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EBENSBURG, Pa. – His two experienced inside players each had four fouls in the third quarter of a PIAA Class 2A girls semifinal contest.
Bishop McCort Catholic veteran coach John Hahn’s top scorer had to contend with a stout defense that kept her off the scoreboard until midway in the fourth quarter.
The Crimson Crushers trailed by as many seven points with just over a minute left in the third.
PHOTO GALLERY | Bishop McCort girls edge Penns Manor for trip to PIAA Class 2A title game
With a trip to the state championship game on the line, Hahn and the Crimson Crushers turned to a somewhat unlikely hero – junior guard Emma Preuss.
“How about Emma Preuss?” Hahn said after the junior guard scored a career-high 27 points in Bishop McCort’s dramatic 55-53 victory over Penns Manor at Central Cambria High School.
“What the heck did she have for supper?” Hahn asked rhetorically. “Unbelievable.”
PHOTO GALLERY | Coral Prosser, Berlin Brothersvalley girls pull past Mountain View for berth in PIAA Class 2A title game opposite Bishop McCort
With the Mountaineers locked in a tight battle against District 2 champion Mountain View, Prosser scored all 16 of her team’s points in the fourth quarter to hold off a late Eagles charge and give Berlin Brothersvalley a 41-38 victory at Mechanicsburg High School.
Whatever Preuss had for her pregame meal, the Crimson Crushers might want to order a dozen or so servings prior to the PIAA 2A title game against District 5 champion Berlin Brothersvalley Thursday in Hershey.
“Emma Preuss was unbelievable,” Hahn said. “I don’t think she’s ever had 20 points (in a game), but I always knew she was capable of that. She was lights out. She was just lights out.”
The Crimson Crushers and Mountaineers will play at noon Thursday inside Giant Center. Bishop McCort will play in its first state championship game since finishing as runner-up in 2017.
Berlin Brothersvalley won the 2019 Class 1A gold.
Four games into the season, Berlin Brothersvalley beat Bishop McCort 56-49 in the Mountain Cat Tournament at Pitt-Johnstown Dec. 12.
“We just had to keep our confidence up and keep each other up and move on after mistakes,” said Preuss, who made five 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds.
“I was just so excited,” Preuss said. “My teammates just encouraged me so much to keep shooting and pushing.”
Friday’s semifinal was a rematch of the District 6-2A championship game Bishop McCort (26-4) won 54-49 over Penns Manor Feb. 27 at Mount Aloysius College.
This time, the Comets (25-6) held the upper hand throughout the semifinal, leading 14-11 after one quarter. The score was tied 28-all at halftime, and Penns Manor led 42-38 entering the final eight minutes.
“We pushed through,” Preuss said.
Bishop McCort vs. Penns Manor – March 21, 2025
Bishop McCort Catholic’s Emma Preuss drives inside of Penns Manor’s Katie Bertolino during a PIAA Class 2A semifinal Friday, March 21, 2025, at Central Cambria High School in Ebensburg, Pa.
Bishop McCort junior forward Ava Zucco picked up her fourth foul with 5:11 left in the third quarter with her team trailing 31-28. Zoey Ferguson, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, had her fourth foul with 1:45 remaining in the third and the Crimson Crushers still behind by three points (38-35).
Senior 1,000-point scorer and Seton Hill signee Cami Beppler was scoreless until splashing a field goal to pull the Crimson Crushers within 48-45 with 4:11 left in the game.
“We never quit,” Hahn said.
“Cami (Beppler) couldn’t make a shot, but she never got depressed. I said, ‘You’ve got to rebound. You’ve got to play defense, and whenever you get an open look, you take the shot.’ ”
Penns Manor 5-11 senior center Allie Mamau totaled 23 points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 51 seconds left.
Comets freshman Josslyn Bennett made two free throws to cap a 6-0 run that gave Penns Manor a seven-point lead with 1:05 left in the third quarter, but junior Kalina Bailey drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to pull the Crimson Crushers within 42-38.
Back in the lineup, Zucco had six fourth-quarter points, and Ferguson added four points in the frame, including a basket with 1:16 remaining to tie the score at 53-all.
The final minutes featured back-and-forth play and clutch shots by each team.
Zucco’s basket with 3:20 left gave Bishop McCort a 49-48 lead, but Penns Manor’s Katie Bertolino answered with a field goal for a 50-49 Comets advantage 17 seconds later.
Zucco scored inside to put the Crushers ahead 51-50 at 1:48, but once again, Penns Manor had a response in senior Summer Fennell’s 3-pointer to put her team up 53-51 with 1:28 on the clock.
Bishop McCort only had five free-throw attempts in the game, making four. After Ferguson’s game-tying basket, Zucco hit her team’s two biggest foul shots with 20.3 on the clock for a 55-53 lead that stood after the Comets final shot just missed.
“Coach Hahn and I always make a joke because I’m a horrible foul shooter when I’m under a lot of pressure,” Zucco said. “I tried not to think about it. I just acted like I was in the gym at practice because we practice foul shots. Practice, practice, practice.”
Zucco had seven rebounds, three in the final quarter.
“The whole game, I was in pretty bad foul trouble and it was obviously frustrating,” Zucco said. “We all came together and they were so supportive.
“It felt good to be able to help my team out at the end because I wasn’t really able to contribute in the rest of the game. I’m super-excited that we got the win.”
Ferguson totaled six points and eight rebounds. Bailey made three 3-pointers for nine points – six points in the second half.
“Ava was big and Zoey was big in the fourth quarter,” Hahn said. “Big rebounds. Big shots. Ava sinks two foul shots.”
Penns Manor reached the semifinal round for the third time. Previously, the Comets lost in overtime to West Catholic in 2018 and fell against Neshannock in 2021.
Bishop McCort Catholic won its only girls basketball state championship in 1985. The Crimson Crushers finished as state runners-up in 1986, 1988 and 2017.
“We’ve just been waiting for this moment all season long,” Preuss said.
“It’s crazy,” Zucco added. “I’m so excited.”
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at (814) 532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
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Bishop McCort Catholic veteran coach John Hahn’s top scorer had to contend with a stout defense that kept her off the scoreboard until midway in the fourth quarter.
The Crimson Crushers trailed by as many seven points with just over a minute left in the third.
PHOTO GALLERY | Bishop McCort girls edge Penns Manor for trip to PIAA Class 2A title game
With a trip to the state championship game on the line, Hahn and the Crimson Crushers turned to a somewhat unlikely hero – junior guard Emma Preuss.
“How about Emma Preuss?” Hahn said after the junior guard scored a career-high 27 points in Bishop McCort’s dramatic 55-53 victory over Penns Manor at Central Cambria High School.
“What the heck did she have for supper?” Hahn asked rhetorically. “Unbelievable.”
PHOTO GALLERY | Coral Prosser, Berlin Brothersvalley girls pull past Mountain View for berth in PIAA Class 2A title game opposite Bishop McCort
With the Mountaineers locked in a tight battle against District 2 champion Mountain View, Prosser scored all 16 of her team’s points in the fourth quarter to hold off a late Eagles charge and give Berlin Brothersvalley a 41-38 victory at Mechanicsburg High School.
Whatever Preuss had for her pregame meal, the Crimson Crushers might want to order a dozen or so servings prior to the PIAA 2A title game against District 5 champion Berlin Brothersvalley Thursday in Hershey.
“Emma Preuss was unbelievable,” Hahn said. “I don’t think she’s ever had 20 points (in a game), but I always knew she was capable of that. She was lights out. She was just lights out.”
The Crimson Crushers and Mountaineers will play at noon Thursday inside Giant Center. Bishop McCort will play in its first state championship game since finishing as runner-up in 2017.
Berlin Brothersvalley won the 2019 Class 1A gold.
Four games into the season, Berlin Brothersvalley beat Bishop McCort 56-49 in the Mountain Cat Tournament at Pitt-Johnstown Dec. 12.
“We just had to keep our confidence up and keep each other up and move on after mistakes,” said Preuss, who made five 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds.
“I was just so excited,” Preuss said. “My teammates just encouraged me so much to keep shooting and pushing.”
Friday’s semifinal was a rematch of the District 6-2A championship game Bishop McCort (26-4) won 54-49 over Penns Manor Feb. 27 at Mount Aloysius College.
This time, the Comets (25-6) held the upper hand throughout the semifinal, leading 14-11 after one quarter. The score was tied 28-all at halftime, and Penns Manor led 42-38 entering the final eight minutes.
“We pushed through,” Preuss said.
Bishop McCort vs. Penns Manor – March 21, 2025
Bishop McCort Catholic’s Emma Preuss drives inside of Penns Manor’s Katie Bertolino during a PIAA Class 2A semifinal Friday, March 21, 2025, at Central Cambria High School in Ebensburg, Pa.
Bishop McCort junior forward Ava Zucco picked up her fourth foul with 5:11 left in the third quarter with her team trailing 31-28. Zoey Ferguson, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, had her fourth foul with 1:45 remaining in the third and the Crimson Crushers still behind by three points (38-35).
Senior 1,000-point scorer and Seton Hill signee Cami Beppler was scoreless until splashing a field goal to pull the Crimson Crushers within 48-45 with 4:11 left in the game.
“We never quit,” Hahn said.
“Cami (Beppler) couldn’t make a shot, but she never got depressed. I said, ‘You’ve got to rebound. You’ve got to play defense, and whenever you get an open look, you take the shot.’ ”
Penns Manor 5-11 senior center Allie Mamau totaled 23 points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 51 seconds left.
Comets freshman Josslyn Bennett made two free throws to cap a 6-0 run that gave Penns Manor a seven-point lead with 1:05 left in the third quarter, but junior Kalina Bailey drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to pull the Crimson Crushers within 42-38.
Back in the lineup, Zucco had six fourth-quarter points, and Ferguson added four points in the frame, including a basket with 1:16 remaining to tie the score at 53-all.
The final minutes featured back-and-forth play and clutch shots by each team.
Zucco’s basket with 3:20 left gave Bishop McCort a 49-48 lead, but Penns Manor’s Katie Bertolino answered with a field goal for a 50-49 Comets advantage 17 seconds later.
Zucco scored inside to put the Crushers ahead 51-50 at 1:48, but once again, Penns Manor had a response in senior Summer Fennell’s 3-pointer to put her team up 53-51 with 1:28 on the clock.
Bishop McCort only had five free-throw attempts in the game, making four. After Ferguson’s game-tying basket, Zucco hit her team’s two biggest foul shots with 20.3 on the clock for a 55-53 lead that stood after the Comets final shot just missed.
“Coach Hahn and I always make a joke because I’m a horrible foul shooter when I’m under a lot of pressure,” Zucco said. “I tried not to think about it. I just acted like I was in the gym at practice because we practice foul shots. Practice, practice, practice.”
Zucco had seven rebounds, three in the final quarter.
“The whole game, I was in pretty bad foul trouble and it was obviously frustrating,” Zucco said. “We all came together and they were so supportive.
“It felt good to be able to help my team out at the end because I wasn’t really able to contribute in the rest of the game. I’m super-excited that we got the win.”
Ferguson totaled six points and eight rebounds. Bailey made three 3-pointers for nine points – six points in the second half.
“Ava was big and Zoey was big in the fourth quarter,” Hahn said. “Big rebounds. Big shots. Ava sinks two foul shots.”
Penns Manor reached the semifinal round for the third time. Previously, the Comets lost in overtime to West Catholic in 2018 and fell against Neshannock in 2021.
Bishop McCort Catholic won its only girls basketball state championship in 1985. The Crimson Crushers finished as state runners-up in 1986, 1988 and 2017.
“We’ve just been waiting for this moment all season long,” Preuss said.
“It’s crazy,” Zucco added. “I’m so excited.”
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at (814) 532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
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