JEFFERSON TWP — A loss is a loss, but this one had a definitive silver lining for Knoch's girls basketball team.

The Knights were down by as many as 15 points in the second half of Tuesday night's non-section game against Shady Side Academy.

However, Knoch received spirited play on both ends of the floor and when senior guard Casey Kretzer drained a pair of free throws with 37 seconds left in the game, the deficit was down to 47-43.

But the Knights got no closer. Shady Side's Ariana Goitz made two free throws with 29 seconds left and Kretzer missed a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining as Knoch fell at home to the Indians, 49-43.

“I'm very pleased with how we fought back,” said Knoch coach Chris Andreassi. “We battled 'til the end. There's no quit in these girls.”

Knoch senior Gabby Fennell hit a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to end the third period to cut Shady Side's edge to 38-30, but the Indians used a 7-0 run in the first 2:40 of the final period to build a 45-30 lead.

That's when the Knights (3-6) made their move. A 13-2 run made the Indians sweat a bit before clinching the win. Knoch's defense forced turnovers on three straight Shady Side possessions.

“We hadn't played (man-to-man) much this year, but we went to the full-court press,” said Fennell. “It was nice to see the energy pick up.”

“We tend to get impatient on the offensive end,” said Indian coach Amy Szlachetka. “But Knoch, wow! They are tough. (Kretzer), we had our best defender on her, but we couldn't stop her.”

Fennell and Kretzer both paced the Knights with 15 points.

While Andreassi was pleased with his team's play late in the game, he knows there are things the Knights must clean up.

Of Shady Side's 34 rebounds, 15 of them were on the offensive glass, giving the Indians second- and in some cases, third-chance opportunities.

“I noticed we had a possession in the first half that lasted about a minute,” said Szlachetka. “We missed two or three shots, but kept getting the rebound. When you can take a minute off the clock and still score, that's big.”

“Especially in the first half, we allowed them to get way too many offensive boards,” said Andreassi. “We were watching the ball way too much.”

Shady Side (7-3) also opened the second quarter with a 12-2 run and had 7-0 spurts to begin the third and fourth quarters.

“Hopefully, that's a lesson that our girls get from this,” Andreassi said. “We can't have lapses like that.”

Goitz led all scorers with 22 points.

The Knights will dive back into Section 1-4A play Thursday by hosting Freeport. Andreassi likes the fact that his team is not highlighted by one or two offensive players.

“Casey, Kayla (Grafton), Emily (Fraser) and Gabby have all been our leading scorer in games this year,” he said. “The scoring has been spread out.”

SHADY SIDE ACADEMY 49

Emmie Lau 2 2-2 6, Megan McInerney 3 0-2 6, Ariana Goitz 6 8-10 22, Willis Munroe 1 0-0 3, Ella Benec 4 0-2 8, Catherine Jewart 2 0-0 4, Julie Staley 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 10-16 49.

KNOCH 43

Hannah Rowe 2 0-0 4, Kayla Grafton 2 0-0 4, Gabby Fennell 5 2-2 15, Emily Fraser 1 3-4 5, Casey Kretzer 4 4-4 15, Anna Neff 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 9-10 43.

Shady Side Acad. 11 14 13 11 — 49

Knoch10 6 14 13 — 43

3-point goals: Shady Side Academy 3 (Goitz 2, Munroe); Knoch 6 (Fennell 3, Kretzer 3).

Thursday: Freeport at Knoch