JACKSON TWP — Like many coaches, Victor Giannotta isn't a big fan of the moral victory.

Unfortunately for the Seneca Valley boys basketball team, that's the only thing it could take from a fourth consecutive section defeat.

Despite holding a potent North Allegheny offense to just 33 points after three quarters, the Raiders were on the short end of a 54-42 score Tuesday night.

The Tigers (8-3, 3-0) entered the game averaging 63 points per contest.

"When you're trying to turn a program around, you can't take consolation in the fact you played a close game," Giannotta said. "We are getting better, but that's no consolation."

With just three minutes remaining in the game, NA held a 42-39 lead in the Section 3-AAAA battle.

But that's when the Tigers began to hit their shots, while SV's well went dry.

NA's Dan Lavallee hit his third 3-pointer of the night with 2:45 remaining for a 45-39 lead. The Raiders never again cut it to a one-possession game.

"Seneca Valley is a good team," said NA coach Dave DeGregorio. "And it was a dogfight until we started to make some shots late in the game."

Out of desperation, the Raiders (5-7, 0-4) began to foul late and the Tigers were able to push their lead to double digits from the free throw line.

Seneca Valley held a 30-26 lead with three minutes remaining in the third period. But late in the game, no player was able to step up on the offensive end.

"Our man-to-man defense was excellent tonight," Giannotta said. "But we just didn't have an answer when (NA) began making buckets late in the game.

"We don't have a go-to guy," added Giannotta. "We need somebody from the perimeter to step up their game. Tonight, we had some looks, but just couldn't knock 'em down."

Dave Monteleone led the Raiders with 14 points and Pat Heery added 10.

While the game was closely contested until the very end, it was Seneca Valley that appeared to have momentum for much of the night.

"It seemed that we were playing not to lose instead of playing to win tonight," said DeGregorio. "We were playing tentatively.

"We usually score in the 60s and 70s," he added. "And to have only 33 points entering the final quarter, that's not us."

Senior Ryan Tiesi paced the Tigers with 16 points.

It's the fifth straight win for the Tigers, who also defeated New Castle on the road Dec. 16.

"All section road wins are difficult," said DeGregorio. "There's a lot of parity in the section this year."

NORTH ALLEGHENY 54

John Evans 2 2-2 7, Ben Dvorsky 2 3-6 7, Ryan Tiesi 6 3-4 16, Dino Johnson 1 0-0 3, Brian Block 2 0-2 4, Dan Lavallee 4 2-2 13, Matt Sudo 2 0-1 4, John Masuga 0 0-0 0, Ted Connolly 0 0-0 0, Greg Dvorsky 0 0-0 0, Phil Hoffman 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 10-17 54.

SENECA VALLEY 42

Gabe Grinder 1 1-2 4, Kevin Mayberry 3 1-2 7, Kevin Rohm 0 2-4 2, Pat Heery 2 6-8 10, Shawn Eagle 1 3-6 5, Dave Monteleone 5 4-6 14, Dan Stanley 0 0-0 0. Totals: 12 17-28 42.

3-point goals:

Lavallee 3, Johnson, Tiesi, Evans; Grinder.

JV:

North Allegheny 57-54

Friday:

Seneca Valley @ Butler