It appeared for 16 minutes like Fairview might cruise back to the District 10 Class 4A girls’ basketball final.
Conneaut had other ideas in the second half of Wednesday’s semifinal. That, however, didn’t waiver Paige Garrity’s confidence.
No. 1 Fairview (19-5) saw No. 4 Conneaut (16-8) cut a 12-point halftime deficit to two in the fourth quarter. That was until with 45 seconds left on the game clock, Garrity splashed a 3-pointer which would be the proverbial dagger.
Boys' semis:Dream seasons: Girard, Iroquois advance to District 10 boys basketball championship games
Garrity scored a game-high 22 points in Fairview’s 44-35 victory at Hagerty Family Events Center. The freshman picked up where sister Hope left off in last year’s D-10 playoffs and will now play to defend Fairview’s Class 4A title.
“We work so hard as a team and it’s a team game, but I saw an opening and knew I had to shoot that for my team,” Garrity said.
Bre Heidt added 14 points for Fairview, which was held to just two fourth-quarter points before Garrity’s decisive triple. Lainie Harrington led Conneaut with 11 points.
“I think we just got a little loose on defense,” said Heidt, a junior forward. “The communication wasn’t great, but we knew we had to re-group and really get together to stop (Conneaut).”
Erie High wins PIAA opener
Erie High advanced in the PIAA tournament by beating District 8 champion Taylor Allderdice 79-62 in a Class 6A sub-regional at Hagerty Family Events Center.
Aundraya Neavins poured in 30 points, Deaja Williams added 18 and Arianah Reap tacked on 16 for the Royals (18-6), who opened a 12-1 lead that Allderdice (13-10) couldn’t erase.
“We just had to stay calm and keep our heads up,” said Williams, a junior guard. “Do what we do on defense and offense, execute, and get the shots we wanted.”
Both sides made their living with transition baskets. Erie’s rebounding prowess allowed it to maintain a double-digit lead throughout by generating extra offensive chances when needed.
“(Allderdice) had bigger girls down low so we had the opportunity to box out and jump,” said Neavins, a junior guard. “We kept our head up, executed and just kept shooting.”
D-10 tracker:Get District 10 high school postseason results, basketball box scores for Feb. 27-March 2
Erie will visit District 6 champ Altoona (19-4) on Saturday for another sub-regional. The Royals advance to the PIAA first round regardless of result.
Maplewood rallies past Cochranton
MEADVILLE — Maplewood sophom*ore Maggie Means had several clutch plays in the final minute Wednesday as the Tigers rallied for a 39-37 win over rival Cochranton in the District 10 Class 2A girls basketball semifinal at Meadville High School.
Maplewood (21-3) moves on to the D-10 championship on Saturday against defending PIAA champion Kennedy Catholic, while Cochranton (13-11) plays West Middlesex for a spot in the PIAA tournament.
Cochranton raced out to a 26-15 lead at halftime behind six points from Eve Pfeiffer, who finished with 10 to lead the Cardinals. Shelby McBryar added 10 points in the loss.
Maplewood started chipping away throughout the second half before Means had a steal and layup and several free throws to put the game away. She scored eight of her 11 points in the fourth quarter, while Madison O'Hara had 11 points, including a late steal and bucket, and Savannah O'Hara added eight for Maplewood.
McDowell boys win PIAA opener behind Grove's 30-piece
PITTSBURGH — Tyler Grove scored 30 points to lead McDowell over District 8 champion Taylor Allderdice 62-54 in a Class 6A boys sub-regional at Allderdice.
All but three of those points were scored across the final three quarters, helping McDowell run away after an even first. Kamden Kramer added 12 points for the Trojans, who outscored Allderdice 25-8 in a game-changing second quarter.
McDowell visits District 6 champion State College on Saturday for another sub-regional and will advance to the PIAA first round regardless of result.
Mercyhurst Prep sweeps Seneca
Mercyhurst Prep had one less issue to agonize over going into its District 10 Class 3A semifinal.
Unlike most postseason opponents, the Lakers were very familiar with the Seneca Bobcats. The teams met twice as Region 3 members, with Mercyhurst a 25-point victor after each.
“We worked on some of their plays (during practice) to help us know what to do in this game,” Lakers guard Seana Thrower said. “I didn’t think we were going to automatically beat them again just because we already beat them twice.
“Sometimes, that’s not the case.”
Wednesday wasn’t one of those sometimes.
The Lakers invoked the PIAA’s running-clock rule en route to their 61-31 victory at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The tournament’s top-seeded team advanced to Saturday’s 3A final with an overall record of 20-3.
Mercyhurst will face Northwestern, the region’s other co-champ, for that title.
Seneca, despite its latest loss, remained alive for district’s third and final PIAA 3A tournament berth. The fifth-seeded Bobcats carry a 15-9 record into Saturday’s third-place game against Wilmington.
Thrower was a reason for Wednesday’s one-sided outcome. The freshman guard converted four 3-pointers amid her game-high 20.
“I actually didn’t make that many (3-point) shots during warmups,” Thrower said. “Those (in the game) just came out of me.”
Mari Nixon, another Mercyhurst guard, complimented Thrower with 14 points. Olivia Kulyk, a New Jersey Institute of Technology recruit, had 13 when coach Dan Perfetto began to send in the Lakers’ reserves late in the third quarter.
Haylee Farrell was Seneca’s top scorer with 12 points.
‘Didn’t get the shot’
Protecting the ball was a reason why Harbor Creek coach Mark Corey said the Huskies once held an 11-point lead over Warren during Wednesday’s District 10 Class 4A semifinal at the MAC.
Not protecting was a reason the Dragons erased that deficit and, on the playoff’s decisive possession, ultimately won 32-31.
Harbor Creek, down by one, called timeout on a dead-ball situation with eight seconds left in regulation. The Huskies inbounded the ball near Warren’s baseline and quickly passed into the Dragons’ end of the court.
It appeared Harbor Creek forward Hannah Smith was open near Warren’s free-throw line. Whether she would have taken any kind of shot, though, will never be known.
An errant pass flew out of bounds with 2.5 seconds left. The game ended after the Dragons’ successful in-bounds play.
“We did exactly what we orchestrated in (the huddle),” Corey said. “We just didn’t get the shot.”
The loss left Harbor Creek, the tournament’s third seed, with a 13-10 record. However, the Huskies are assured a PIAA 4A berth regardless of how they fare after Saturday’s district third-place game against the Conneaut Eagles.
That same day, Warren (20-4) will face the top-seeded Fairview Tigers for the tournament title.
Halle Kuzminski led the Dragons’ balanced offense with nine points. Harbor Creek lost despite 11 from Brooke Przybylski, who recently surpassed 1,000 varsity points.
