SLIPPERY ROCK — It was David versus Goliath at Morrow Field House on Wednesday night.

The scrappy, underdog A-C Valley Lady Falcons hit perennial powerhouse Kennedy Catholic with everything they had, but in the end, it wasn't enough as the Falcons season came to an end with a 58-47 defeat.

Malia Magestro, who played sparingly in the first half due to foul trouble, scored 25 of the Eagles' 30 points in the second half, as Kennedy Catholic outscored A-C Valley 30-19 after the break.

Magestro ended the game with a game-high 31 points.

“I talked to her at half and told her that she really need to take control in the second half,” Kennedy Catholic coach Justin Magestro said.

The game began with Kennedy Catholic at the foul line instead of the usual jump ball. A-C Valley was assessed a technical foul before the game even began because of a uniform violation. The Falcons were designated as the home team, but they brought their road uniforms.

“It was completely my fault,” A-C Valley coach Dave Sherman said. “I assumed since we were the lower seed, we would be the road team.”

The Eagles opened the game by going on an 11-2 run, but that was promptly answered by A-C Valley, which went on a 16-5 run to take an 18-16 lead early in the second quarter.

The Falcons' Ellie Thompson scored 11 of her 17 points in the first half to keep A-C Valley in the game, as the Falcons went into halftime tied with the Eagles at 28.

With Magestro on the bench for much of the first half, Sydney McKnight picked up the slack for Kennedy Catholic, scoring 12 points before halftime. She would end the game with 14 points.

“Sydney really stepped up in the first half,” coach Magestro said, “especially with today being her birthday.”

With the Eagles holding a 5-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, they went into a 4-corners offense to run time off the clock. They held the ball for over three minutes without losing possession.

“It was a calculated risk for us to stay in zone at that point,” Sherman said. “I figured if we got it to the minute-and-a-half mark down by five, we had a chance.”

Once the Falcons came out of their zone to play man-to-man, they were forced to foul, and Magestro iced the game at the foul line, going 10-for-10 down the stretch.

Joining Thompson in double figures for the Falcons was Cami McNany and Kylee Eaton, both with 11 points.

The Falcons ended the season with a 21-7 record and recorded their first ever PIAA playoff win this season. A-C Valley girls basketball has come a long way since a 6-16 record in the 2013-14 season.

“It's not just me,” Sherman said. “It's this group of girls. They are not just athletes, they are successful in other things, too.”

KENNEDY CATHOLIC 58

Malia Magestro 7 13-16 31, Sydney McKnight 5 2-4 14, Sophia Berardi 1 0-1 2, Caitlyn Figuly 1 1-2 3, Makayla Utlak 2 0-0 6, Olivia Shuller 1 0-0 2, Allie Suhar 0 0-2 0. Totals: 17 16-25 58.

A-C VALLEY 47

Ellie Thompson 7 3-6 17, Cami McNany 5 1-2 11, Allie Sherman 1 0-1 2, Annie Viertel 2 0-0 6, Brooke Irwin 0 0-0 0, Kylee Eaton 5 1-2 11, Emma Fox 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 5-11 47.

Kennedy Cath. 16 12 16 14 — 58

A-C Valley15 13 12 7 — 47

3-point goals: Magestro 4, McKnight 2, Utlak 2; Viortel; 2