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NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Central Cambria High School girls basketball team implemented a spirited, sometimes frantic pace while cutting a 14-point deficit to four points in the final minute of Friday’s PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal.
The big finish said a lot about the District 6 champion Red Devils, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a slow start in a 47-43 loss to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at Norwin High School.
PHOTO GALLERY | Central Cambria girls fall to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 3A state quarterfinal
“Obviously, we didn’t have the start that we wanted,” Central Cambria coach Brittany Bracken said. “I think OLSH shot the ball very well. We had a couple miscommunications and then we found ourselves in a hole.
“But we didn’t quit. We made a couple adjustments. I’m very proud of my girls for playing until the final buzzer sounded. That’s a credit to how hard they worked all year and the heart they have for the game.”
Central Cambria finished a 20-9 season and had its five-game winning streak snapped. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (25-4) will face District 7 runner-up Shady Side Academy in the state semifinal next Friday.
“The girls played a great game and executed the game plan, which was to put pressure on the guards and eliminate 3-point shooting,” Our Lady of the Sacred Heart coach Don Eckerle said.
“We know they’re a great 3-point shooting team. We knew we had to try to take something away and that’s what we tried to take away.”
Central Cambria senior Keira Link built on an impressive postseason resume with a game-best 19 points, including two 3-pointers, and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Katie George had 10 points, with a pair of 3s.
“Kiera has been huge for us this postseason. She has worked so hard – stays after practice every day,” Bracken said. “Her desire and her commitment.
“She wanted to keep playing and keep winning.
“She didn’t want the season to end and often she took it into her own hands to assure that it did not end.”
Senior Claudia Ierullo, a Slippery Rock University commit, led Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with 17 points. Juniors Leah Parker and Lola Garner each netted 13 points.
Eckerle commended his senior point guard Elizabeth Gallick, who filled in for injured junior Sara Daeschner.
“Sara does so much for this team,” Eckerle said. “We had to make sure we had the right person taking the ball out of bounds.
“I know that’s a simple thing, but it’s really not a simple thing.”
The Chargers had early momentum, outscoring the Red Devils 10-2 after falling behind following an early basket by Link.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart pushed the margin to 11 points.
Link scored in the final minute, and George made a basket just ahead of the buzzer to pull the Red Devils within 17-10 after a quarter.
Central Cambria used 3-pointers by Link, George and Ava Barra to close the gap to six points at intermission, 27-21.
The Devils trailed 39-27 after three quarters and twice went down by 14 points in the fourth. Central Cambria rallied to a 16-8 scoring margin in the final eight minutes, closing within 47-43 on a Link basket with 26.2 to play.
“We wanted to speed the tempo up a little bit,” Bracken said of the fourth quarter. “We went to trap lineup. We went to man. We tried to get some steals and rebounds and just push the tempo.
“I guess it worked. The main difference is we just started running the floor and hitting baskets. We were struggling in the first half. We weren’t shooting well like we normally do.”
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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The big finish said a lot about the District 6 champion Red Devils, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a slow start in a 47-43 loss to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at Norwin High School.
PHOTO GALLERY | Central Cambria girls fall to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 3A state quarterfinal
“Obviously, we didn’t have the start that we wanted,” Central Cambria coach Brittany Bracken said. “I think OLSH shot the ball very well. We had a couple miscommunications and then we found ourselves in a hole.
“But we didn’t quit. We made a couple adjustments. I’m very proud of my girls for playing until the final buzzer sounded. That’s a credit to how hard they worked all year and the heart they have for the game.”
Central Cambria finished a 20-9 season and had its five-game winning streak snapped. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (25-4) will face District 7 runner-up Shady Side Academy in the state semifinal next Friday.
“The girls played a great game and executed the game plan, which was to put pressure on the guards and eliminate 3-point shooting,” Our Lady of the Sacred Heart coach Don Eckerle said.
“We know they’re a great 3-point shooting team. We knew we had to try to take something away and that’s what we tried to take away.”
Central Cambria senior Keira Link built on an impressive postseason resume with a game-best 19 points, including two 3-pointers, and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Katie George had 10 points, with a pair of 3s.
“Kiera has been huge for us this postseason. She has worked so hard – stays after practice every day,” Bracken said. “Her desire and her commitment.
“She wanted to keep playing and keep winning.
“She didn’t want the season to end and often she took it into her own hands to assure that it did not end.”
Senior Claudia Ierullo, a Slippery Rock University commit, led Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with 17 points. Juniors Leah Parker and Lola Garner each netted 13 points.
Eckerle commended his senior point guard Elizabeth Gallick, who filled in for injured junior Sara Daeschner.
“Sara does so much for this team,” Eckerle said. “We had to make sure we had the right person taking the ball out of bounds.
“I know that’s a simple thing, but it’s really not a simple thing.”
The Chargers had early momentum, outscoring the Red Devils 10-2 after falling behind following an early basket by Link.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart pushed the margin to 11 points.
Link scored in the final minute, and George made a basket just ahead of the buzzer to pull the Red Devils within 17-10 after a quarter.
Central Cambria used 3-pointers by Link, George and Ava Barra to close the gap to six points at intermission, 27-21.
The Devils trailed 39-27 after three quarters and twice went down by 14 points in the fourth. Central Cambria rallied to a 16-8 scoring margin in the final eight minutes, closing within 47-43 on a Link basket with 26.2 to play.
“We wanted to speed the tempo up a little bit,” Bracken said of the fourth quarter. “We went to trap lineup. We went to man. We tried to get some steals and rebounds and just push the tempo.
“I guess it worked. The main difference is we just started running the floor and hitting baskets. We were struggling in the first half. We weren’t shooting well like we normally do.”
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.
Continue reading...
