FOX CHAPEL — Elizabeth-Forward girls basketball coach Krystal Gibbs learned from history.

She put it to use Saturday afternoon at Fox Chapel High School, using an aggressive zone defense to frustrate Freeport and produce a 45-33 WPIAL Class 4A playoff victory over the Yellowjackets.

The win avenged a 56-50 overtime playoff loss to Freeport last year. Jenna Manke led the Yellowjackets with 21 points in that game.

One of three seniors on Freeport's roster, Manke did not register a field goal and scored just two points in Saturday's loss. Freeport's 33 points marked the third-fewest the team scored in a game all season.

“She killed us inside last year,” Gibbs said of Manke. “I don't like to play zone — we usually play man — but we had to play zone against this team. We couldn't let them penetrate inside.

“This was the best I've ever seen us play defensively. The girls were outstanding today. We matured a lot from a year ago.”

Freeport shot 32 percent for the day, sinking just 13 of 40 shots.

“We started off pretty well, for the first quarter or so,” Freeport coach Fred Soilis said. “After that, we couldn't buy a hoop.”

When Sidney Shemanski canned a jumper with 6:26 left in the first half, Freeport (13-9) had a 17-15 lead. Then Elizasbeth-Forward closed the half with a 12-0 run.

The Yellowjackets managed just nine points and four field goals in the middle two quarters. They fell behind by as many as 19 (43-24) with just under three minutes to play before scoring nine straight points in just over a minute.

“Our girls never quit playing hard, right to the end,” Soilis said. “I'm proud of them for that.”

The Warriors (15-7)turned the ball over on four straight possessions, Madeline Clark and Shemanski both drained treys, and the Freeport deficit was 43-33 with 1:31 remaining.

The Yellowjackets would not score again, however.

“We got a little sloppy there and lost our focus,” Gibbs said of the flurry.

Freeport had 22 turnovers, including 18 in the first three quarters. Juria Flournoy had eight steals and fellow guards Alexis Korenoski and Julia Jenkins four each.

“We don't normally turn teams over like that. Our guards have never played better,” Gibbs said.

Brianna Spirnak had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors. Jenkins scored 14 points, including four treys. Korenoski had four assists.

Shemanski led Freeport with 16 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Manke had seven rebounds and four steals, Asti Brestensky four assists, Samantha Clark three steals and three assists.

Manke, Brestensky and Ashley Sullivan played their final games for the Yellowjackets.

“We weren't ready to send our seniors off just yet, but that's the way it went,” Soilis said. “I felt like we were the better team coming in. We had a lot of open looks.

“We just didn't put the ball in the basket.”

ELIZABETH-FORWARD 45

Julia Jenkins 5-10 0-2 14, Alex Korenoski 0-3 0-1 0, Brianna Spirnak 7-12 1-1 16, Haylee Briggs 1-3 0-0 2, Juria Flournoy 3-8 0-0 8, Seneca Thompson 0-2 0-0 0, Anna Resnik 0-2 1-3 1, Abigail Bickerton 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 18-41 2-9 45.

FREEPORT 33

Asti Brestensky 1-5 0-0 2, Samantha Clark 2-9 1-2 5, Madeline Clark 2-10 0-0 6, Sidney Shemanski 7-11 1-2 16, Ashley Sullivan 1-2 0-0 2, Jenna Manke 0-2 2-5 2, Tori Radvan 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 13-40 4-9 33.

Eliz.-Forward 12 13 8 10 — 45

Freeport14 3 6 10 — 33

3-point goals: Jenkins 4, Spirnak, Flournoy 2; M.Clatk 2, Shemanski