Herald Staff reports



A Saturday afternoon matinee double-feature at Slippery Rock University’s Morrow Field House included the renewal of a pair of regular-season regional rivalries between Farrell and Kennedy Catholic and Sharon and Slippery Rock.

In the lidlifter, Marissa Carry’s driving layup with 33.6 ticks to play forged Farrell to a 49-48 conquest of Kennedy. The Lady Steelers’ success not only dethroned the defending D-10 Class A titlist Lady Golden Eagles, but earned the Farrell program’s 3rd crown in 4 years.

In the nightcap, Slippery Rock’s Rhoads twins played their nornal stellar roles. But teammates Adele Campbell and Bre Northcott joined them in double figures in the Lady Rockets’ 59-40 rout of Sharon for the Class AAA crown.

In the Class AA title tilt at Edinboro University, Villa Maria rolled with a 61-15 win over Greenville.

CLASS A

ä Farrell 49, Kennedy Catholic 48 — Carry connected for the game-winner after taking D’Asia Chambers’ inbounds pass.

But during the game’s final 33-plus seconds, Alex Ricketts’ driving layup rimmed out and was rebounded by Farrell’s Deidre McKenith-Williams with 15.7 ticks. Then in the waning seconds, Lady Steeler Tyra Robinson misfired on a shot from the wing, which was rebounded by Kennedy’s Victoria Harrison.

However Harrison’s outlet pass to Rachel Burns resulted in a traveling violation as the latter attempted to avoid charging Chambers. With only 1.6 seconds, Farrell had only to successfully inbound the ball.

“You know what? It’s been like that with them all year long! In three games it’s come down to the end where somebody has to make a play,” Lady Steelers’ skipper Eddie Turosky said. “It’s so hard to say that we can all go out there and play this game. But these kids, in reality, they’re fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen years old. They’re gonna make bad passes, they’re gonna make bad decisions.

“But as a coach you just have to roll with it, and I’m just proud of them — extremely!” gushed Turosky, 156-95 in his 10th year as Lady Steelers’ skipper.

The win for Farrell (17-5) secured a Lady Steelers’ season sweep of Kennedy (20-5), including a pair of Region 1-A regular-season battles (70-64 in Hermitage; 51-48 at E.J. McCluskey Gymnasium).

Saturday’s showdown included 11 deadlocks (28-all at halftime; 39-all after 3 quarters) and 11 lead changes. The Lady Golden Eagles eased to a trio of 4-point, 1st-half leads, while Farrell forged to a 47-43 edge with 2:12 remaining on Carry’s drive and Robinson’s feed to McKenith-Williams. But Marina Wareham went deep from the left wing with 1:51 left, then Ricketts roared in from the baseline, giving the Lady Golden Eagles their last lead (48-47) with 63 seconds.

“My team played tougher (Saturday) than they did all year long,” KC coach Tom Burns said. “I think we make (opposing teams’) kids rise to the occasion, and it’s the truth. That’s a heckava ball team over there, no question. That’s a tough basketball team,” he said, gesturing toward Farrell’s locker room.

Although Farrell finished 21 for 68 from the field (32.8) and committed 15 miscues, Chambers checked in with a game-high 24-point, 10-rebound double-double; Carry complemented her with 13 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds, and McKenith-Williams’ game-high 12 caroms enabled Farrell to forge a 40-29 rebounding margin.

“The biggest problem for me is blocking out (on the boards),” Burns admitted. “We just aren’t real good yet at understanding how important the rebound is, and I think that’s what gets us. We’re gonna make mistakes (17 turnovers, 16-for-44, 36.3 percent shooting) — that happens. But making a mistake doesn’t include rebounding. Rebounding is something that should be natural, and it’s just not yet. But that’s the youth.”

Kennedy Catholic, composed exclusively of freshmen and sophomores, was led by Harrison’s 15-point, 10-rebound twin killing, Burns’ 12-point, 5-rebound, 4-assist line, Wareham’s 4 assists and Ricketts’ 9 points and handful of caroms.

“My seniors got a ton to be proud of,” Turosky said of Chambers, McKenith-Williams and Tekerra Samuels. “This is their third District 10 title in their four-year careers, something that’s never been done in the history of the (Farrell girls) program!

“I’m just extremely proud of them, their character, just the way they kept their composure, listened to me in the huddle, kept playing the game and let it come to them,” Turosky summarized. “It’s sweetness for the seniors, it’s sweetness for the city of Farrell! This is our fourth District 10 title between the boys and girls since we came back (from WPIAL District 7). It says wonders about our school district, our programs, our kids. ... The whole script was perfect!” — By Ed Farrell, Herald Assistant sports editor.

CLASS AAA

ä Slippery Rock 59, Sharon 40 — Karly Rhoads registered an 11-point, 8-assist, 4-rebound line, while Kourtney Rhoads recorded 10 points, 4 caroms and 3 assists. But the Kentucky Wesleyan University-bound sisters were complemented by Campbell, who collected 11 points and a handful of rebounds, and Northcott, who notched a team-high 13 points for Slippery Rock (22-3).

Fueled by Northcott (8) and Kourtney Rhoads (7) and 3-point fielders from 4 different marksmen (both Rhoads, Sarah Cessar and Ali Doyle), the Lady Rockets raced to a 27-22 margin at intermission.

But during the 2nd half, flu-stricken Sharon could not maintain its momentum. Slippery Rock scored the 1st 10 third-period points to assume an insurmountable 37-22 lead with 6:01 remaining.

Sharon (20-4) shot only 16 for 50 from the field and the Lady Tigers turned over the ball 17 times, one more than Slippery Rock. However the Lady Rockets made only 6 second-half miscues.

“We’ve known for years and years that offense wins games, but defense wins championships,” said Slippery Rock head coach Adrienne Orris, who admitted, “ ... We weren’t happy. The last time we played Sharon was the most points (a 74-61 setback at Slippery Rock that squared the regular-season series) that we had given up, and we made that effort defensively the whole game.

“The first half, we had the defensive effort there, too, but (the Lady Tigers) were running on adrenaline,” Orris continued, “and we just knew that we could wear them down and hold them below fifty points (Satur)day.”

“We’re running a little bit of flu; we had three girls that were sick the last couple days ... and you can tell this wasn’t the same team that won eleven games in-a-row with all that energy,” Sharon skipper Gene Sarazen related. “We’ve been fighting sickness and we had no energy out there. And as a result we made a couple runs, we got it close, but then we just didn’t have it. Our legs got tired. We just got tired, and it had an effect on us.

“But they got more people involved,” Sarazen said of Slippery Rock. “Northcott was a big factor coming off the bench.”

Benedetto bucketed a game-high 15 points for Sharon and Karlesia Edwards ended with a dozen. Benedetto battled through flu, a bloodied mouth as the result of an elbow in a loose-ball floor scrum, and a slightly sprained left ankle to snare 7 caroms as Sharon secured a 36-31 edge on the boards.

But led by Northcott and Campbell, who collectively connected on 10 of 19 floor shots, Slippery Rock shot 23 for 50 (46 percent) from the floor, including 7 triples (2 apiece by both Rhoads and Doyle).

As D-10 runner-up, Sharon will prepare for the PIAA playoffs next weekend against the WPIAL’s 3rd-place squad.

“Hey, nobody figured we’d get this far,” Sarazen said, “ ... but we’ll bounce back. Our kids have had a pretty good season. Our kids’ll get refreshed this week and we’ll make a run in the PIAA playoffs and try to do the best we can. It’s just that, right now, we’re fighting the flu bug and it’s going through the team awfully quick. It definitely affected our energy (Satur)day.” — By Ed Farrell, Herald Assistant sports editor.

CLASS AA

ä Villa Maria 61, Greenville 15 — Despite a 61-15 loss to high-powered Villa Maria in Saturday’s District 10 Class AA championship game, Greenville High’s Lady Trojans are still making history.

“This is our first-ever District 10 final,” coach Scott Taylor said. “Now, for the second year in a row, we’re in the state playoffs. It’s definitely something we’re excited about.”

Villa Maria, who was led by a 20-point performance from senior Kayla McBride, jumped out to a 5-0 lead on the Lady Trojans after the Notre Dame recruit nailed an early basket and a triple.

Allison Pfaff then found the bottom of the net herself on a Greenville field goal as the Lady Trojans got on the board.

After a free throw and another basket by Villa Maria’s Kaylyn Maruca, Brooklyn Taylor connected on a trey for the Lady Trojans to put her team down just 8-5.

The Lady Victors, though, then went on a 9-0 run to end the opening quarter as McBride added another 4 points.

“They’re talented,” Taylor said. “Beyond Kayla McBride they got other weapons at every position that are tough for us to match up with even on our best day. Our game plan was to stop the transition, play half-court basketball. With her (McBride) it’s hard to do.

“Kayla McBride is a great player,” the coach continued. “She makes her teammates better.”

After Pfaff hit a field goal for Greenville to open the second quarter, the Lady Victors went on a 13-2 run backed by 6 points from McBride.

With 2:38 left in the frame, Taylor snapped Villa Maria’s run by hitting back-to-back free throws.

A field goal by Maruca though and another Villa Maria three-pointer from Jillian May allowed the Lady Victors to end the half with a 30-9 edge.

The Lady Victors (23-2) went on to hold Greenville to just 6 second-half points before taking the Class AA title.

“Hopefully we can shake this one off quickly and get ready (for the PIAA tournament),” Taylor said. “We play an Avonworth team that we’ve seen on film — a team that we can compete with that’s very similar to the teams in our league.”

The Lady Trojans (22-3) had ran roughshod over the teams in Region 2-AA, compiling a 12-0 league record before again topping rival Mercer 47-23 in the opening round of the D-10 playoffs. — By Patrick Connelly, Allied News sports editor.



GIRLS BASKETBALL

CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP

KENNEDY 12 16 11 9 48

FARRELL 13 15 11 10 49

KENNEDY CATHOLIC — Wareham 2-0-0-5, Burns 3-4-6-12, Harrison 6-3-4-15, Ricketts 3-2-4-9, Dickson 2-2-2-6, George 0-1-2-1. 3-pt. goals: Burns 2, Ricketts 1, Wareham 1. Totals: 16-12-18-48.

FARRELL — Chambers 10-1-2-24, Carry 5-2-2-13, McKenith-Williams 3-0-2-6, Archie 1-0-0-2, Robinson 2-0-0-4, Floyd 0-0-0-0, Scott 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goals: Chambers 3, Carry 1. Totals: 21-3-6-9.

———

CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP

VILLA MARIA 17 13 24 7 61

GREENVILLE 5 4 6 0 15

VILLA MARIA — Prischak 4-1-2-11, Wyant 1-0-0-3, Maruca 3-1-2-8, Kay. McBride 8-2-2-20, Webber 1-0-0-2, Kar. McBride 1-1-2-3, Mifsud 0-0-0-0, Steudler 2-0-0-4, Kloecker 1-0-0-2, May 2-0-0-6, Ek 0-0-0-0, Burns 0-0-0-0, Sweny 1-0-0-2. 3-pt. goals: Prischak 2, Kay. McBride 2, May 2, Wyant 1, Maruca 1. Totals: 24-5-8-61.

GREENVILLE — Rodgers 0-0-1-0, Pfaff 3-0-2-6, Horne 0-0-0-0, Marshall 0-0-1-0, Taylor 2-4-4-9, Sweeney 0-0-1-0, Burnett 0-0-0-0, Soejima 0-0-0-0, Campman 0-0-2-0, Paxson 0-0-0-0, Hetrich 0-0-0-0, Adams 0-0-0-0, Guerrini 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goal: Taylor 1. Totals: 6-4-11-15.

———

CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP

SHARON 14 8 9 9 40

SLIP ROCK 20 7 13 19 59

SHARON — Carpenter 2-0-0-5, Benedetto 6-3-4-15, K. Johnson 3-2-2-8, Edwards 5-1-2-12, O. Shaffer 0-0-0-0, Jackson 0-0-0-0, Ham 0-0-0-0, Black 0-0-2-0, R. Shaffer 0-0-0-0, Gilchrist 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goal: Edwards 1, Carpenter 1. Totals: 16-6-8-40.

SLIPPERY ROCK — Kar. Rhoads 4-1-2-11, Cessar 1-0-0-3, Campbell 5-0-0-11, Kourt. Rhoads 4-0-0-10, Doyle 3-1-2-9, Northcott 5-3-4-13, Crocker 0-0-0-0, Siebka 1-0-0-2, Weitzel 0-0-0-0. 3-pt. goals: Kar. Rhoads 2, Kourt. Rhoads 2, Doyle 2, Cessar 1, Campbell 1. Totals: 23-5-7-59.