Out of gas
JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley managed half of what it needed in the second half.
A stout defensive effort surrendered just 16 combined points in the third and fourth quarters, but missed free throws and just one made field goal in the final eight minutes sealed the Raiders' fate in a 48-42 girls basketball loss to Pine-Richland Thursday night.
“We've talked about it. Somebody is going to catch us on a night when we are clicking on offense,” said SV coach Rob Lombardo. “With the way we play defense, it would be frightening.”
Sole possession of third place in Section 3-AAAA was there for the taking, but the Raiders never did hold a lead in the second half. After trailing 32-22 at halftime, SV got as close as 41-39 with 2:19 left in the game.
The Rams (14-4, 7-3) had their own troubles closing out a victory. They went just 3-of-9 from the foul line in the fourth period. All three of the makes were credited to Caitlyn Byerly in an 11-second span with under a minute to play, pushing Pine-Richland's lead to 48-41 with 31 seconds remaining. Seneca Valley had the last possession, but a pair of 3-point attempts were blocked before a shot finally reached its intended target. It fell off the rim seconds before time expired.
“It's always a battle when we come up here. Both teams are prepared for each other,” said Rams coach Tom Reighard. “This game could have gone either way. Byerly's free throws were big.”
The Rams used a 13-of-20 showing from the field in the first half to take control, including six 3-pointers. Their outside shooting cooled off considerably in the second half (2-of-12), which helped the Raiders stay within striking distance.
Senior forward Chelsea Rourke scored 13 of her 15 points in the first two quarters for Pine-Richland. Amanda Kalin also dropped in 15.
“Pine-Richland has playmakers,” said Lombardo. “When they really needed a basket, they got it. I thought they showed up tonight with a bit more intensity than we did.”
No Raider player reached double digits, with Paige Montrose leading the team with nine points and four steals.
Pine-Richland completed the season sweep of the Raiders, as the Rams claimed a 48-37 home win Jan. 4.
“This game went almost exactly the way the first one did,” said Lombardo. “Defensively, we do what we do (a 3-2 zone). Pine-Richland is averaging 62 points per game and we held them to 48 for the second time this season.”
The Raiders (14-5, 6-4) have already clinched a WPIAL Class AAAA playoff berth, but their seeding will be affected by how they finish the regular season. They travel to North Allegheny on Monday to face the section-leading Tigers.
PINE-RICHLAND 48
Caitlyn Byerly 2 3-4 9, Gianna DeTemple 2 0-0 6, Chelsea Rourke 7 0-1 15, Makenzie Jenkins 1 0-2 3, Amanda Kalin 6 1-4 15, Ari Goitz 0 0-0 0, Erica Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 4-11 48.
SENECA VALLEY 42
Michaela Lamont 2 0-0 5, Cristina Dunning 2 2-4 6, Brooke Lyczek 2 1-2 6, McKenna Gross 2 4-6 8, Paige Montrose 3 3-6 9, Lexus Lambert 0 1-2 1, Erin Danik 2 3-4 7, Toni Augustine 0 0-0 0. Totals: 13 14-24 42.
Pine-Richland 17 15 6 10 — 48
Seneca Valley8 14 11 9 — 42
3-point goals: Pine-Richland 8 (Kalin 2, Byerly 2, DeTemple 2, Rourke, Jenkins); Seneca Valley 2 (Lamont, Lyczek).
Monday: Seneca Valley at North Allegheny
