ROSS TWP — North Catholic hit its stride in the third quarter ... again.

Four days after using a 24-12 run in the third to take control in a PIAA Class 4A first-round playoff win over Freeport, the Trojanettes grabbed the lead for good in the period and held on to dispatch Central Valley, 53-49, in a second-round meeting at North Hills Middle School Wednesday.

After jumping out to a 10-3 lead, North missed 17 of its next 22 attempts from the field and trailed the Warriors at halftime, 24-22.

“We were getting open looks. I had no problem with the shots we were taking,” said North coach Molly Rottmann. “We just struggled to score.”

The cold spell affected everybody taking shots for the Trojanettes.

“It's easy to get down on yourself. I got down on myself,” said North senior guard Kylee Lewandowski. “But teammates were there to pick us up. Tess (Myers) and Emma (Pospisil), everybody on the bench kept saying, 'Don't worry, you'll get the next one.'”

A quick trey from Central's Allyson Kirby pushed her team's lead to 27-22 seconds into the second half, but Lewandowski then led North's surge.

She nailed a 3-pointer to get the rally going with 7:13 left in the period and another trey that put the Trojanettes up for good at 39-36 with 1:39 left in the quarter.

Her jumper just before the buzzer extended the lead to 45-39 with eight minutes to play.

The Trojanettes attempted 17 treys in the first half, making just three of them. They made a concerted effort to get the ball inside in the second half.

“Early in the game, we talked about extending the zone and they (Warriors) were challenging us to take 3s,” said Rottmann. “We knew this was going to be a tough game, just like Saturday's game against Freeport. We're not just going to show up and win.”

Execution was obviously a big factor in the Trojanettes' decisive 25-15 run that extended into the fourth period, but it was bolstered by a mentality.

“We didn't want our season to end here,” said Lewandowski. “We came out in the second half and it was all or nothing.”

North will face Forest Hills, a 55-48 winner over Villa Maria, in a state quarterfinal Saturday at a site and time to be determined.

The Warriors (19-5) kept the game close and when Christiane Frye drained a pair of free throws with 57 seconds left, North's lead was cut to 48-45.

But Branygan Bianchin converted a conventional 3-point play at the other end and several late turnovers hurt Central Valley.

“Turnovers and missed shots, isn't that the game of basketball,” asked Warriors' coach Chris Raso. “We had chances and against that team, when you get 'em, you have to take advantage of it.”

Lewandowski and Kirby both scored 23 points and Myers added 15 for the Trojanettes (26-1).

CENTRAL VALLEY 49

Alyssa Gillin 3 1-2 10, Christiane Frye 4 3-4 12, Hannah Engelman 1 0-0 2, Allyson Kirby 7 4-5 23, Hunter Newman 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 8-11 49.

NORTH CATHOLIC 53

Emma Pospisil 0 1-2 1, Kylee Lewandowski 10 0-0 23, Tess Myers 6 1-2 15, Belle O'Hara 1 0-0 2, Sarah Berardelli 2 0-0 4, Branygan Bianchin 2 1-4 6, Lucy Waskiewicz 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 3-8 53.

Central Valley 16 8 15 10 — 49

North Catholic15 7 23 8 — 53

3-point goals: Central Valley 9 (Kirby 5, Gillin 3, Frye); North Catholic 6 (Lewandowski 3, Myers 2, Bianchin).

Saturday: North Catholic vs. Forest Hills, PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal, TBD