tigers and a heart-breaking loss.  With the defeat, the NA record fell to 21-6.  The Lady Tigers have qualified for the PIAA playoffs and will continue their season in the next week.  We will have details as soon as we get them.  For her efforts on the boards and for scoring 14 points, the North Allegheny Sports Network named senior Kate Hobbs as the Player of the Game.

GAME SUMMARY
UPPER ST. CLAIR – 49    NORTH ALLEGHENY – 48

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

DUDAS, HOBBS LEAD LADY TIGERS OVER NEW CASTLE, 46-44

Box Score

Coach Paul Seneca’s Lady Tigers held off a late New Castle rally to post a 46-44 victory in the WPIAL quarterfinals at North Hills High School on Saturday evening.  Seniors Laura Dudas and Kate Hobbs scored 11 points each to pace NA to the victory.  Sophomore Tarina Nixon scored 21 points to lead the Lady ‘Canes.

New Castle slowed down the pace of the game for most of the evening.  After Hobbs dropped in one of two from the line, junior Jaleah Robinson scored from in close to give the ‘Canes a 2-1 lead.  The Lady Tigers answered with a foul shot by junior Molly Friel and a basket by Hobbs to put NA in front, 4-2.  Nixon made two from the stripe and added a driving layup to put NC back ahead 7-6 with 2:26 left.  Neither team was able to score until junior Jessie Lang hit a long trey from top of the key to give NA a 7-6 advantage with just 12 seconds remaining.  Nixon drove and was fouled with 4.7 on the clock and made one of two to tie the score.  The first quarter ended with the teams knotted at 7-7.

In the second quarter, the Lady Tigers began to pull away.  Using a stifling man-to-man defense, NA forced a number of New Castle turnovers.   After junior Maria Joseph hit a pair of free throws to put the ‘Canes ahead, 9-7, Hobbs answered with two foul shots to tie the game again.  Senior Rosina Walton’s driving layup and a basket by Dudas put NA ahead, 13-9.  Nixon came back to score to cut it to 13-11.  After Hobbs scored on a putback, Nixon tallied again to cut the NA lead to 15-13.  The Lady Tigers went on a 6-0 run to close out the half.  A basket by Hobbs, two free throws by Friel and two more foul shots by Lang gave NA a 21-13 with 1:55 remaining.  Neither team was able to score in the remainder of the period, and NA went to the intermission with an eight-point lead.

New Castle continued to slow the game in the third quarter.  Nixon opened the scoring with a driving layup and a foul shot to cut the lead to 23-16.  Two free throws by Dudas pushed it back to 25-16 before Robinson converted a three-point play to reduce the lead to 25-19.  Joseph’s short jumper cut the lead to four before Walton’s basket pushed it back to 27-21.  Lang got loose to score at the 5:21 mark and the lead was back to eight, 29-21.  Nixon’s basket with 24 seconds left made it 29-23, but sophomore Stephanie Wolf dropped in two foul shots with 6.6 seconds left in the quarter to make it a 31-23.  Joseph then drove and scored at the buzzer to cut the NA margin to 31-25 going into the final period. 

Things got exciting in the fourth quarter as New Castle made a valiant effort to come back.  It looked like NA would coast to the victory early in the quarter as they outscored NC, 7-3, in the early going.  A basket by Dudas, two more free throws by Wolf, and a foul shot by Lang gave NA a 36-26 advantage.  Friel scored to give the Lady Tigers their biggest lead, 38-26, with 4:51 left in the game.  At this point, New Castle started the comeback.  Another three-point play by Nixon cut the lead to 38-29, and senior Ashley Wise drained a trey to cut it to 38-32.  The New Castle full court press began to pay dividends as senior Liz Shelar stole the ball and scored on a runner in the lane to cut it further to 38-34.  After Dudas made one of two from the line, Robinson matched her to keep the margin at four points, 39-35.  Dudas came though with a pair of free throws to push it back to six, 41-35, but Nixon hit a trey to cut it to 41-38 with 3:02 left.  After foul shots by Nixon, Walton, and sophomore Laura Casey, Nixon hit another three from the corner to cut the lead to one point, 43-42, with 1:40 on the clock.  Wise then stole the ball, dribbled the length of the floor and scored to give New Castle the lead with just 50 seconds remaining.  Dudas came right back and drove the lane and was fouled.  The Tiger senior calmly dropped in a pair of foul shots to put NA back ahead, 45-44, with 45.1 left.  The Tiger defense took over at this point, not giving the ‘Canes a good shot.  After Hobbs made a great block under the basket, Casey hit one for two from the stripe to give NA a two-point lead with 6.8 seconds left.  New Castle had one more chance when Nixon grabbed the rebound on the missed foul shot, dribbled across the ten-second line, and launched a long three that came up short. The Lady Tigers were in the semi-finals, winning 46-44.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY – 46            NEW CASTLE - 44

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

WPIAL CLASS AAAA GIRLS' BASKETBALL
2002-03 TOURNAMENT

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

WPIAL CLASS AAAA

SECTION 3 FINAL STANDINGS

@ - Section champions
* - Clinched playoff spot

SCORES - Monday, February 10

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NSN TOP TEN – GIRLS’ BASKETBALL RANKINGS
 (as of 2/12/03)

POST-GAZETTE GIRLS' BASKETBALL RANKINGS
(as of 2/13/03)

TRIBUNE-REVIEW GIRLS’ BASKETBALL RANKINGS 
(as of 2/9/03)

* * * * * * * * * *

WPIAL GIRLS’ BASKETBALL – 2002-03

The Lady Tigers will compete  once again in Class AAAA, along with 36 other teams.  Three teams from each section will enter the WPIAL tournament.  The top three teams and ties for third place will enter the team championships set to begin on February 14^th through the 19^th, 2003.  If two teams tie for third place but one of the teams has won both head to head contests, that team will enter the tournament.  Three way or multiple ties will be broken in the following manner:

1)      The cumulative section won-lost records of all ties teams will be totaled.

2)      The team that has the best numerical record among the tied teams will enter post-season play.

3)      If the tie cannot be clearly broken, all will enter post-season play.

The WPIAL will qualify ten teams from Class AAAA for the PIAA state tournament.  PIAA bracket placement will be determined on a “Follow the Winner” basis.  

CLASS AAAA – 37 TEAMS