PITTSBURGH — Molly Rottmann could deal with the turnovers, but losing her best player was something the Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic girls basketball coach was not prepared for.

Junior forward Sam Breen picked up her fifth personal foul with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s WPIAL Class A title game against Vincentian Academy at the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center.

She left the court after scoring 22 points and grabbing eight rebounds. At the time, the Trojanettes trailed the Royals 56-48. Breen’s departure made North Catholic’s uphill climb even steeper.

It was the first time this season that Breen fouled out of a game.

“It was more frustrating than anyone can imagine,” said Breen, who watched helplessly as the Royals closed the game on a 12-6 run, capturing the program’s fifth straight district championship with a 68-54 victory.

“She’s our leading scorer and rebounder,” Rottmann said of Breen. “Not having her out there, her inside presence, was definitely a big factor.”

But Vincentian began to take control of the game when Breen was still on the court. The Trojanettes’ last lead came when Abby Goetz hit a free throw, putting North Catholic up 48-47 with 6:16 left in the fourth quarter.

“We called a timeout and told the girls that basketball is a game of runs,” said Royals’ coach Ron Moncrief. “They had their run, now it’s our turn.”

Vincentian’s Kiersten Elliot then knocked down a 3-pointer, giving the Royals the lead for good. It was the start of a 9-0 run that preceded Breen’s fifth foul and was aided by a pair of North Catholic turnovers.

The Trojanettes turned the ball over 24 times in the game. North Catholic split its two regular season meetings with its Section 2 rival, losing 66-59 in January and winning 60-51 earlier this month.

“We had 20 turnovers in both of those games,” said Rottmann. “We’re very familiar with Vincentian and their press defense. That’s what they do.”

“North Catholic is a bigger team with three 6-footers,” said Moncrief. “We are a smaller and quicker team. We want to use our strengths to our advantage and that’s speed and transition.”

The Royals (21-4) were not without foul trouble of their own. Elliot was whistled for her fourth foul in the final minute of the third quarter. She came to the bench, but returned for the start of the fourth period, during which she scored 10 points to help ice the game.

“I did think I would have to play a little differently with four fouls, especially on the offensive end because North Catholic likes to take charges,” said Elliot, who led all scorers with 24 points. “I was a little worried about that.”

Kylie Huffman scored 14 points for North Catholic. Lexi Griggs (16), Marissa Muth (10) and Torrieonna Cash (10) reached double digits for the Royals.

With its fifth straight WPIAL crown, Vincentian enters into very select company. The only other program, in any class, to win as many as five girls titles in a row is Penn Hills, which earned seven consecutive Quad-A titles 1986-92.

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” said Moncrief. “The girls put a lot of time in over the offseason and they put up with me during the season. God has been good to us.”

Both teams will compete in the PIAA playoffs, which begin next Saturday. If the Royals and Trojanettes (23-3) win their first three state playoff games, they would meet each other for a fourth time in the semifinals.

“If we go 2-2 against them this year, we’ll be in good shape,” Rottmann said with a smile.

VINCENTIAN ACADEMY 68

Torrieonna Cash 2 6-9 10, Maia Joiner 2 2-4 6, Caroline Elliot 1 0-0 2, Kiersten Elliot 8 7-10 24, Lexi Griggs 4 8-10 16, Marissa Muth 3 1-2 10, Olivia O’Brien 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 24-35 68.

CW NORTH CATHOLIC 54

Abby Goetz 0 5-8 5, Sam Breen 7 7-8 22, Kylie Huffman 4 6-6 14, Ashley Robbins 2 0-0 5, Amanda Bucklew 1 0-0 2, Dani Short 2 2-4 6, Elyssa Paras 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 20-26 54.

Vincentian Acad. 15 14 16 23 — 68

CW North Catholic 14 14 15 11 — 54

3-point goals: Vincentian Academy 4 (Muth 3, K. Elliot); CW North Catholic 2 (Breen, Robbins).

Saturday: CW North Catholic vs. Kennedy Catholic/Cochranton loser, PIAA Class A first-round playoff, site and time TBD