Greensburg Central Catholic falls again to Kennedy Catholic
Fields has big game of 26 points, 14 rebounds to lead Kennedy to victory
For the second year in a row, the Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball team came up one win short of playing for a state championship. And for the second year in a row, a Layke blocked the Centurions path to Hershey.
Layke Fields, a 6-foot junior and a force on the inside, had another big game to lead Kennedy Catholic to a 61- 45 victory against Greensburg Central Catholic in a PIAA Class 2A semifinal Monday at North Allegheny.
Fields had 26 points and 14 rebounds. A year ago, Fields had 22 points as Kennedy Catholic again beat Greensburg Central in the PIAA semifinals. Kennedy Catholic went on and won the state title. Fields has more than 1,400 career points.
This time, Kennedy Catholic (24-4) will play in the championship game Thursday against Marion Center.
Kennedy Catholic does not have a senior on its roster. The Eagles scored 61 on a Greensburg C.C. team that gives up only 38 points a game. The Centurions (237) had no answer for Fields or the well-balanced Kennedy offense.
The game was played within a possession for the first quarter, before Kennedy Catholic’s rebounding and strong outside shooting helped create separation. The Centurions were unable to defend Fields in the paint as the Eagles outscored the Centurions, 20-8, in the second quarter. The Eagles used a 15-6 run to start the third quarter to build up a 44-24 lead. A late burst by Greensburg Central Catholic with 2:30 remaining in the game got the Centurions back within 13points, but the late offense was far too little, too late. Senior guard Mya Morgan led the Centurions with 14 points in the loss.
Monique Vincent aided the Kennedy Catholic offense with 17 points, while freshman guard Tori Harvey had 11 points.