NA tops Bethel in 6A quarters
It was no big deal, said North Allegheny senior guard Courtney Roman. Just ashot like any other.
Well, the crowd and her teammates certainly disagreedby their reaction.
With the Tigers struggling to score and Bethel Park nipping at their heels, Roman converted a 3-pointer with 1:40 remaining to give North Allegheny some separation before clinching a 44-34 PIAA Class 6A quarterfinal victory againstBethel Park.
“I’ve practiced enough 3s that I didn’t think anything of it,” Roman said of her corner shot that sent a roar through Baldwin’s gymnasium. “I just shot it like I would have shotit anytime.”
Fortunately, she didn’t shoot it like the Tigers did in the third quarter. North Allegheny, which improved to 280 and is ranked No. 16 nationally by USA Today, was held scoreless until the final seconds of the third when junior guard Brynn Serbin hit a 3 at the buzzer. North Allegheny led the entire game, but the Blackhawks (19-7) cut that lead to 33-26 heading into the fourthquarter.
“We definitely felt like we had some momentum,” Bethel Park coach Jonna Burke said. “But, when push came to shove, we couldn’t capitalize on the offensive end to get it to a tie or one point where we could spread the floor a little more and workthe offense a bit more.”
Both teams clamped down and were in each other’s faces defensively. As a result, North Allegheny shot 31 percent (13 for 42) from the floor, while the Blackhawks made 29 percent (12 for 42).
The Tigers were clinging to a 37-32 lead in the fourth quarter when Roman connected on her clutch 3 to give her a game-high 11 points. The Tigers only made 4 of 22 field goals in the second half, but that final one was huge. Bethel Park was then forced to foul and a freshman freethrow machine went to the line.
Lizzy Groetsch made four free throws after Roman’s 3 to seal the win. After going 8 for 8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter in the previous game, Groetsch made 10 of 10 against Bethel Park. She missed all seven shots from the floor to finish with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Kamryn Lach led Bethel Park with nine points, followed by Olivia Westphal witheight.
North Allegheny opened the game on an 8-0 run, holding Bethel Park scoreless for the first four minutes. The Blackhawks also were held scoreless for the first four minutes of the second half, which combined equals a quarter’s worth of time withouta point.
“We played very strong defensively, but offensively we just could not capitalize,” Burkesaid.
The Tigers like to disrupt their opponents with fullcourt pressure and tight defense. But Bethel Park had Lach, Westphal and Maria Cerro who could push the ball upcourt.
“They handled that well enough that we had to bring it a little more sporadically,” North Allegheny coach Spencer Stefko said. “We felt like we were leaving shooters as a result.Every time we got cute theygot something good off of it.”
A 3-pointer from Lach with 4:45 remaining cut the Tigers’ lead to 35-32, but that was as close as Bethel Park got.
“The first thing that you want to do is give Bethel a ton of credit for being the kind of team that made that win special,” Stefko said. “We’re happyto be moving on.”