ERIE, Pa. – Clinging to a 30-29 with three minutes to play, Erie went on an 8-0 run to earn the District 10 Class 6A title, 38-32.
Aubrey Neavins buried a 3-pointer to start the run, which also included a pair of free throws from Draya Neavins and a steal and layup from Ari Reap to put the exclamation point on the win.
“This feels great,” Draya Neavins said. “We played very good on defense and we executed on offense.”
See Neavins’ full interview:
The win was also a measure of revenge for Erie (17-6) over McDowell (5-18), and was also their third win over the Trojans this season.
Erie jumped out to an early 12-2, keyed by Draya Neavins and Reap.
McDowell responded, however, clawing back to within one, 12-11 after the first quarter, keyed by a 3-pointer from Amiaya Nelson.
The Trojans took their first lead of the game, 16-14 on a bucket by Francesca Russo with just over 3:30 to go in the second quarter.
Erie broke a nearly six-minute scoring drought on a bucket from Aubrey Neavins and came back to take a 18-16 halftime lead.
Erie maintained a slim lead through the third quarter as McDowell battled foul trouble.
The Trojans took their final lead of the game, 25-24, on a Mercedes Feronti 3-pointer with 4:07 to play in the third quarter.
Draya Neavins led Erie with 12 points, while Aubrey Neavins had 11 and Ari Reap eight.
With the win, Erie moves on to play Allderdice in District 6-8-10 subregional semifinal on Wednesday.
