KNOX — Roller coaster might be an understatement as A-C Valley's girls basketball team defeated Cambridge Springs, 47-43, in round one of Class 2A state competition Friday night at Keystone High School.

The win marks A-C Valley's second state playoff win in program history.

“Adrenaline can do two things to you. It can make you freeze in fear, or you can accept it and kind of ride the wave and just do great things,” A-C Valley coach Dave Sherman said. “We did a really good job at getting to the middle of their defense, but they stuck with it and they're tenacious, they don't quit.”

The adrenaline was indeed flowing for both sides throughout the game and neither team was able to get a stranglehold on the other. The largest lead in the game, by either side, was just five points.

“Two evenly matched teams, battling back and forth, it was just two equal teams,” Cambridge Springs coach Rodney Dies said. “They are very similar to us and we knew that coming in.”

The Blue Devils got out to an early five-point edge by the end of the first quarter, behind some paint work. Three-pointers from Cami McNany and Olivia Boocks kick-started a Falcon scoring spree to get themselves within one point by the half at 24-23.

Ashton Hoover proved to be a key piece to the Blue Devils' offense, hitting shots that not many would make.

“We saw (Hoover) on film and I knew she was a good shooter,” Sherman said. “We knew to stay on her and try to rotate to her, but we hammered the glass tonight. Every time I looked up we were getting another rebound and another opportunity.”

The third period proved to be A-C Valley's, out-scoring Cambridge Springs 16-8 behind McNany, Boocks, and Kylee Eaton.

“I would've liked to have pressured them a little more, but Olivia got a few quick ones and Andrea (Meals) got one right off the tip-off,” Sherman said. “I know we can pressure teams and get them to turn it over, but with foul trouble you got to be careful with that.”

Eaton scored six of her 20 points in the fourth quarter when the Falcons needed them most, plus three key Blue Devil turnovers put the game in the hands of the Falcons with under a minute to go, allowing them to hang on to a four-point victory.

Boocks collected 14 points on the night, while senior McNany posted 11. Hoover led Cambridge Springs (20-6) with 13, while Julia Mailliard added 12.

“Cami is always in the right area at the right time and I can't say enough, defensively down the stretch we were able to hang on and get it done,” Sherman said.

A-C Valley (20-4) will move on to the second round of PIAA competition and face off against WPIAL champion Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Tuesday with a time and place yet to be determined. OLSH defeated Blairsville Friday night, 63-43.

CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS 43

Rachel Swanson 2 0-0 6, Cori Schmidt 1 0-2 2, Julia Mailliard 4 4-6 12, Brooke Myers 1 0-0 3, Abby Wescott 3 0-1 7, Ashton Hoover 5 0-2 13. Totals: 16 4-11 43.

A-C VALLEY 47

Cami McNany 4 2-7 11, Olivia Boocks 4 3-4 14, Kylee Eaton 9 2-6 20, Rachel Cullen 0 0-1 0, Andrea Meals 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 7-18 47.

Cambridge Springs 13 11 8 11 — 43

A-C Valley8 15 16 8 — 47

3-point goals: McNany, Boocks 3; Swanson 2, Myers, Hoover 3.

Tuesday: PIAA Class AA second round, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, TBD.