JACKSON TWP — A slim chance is better than no chance.

That was the route Seneca Valley's hopes of defeating North Allegheny took in the opening moments of the fourth quarter Thursday night.

The Raiders' girls basketball team had closed the third period on a modest 8-4 run and trailed the Tigers 43-31 with eight minutes left to play.

But SV proceeded to turn the ball over on its first six possessions of the period, helping the Tigers push their advantage to 49-31. NA went on to post a 58-43 Section 3-AAAA victory at the Raiders' William Paul Gymnasium.

It was NA's 14th straight win over the Raiders.

“They played with more urgency,” said SV coach Rob Lombardo of the Tigers. “Turnovers really hurt us.”

Seneca's first three turnovers of the fourth quarter turned into baskets from NA's Devvin LaBarge, Taylor Brennan and Abby Gonzales.

Brennan, a three-year starter, led all scorers with 20 points. Half of them came in the third quarter.

“She's very quick and can score a lot of ways,” said Tigers' coach Sherri McConnell. “What I was most impressed with tonight was the way she made a difference on the defensive end. She created a lot of easy baskets for us.”

SV (1-2, 0-1) traded punches with the Tigers in the first half. The hosts led 12-10 after one quarter and were down 25-22 at halftime.

Turnovers were more of a problem for the Tigers (3-1, 1-0) in the opening half as NA committed 12 miscues in that span.

“Early on, we executed the game plan perfectly, taking it to them with our pressure,” said Lombardo. “We just didn't adjust well throughout the rest of the game. That's been our nemesis the last two years.”

McConnell watched her team take control of the contest in the third quarter. The Tigers outscored Seneca 18-9, including 14-1 in the first five and a half minutes.

“We started playing more disciplined on defense,” she said. “Early in the game, we weren't playing with our feet and did a lot of reaching, which led to foul trouble. Once we started to make them (Raiders) work for shots, that's when the game turned.”

Seneca senior forward Abbie Trzeciak scored just four points in the first half, but ended the game with a team-high 15.

“At the start, I think she was trying to do too much,” Lombardo said. “I told her to just go out and play the game aggressively.”

The Raiders were just 1-of-16 from 3-point range, while the Tigers were 4-of-21.

“In the second quarter, we missed seven consecutive wide-open 3-pointers,” said Lombardo.

NORTH ALLEGHENY 58

Sammie Dallier 0 2-4 2, Devvin LaBarge 3 3-4 10, Taylor Brennan 6 5-6 20, Taylor Lake 4 2-2 10, Abby Gonzales 3 3-5 9, Meg Morningstar 0 1-6 1, Danielle Wall 1 2-2 4, Sarah Clogan 1 0-0 2, Grace Weiers 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 18-29 58.

SENECA VALLEY 43

Katie Brown 0 1-3 1, Abbie Trzeciak 5 5-6 15, Meghan Hess 1 4-4 7, Hannah Parey 3 0-0 6, Lexus Lambert 1 0-0 2, Melissa Carter 1 1-3 3, Christina Dunning 0 5-6 5, Michaela Lamont 2 0-0 4, Shaley Bream 0 0-0 0. Totals: 13 16-22 43.

North Allegheny 10 15 18 15 — 58

Seneca Valley12 10 9 12 — 43

3-point goals: North Allegheny 4 (Brennan 3, LaBarge); Seneca Valley 1 (Hess).

Monday: Seneca Valley at Pine-Richland