SHARON, Pa. – It was the end of a successful season for the Cambridge Springs Blue Devils, and it came with a milestone moment in a 44-25 loss to Neshannock in the PIAA Class 2A second round.
With 4:59 to go in the fourth quarter, Madison Yanc scored on an offensive putback to put her over 1,000 career points. She was set up on the play by a pass from her sister, Makenzie.
See the milestone moment here:
“Madison is such a special player,” said Cambridge Springs coach Ryan McKissock. “We’ll get to see her continue her career at Edinboro University, which will be fun.”
As for the game itself, the Blue Devils battled against the WPIAL champions, but ultimately Neshannock had just too much.
The Lancers (26-2) jumped out to a 16-8 lead after the first quarter (Makenzie Yanc had seven of those eight points for Cambridge Springs) and an Addi Watts triple gave them a 21-10 advantage with 6:45 to go in the second quarter. They were able to maintain that double-digit lead for the rest of the game.
The lead was 29-11 at halftime, with Cambridge Springs (19-7) scoring the first five points of the second half on a three from Makenzie Yanc and a bucket from Hailee Rodgers, but Neshannock rattled off the next seven points on a pair of buckets from Nelah Nogay and another from Megan Pallerino.
“They’re really good,” McKissock said. “When we lost to Penns Manor last year, they (Neshannock) would have been next up for us if we had won. They were in the state championship game last year and lost and they were all back. We knew coming in that’s the best in the state and if we could get by them we had a shot,”
The Blue Devils made an effort to beef up their non-region schedule this season, playing the likes of Eden Christian, Kennedy Catholic and Villa. And while that certainly helps, McKissock would like to see even more of that type of competition.
“I think that we just don’t see enough of that, and it hurts us,” he said. “It’s hard when you play those high-level games and then you play not high-level games, and there’s separation between the two.”
Makenzie Yanc finished with 10 points, Madison Yanc nine and Jordyn Wheeler four for Cambridge Springs. Nogay and Pallerino led Neshannock, which moves on to play Shenango (a 59-53 winner over Seton LaSalle) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined, with 13 points each.
And while the Blue Devils didn’t repeat as D10 champions, they accomplished something they didn’t a year ago, which was winning a state playoff game.
“They play so hard every night,” McKissock said of his team. “The message is, we now know, to get to the next level of the state tournament, we have to get by teams like Neshannock.”
NESHANNOCK 44, CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS 25
Score By Quarters
Cambridge Springs 8 3 9 5 – 25
Neshannock 16 13 8 7 – 44
CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS – 25
Makenzie Yanc 4-0-2-10, Madison Yanc 3-3-6-9, Hailee Rodgers 1-0-0-2, Elizabeth Kline 0-0-0-0, Finley Rauscher 0-0-0-0, Jordyn Wheeler 2-0-0-4, Totals 10-3-8-25.
NESHANNOCK – 44
Neleh Nogay 6-0-0-13, Addi Watts 1-0-0-3, Marian Haggerty 3-3-3-10, Megan Pallerino 6-0-0-13, Aaralyn Nogay 0-0-0-0, Hunter Newman 0-0-0-0, Camdyn Cole 2-0-0-5, Totals 18-3-3-44.
Three-pointers: Cambridge Springs 2 (Makenzie Yanc 2; Neshannock 5 (N. Nogay, Watts, Haggerty, Pallerino, Cole).
BELLWOOD-ANTIS 52, WEST MIDDLESEX 42
GREENSBURG, Pa. – Bellwood-Antis went on a 15-3 second-quarter run led by as many as 17 in the second half and held off a West Middlesex comeback attempt in the PIAA Class 2A second round, 52-42.
The Blue Devils (23-6) , the No. 3 seed from District 6, led 40-23 going into the fourth quarter. The Big Reds were able to close within seven, 45-38 with 1:05 to go in the game, but B-A was able to close it out from there.
Emily Anthony was a big reason D10 champion West Middlesex was able to cut into the deficit, scoring eight of her 11 points in the fourth.
B-A led 15-12 after the first quarter, but Chloe Hammond scored seven of her nine points in the second as they extended the lead to 15, 30-15 at halftime. The Big Reds managed just a Carlie Beatty bucket and a free throw from Caitlin Stephens in the stanza.
Jaidyn McCracken led a balanced effort for the Blue Devils with 14 points, while Chelse McCaulsky had 12 and Lydia Worthing nine.
Beatty had 16 points and Anthony 11 as the senior 1,000-point scorers concluded their careers in a Big Reds uniform.
With the win, Bellwood-Antis advances to play D6 champ Homer Center, a 55-48 winner over WPIAL No. 3 Serra Catholic, on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
PIAA CLASS 3A SECOND ROUND
FREEDOM 56, GREENVILLE 28
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – A 22-3 over the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter blew the game wide open as Freedom defeated Greenville, 56-23, in their PIAA Class 3A second round game at Slippery Rock University.
The Bulldogs (20-5) opened the contest with a 12-2 run as the Trojans (20-6) didn’t record their first points until Reese Schaller knocked down a jumper with 3:20 to play in the first quarter.
It was more of the same in the second as Greenville didn’t register a point until Josie Lewis hit a free throw with 3:16 left in the half. Freedom led 25-8 at the break.
Anna Harpst hit a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter to trim the lead to 31-16, but that’s when the Bulldogs went on their run.
Harpst had a team-high 12 points. Grace Cano added seven and Lewis finished with four.
Shaye Bailey had a game-high 27 points to lead the Bulldogs. Julia Mohrbacher had 14.
Freedom moves on to the quarterfinals where they will face River Valley, a 68-48 winner over Chestnut Ridge, on Tuesday at a time and location to be announced.
FREEDOM 56, GREENVILLE 28
Score by Quarters
Greenville 5 3 11 9 – 28
Freedom 15 10 19 12 – 56
GREENVILLE – 28
Sarah Mallek 1 0-0 3, Reese Schaller 1 0-0 2, Anna Harpst 4 0-0 12, Grace Cano 3 1-1 7, Josie Lewis 1 1-2 4, Totals 10 2-3 28.
FREEDOM – 56
Shaye Bailey 13 0-0 27, Renae Mohrbacher 5 0-0 10, Bella Klenk 0 1-2 1, Julia Mohrbacher 6 1-1 14, Grace White 0 0-0 0, Olivia Evans 2 0-0 4, Cadence Gorajewski 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 2-3 56.
Three-pointers: Greenville 6 (Harpst 4, Mallek, Lewis). Freedom 2 (Bailey, J. Mohrbacher).
NORTH CATHOLIC 56, LAKEVIEW 25
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – North Catholic held Lakeview scoreless for nearly nine minutes in the first half en route to a 56-25 win in their PIAA Class 3A second round game at Slippery Rock University.
Kelsey Seddon hit a 3-pointer for the Sailors’ (22-5) first points of the game with five minutes to play in the first. They wouldn’t score again until Kyndra Seddon made a layup with 4:10 to go in the first half.
The Trojanettes (21-5) had no trouble putting points on the board during that span as they opened an 18-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 35-9 at the break.
Lakeview came out matching buckets with North Catholic to start the third, but an 8-2 run late in the period allowed the Trojanettes to put the game away.
Reese Gadsby led the Sailors with 11 points, while Kelsey Seddon finished with seven points.
Alayna Rocco had a game-high 23 points to lead North Catholic. Dacia Lewandowsky had 19 points, including 11 in the second quarter.
North Catholic will play Forest Hills, a 65-46 winner over Laurel, in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at a site and time to be announced.
NORTH CATHOLIC 56, LAKEVIEW 25
Score by Quarters
Lakeview 3 6 9 7 – 25
N. Catholic 18 17 13 8 – 56
LAKEVIEW – 25
Reese Gadsby 5 1-2 11, Amber Sefton 1 2-2 4, Alaina Peltonen 0 0-0 0, Kyndra Seddon 1 0-0 2, Kelsey Seddon 2 2-2 7, Delaney Kepner 0 0-0 0, Jordan Olson 0 1-2 0. Totals 9 5-6 25.
N. CATHOLIC – 56
Anastasia Peterson 1 0-1 2, Anna Waskiewiecz 2 2-2 6, Alayna Rocco 10 1-2 23, Dacia Lewandowski 9 0-0 19, Tori Drevna 2 0-0 6, Kaitlyn Tavella 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 3-5 56.
Three-pointers: Lakeview 1 (Ke. Seddon). N. Catholic 5 (Rocco 2, Drevna 2, Lewandowski).
