Gateway pulls off victory on last shot
Gators win first WPIAL championship by downing Oakland Catholic, 29-27
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Gateway managed just 12 points through the first three quarters of the WPIAL Class 5A championship. The Gators shot just 28 percent from the floor.
Luckily, when the game came down to a final shot, they had a Jordan to take it.
Jordan Edwards did her best Michael Jordan impression and converted a winning, pull-up jumper Saturday to lift the Gators to a 29-27 victory against Oakland Catholic at Petersen Events Center.
It was the first WPIAL title for Gateway (23-3), which had not made the title game since 1982. Oakland Catholic (17-9) was the WPIAL runner-up a year ago as well.
It was the lowest-scoring WPIAL girls championship since Turtle Creek beat St. Elizabeth, 27-26, in 1978. Oakland Catholic shot 21 percent (8 of 39) from the floor and Gateway was not much better, sinking 11 of 39 attempts.
Despite the poor shooting, Edwards had faith that her final shot would fall through after it rolled off her fingertips just the way she wanted it.
“I just had to think that the ball was going through the hoop,” Edwards said. “I had to believe in myself, take the shot and it went in. It was one of the best feelings ever.”
Edwards, a Niagara recruit who finished with a game-high 14 points, is the Gators’ only senior.
“You couldn’t write a better script than our only senior making a clutch shot to win the championship and seal it for us,” Gateway coach Curtis Williams said.
With the score tied at 2727 and time winding down, Oakland Catholic was holding for a last shot. But the Eagles were called for a moving screen near midcourt with 8.2 seconds remaining to set up Edwards’ heroics.
Oakland Catholic led, 1912, after three quarters before the Gators offense came alive. The Gators’ 17 points in the fourth marked the only time either team scored double digits in a quarter.
“You don’t get to big games for no good reason,” Oakland Catholic coach Shannon Kearney said. “There’s always that chance of a comeback.”
Mary Kromka contributed nine points and eight rebounds for Gateway and 6-foot-3 sophomore Lexi Jackson had 13 rebounds, but no points on 0-for-12 shooting. The Eagles got 12 from Cierra Christian, who transferred from Gateway. The Gators certainly did not forget about it.
“That was probably a little extra motivation for the girls,” Williams said.
The low-scoring affair was to be expected from the Section 2 rivals who split the season series. Each team featured a defense that allows 40 points or fewer per game. Gateway was at 35.7 and Oakland Catholic 39.6.
The Eagles led, 7-4, after the first quarter and 15-7 at halftime. The game was scoreless through the final 4:11 of the third quarter.
“We started doing open gyms in August, shooting around and working on skills. I could just tell that this team could be spec i a l , ” W i l l i a m s s a i d . “They bought in, they believed and now we’re special.”