BETHEL PARK — For 22 years, Molly Rottmann has been head coach of North Catholic's varsity girls basketball team.

She could not remember a scoreless quarter by the Trojanettes offensively.

She'll remember one now.

North Catholic missed all 15 of its shots from the field in the first quarter against Upper St. Clair Saturday at Bethel Park High School. The Trojanettes were participating in the Joey Fabus Memorial Classic and trailed the Panthers 11-0 after eight minutes.

“That was just crazy,” Rottmann said. “We were getting good looks, got to the basket a few times ... We just couldn't get a shot to go down.”

The Trojanettes (16-1) found plenty of offense the rest of the way, rallying for a 44-31 victory over Upper St. Clair. (9-6).

The win was the ninth straight for the Trojanettes, who outscored their opponents by an average margin of 40 points in the previous eight.

“We needed a game like this,” point guard Emma Pospisil said. “We needed to face some adversity and respond to it.

“This game will help us get ready for the playoffs.”

It was Pospisil who drained a pair of treys in the first 1:05 of the second quarter, getting her team on the board and back in the game.

Defense led the way from there. Upper St. Clair managed only eight points in the middle two quarters, sinking three of 19 shots. The Panthers lost for the third time in four games.

“Our defense definitely carried this one,” Rottmann said. “Emma and Cassie (Foster) were doing a great job up high with our pressure. They weren't allowing their guards to look into the post.

“Those two disrupted what they (Panthers) were trying to do.”

Upper St. Clair had 22 turnovers on the day. The Panthers' 31 points were the fewest they've scored in a game since being limited to 24 by Quaker Valley on Dec. 7.

Because the scoreboard at Bethel Park hangs from the ceiling above midcourt, Pospisil said she was unaware her team had not scored in the first period.

“I knew we were struggling and missing a lot of shots,” she said. “But I didn't know what the score was. I don't think anyone on our team did since the scoreboard was not on a wall in front of us.

“When the quarter was over, yeah, I was surprised we had zero. But you just keep shooting. Eventually, the shots go in.”

Pospisil had 11 points and four assists for the Trojanettes, who shot only 33 percent from the field overall, but just under 50 percent over the final three quarters.

“We generate a lot of offense from our defense,” Rottmann said. “Thankfully, our defense kept us in the game until we started scoring some points.”

Tess Myers had 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Trojanettes. Kylee Lewandowski added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Upper St. Clair had no players in double figures. Mia Brown led the Panthers with seven points, five rebounds and three steals.

North Catholic outscored the Panthers 20-4 in the second quarter to take a 20-15 lead into halftime. The Trojanettes ended the period with a 12-0 run, erasing a 15-8 deficit in the process.

Upper St. Clair never got closer than that five-point halftime deficit again.

“I loved the way we responded to the slow start,” Rottmann said. “That's encouraging. We showed a lot of grit today.”

The Joey Fabus Memorial Classic featured five girls varsity games Saturday. Fabus is a former Bethel Park student who died at a young age from a form of brain cancer. All proceeds from Saturday's games benefit the Joey Fabus Childhood Cancer Foundation.

NORTH CATHOLIC 44

Emma Pospisil 4-8 0-0 11, Cassie Foster 3-6 2-2 9, Kylee Lewandowski 4-5 2-4 10, Tess Myers 3-14 4-4 11, Belle O'Hara 1-3 1-3 3, Sarah Berardelli 0-0 0-0 0, Branygan Bianchin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 15-46 9-13.

UPPER ST. CLAIR 31

Samantha Prunzik 0-1 1-2 1, Casey Bakayza 2-5 0-0 4, Ava Keating 3-8 0-0 6, Katelyn Robbins 1-3 0-0 2, Mia Brown 3-8 0-0 7, Emily Rocco 0-3 0-0 0, Alexanda Prunzik 0-0 0-0 0, Paige Dellicari 2-5 0-0 5, Molly James 0-1 0-0 0, Abigail John 2-4 2-2 6. Totals: 13-38 3-4 31.

North Catholic 0 20 8 16 — 44

Upper St. Clair11 4 4 12 — 31

3-point goals: Pospisil 3 Foster, Myers; Brown, Dellicari

Monday: North Catholic at Freeport