KARNS CITY, Pa. – Using a late-game 9-0 run, North Clarion secured a KSAC playoff berth with a 41-34 win at Karns City.
1,000-Point Milestones: Clarion’s Lauer • A-C Valley’s Clover – Boys Recaps
The She-Wolves (16-4 overall, 7-1 KSAC), who have made the KSAC playoffs eight straight times dating back to 2016 (there was no KSAC tournament in 2021 because of COVID-19), trailed 32-31 after Naomi Vanesky hit a short shot with two minutes to play.
Vanesky, however, missed a chance at the old-school 3-point play, and Karns City (13-6, 6-2) didn’t score again until there were seven seconds remaining in the game.
In the meantime, North Clarion took control.
Lily Homan tied the game with 1:32 to play when she hit the first of a two-shot foul.
Brooke Steinman took the rebound on the missed second shot and put it back in and was fouled before completing an old-school 3-point play with 1:29 left to give the She-Wolves the lead for good, 35-32.
Homan again hit one of two charity shots with 48 seconds left to make it 36-32, and Kaylee Castner collected the offensive rebound leading to a pair of made free throws by Ainsley Hartle with 34 seconds to play to make it 38-32.
The game was then sealed when Homan got a steal and a breakaway basket with 16 seconds left.
North Clarion trailed 26-21 going to the fourth quarter after being held to just two third-quarter points.
But behind Homan, who scored 11 of her team-high 15 points in the fourth quarter, the She-Wolves outscored Karns City 20-8 in the final eight minutes.
A 3-pointer by Homan gave North ZClarion a 31-30 lead with under three minutes to play before Vaneksy was the recipient of some strong offensive rebounding by Savannah Prescott to put Karns City up one last time.
The Vanesky bucket came after Prescott recorded back-to-back offensive rebounds, one off a missed three by Brooklynn Taylor and the second off her own missed shot.
Steinman added 10 points, including six in the fourth quarter on a pair of old-school 3-pointers for North Clarion while Hartle recorded nine tallies./
Vanesky had a game-high 16 points for Karns City with Taylor adding eight.
North Clarion still has an outside shot at the KSAC regular-season title but would need to beat Moniteau at home Thursday while first-place Redbank Valley loses twice – the Lady Bulldogs play last-place Union/A-C Valley Tuesday and Clarion Thursday. The She-Wolves cannot finish worse than second.
Despite the loss, Karns City should already have a KSAC playoff spot sewn up, at least unofficially. The worst the Lady Gremlins can do is finish 6-3 if they lose to Union/A-C Valley on Thursday. But even then, if Clarion splits its final two against Cranberry and Redbank Valley and Moniteau beats North Clarion creating a 3-way tie Karns City SHOULD hold the tiebreaker having beaten the other two teams. That scenario hasn’t been confirmed with the KSAC yet.
NORTHWESTERN 47, MERCYHURST PREP 37
ERIE, Pa. – Northwestern rallied from a 24-14 halftime deficit to pull even with Mercyhurst Prep in the Region 3 standings with a 47-37 win
Makayla Presser-Palmer scored 18 of her 24 points in the second half as Northwestern (16-3 overall, 10-1 Region 3) outscored the Lakers (16-3, 10-1) 33-13 in the second half.
Taylor Stagl knocked down a pair of big 3-pointers in the second half for Northwestern and finished with nine points, while Rylee Schwartz added seven.
Olivia Kulyk led Mercyhurst Prep with 20 points, while Seana Thrower tallied nine.
ST. MARYS 49, BROOKVILLE 44
BROOKVILLE, Pa. – Shorthanded St. Marys rallied past Brookville, 49-44, in D9 League action in Brookville.
The Lady Dutch (16-3 overall, 7-1 D9 League) moved into first place by a ½ game over idle Elk County Catholic, despite trailing 34-32, going to the fourth quarter.
But St. Marys went on an 11-2 run in the fourth quarter to rally for the win.
Alexa Schneider scored eight of her team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter for the Lady Dutch, who were without starter Maura Caskey. It was the second straight season-high 17-point performance for Schneider.
Molly Hanslovan added 13 points for the Lady Dutch, while Rachel Braun scored all six of her points during the fourth-quarter comeback.
District 9’s leading scorer Jayssa Snelick was limited to a season-low eight points for St. Marys but did record 12 rebounds.
Eden Wonderling had a game-high 20 points to go with nine boards for Brookville (8-10, 2-5).
WILMINGTON 58, GROVE CITY 31
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Wilmington closed the game on a 25-1 run to beat Grove City, 58-31 and tie the Eagles in the loss column atop the Region 4 standings.
Lia Krarup scored 10 of her game-high 25 points in the second half for Wilmington (15-4, 8-1), while Reese Bruckner had all six of her points in the second half.
Maya Jeckavitch was also in double figures for the Greyhounds with 11 points.
Maddie Osborn had 13 points and Izzy Gamble 12 for Grove City (15-5, 9-1).
REDBANK VALLEY 56, OTTO-ELDRED 29
DUKE CENTER, Pa. – In a matchup of the defending Class 1A and 2A champions in District 9, Redbank Valley pulled away in the second half for a 56-29 win over Otto-Eldred.
Rewatch the game:
O-E (12-8) was within nine early in the third quarter before Redbank Valley (14-5) was able to stretch the lead.
“Our confidence really helped, said Addy Bond during the Cole Orthodontic Associates postgame interview. “As long as we started working together more, making that one more pass, penetrating and passing it out, that really helped us to pull away.”
See Bond’s full interview:
Bond had 18 points on her way to Allegheny Grille of Foxburg Player of the Game honors and Mylee Harmon 20 to lead the Bulldogs (14-5) to the win.
Izzy Bond added nine points for Redbank.
“It really boosts our confidence,” Addy Bond said, as the Bulldogs snapped a three-game losing streak which came against powers Mercyhurst Prep, St. Joseph and Elk County Catholic. We lost those games, but we know we just have to forget about those and keep pushing on to the next game.”
Ayla Van Scoter knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and finished with a team-high nine points for Otto-Eldred, while Rayell Hakes and Addie Bell had seven each.
“I was very proud of how we battled, honestly,” said Otto-Eldred coach Shawn Gray. “We knew we were coming in a little undermanned. I think we were ready for their speed. They did get a few transition buckets that I wasn’t happy with, but this was much better than we played Friday night (against North Clarion).”
GREENVILLE 51, HICKORY 37
GRENVILLE, Pa.- Preslie Kirila and Lexi Busch scored 10 points each to lead a balanced Greenville effort in a 51-37 win over Hickory.
Greenville (8-12 overall, 1-9 Region 4) built a 21-13 halftime lead on its way to the win. The Trojans shot 16-of-18 from the charity stripe in the second half.
Peyton Davis added nine points for Greenville and Josie Hart eight.
Kimora Roberts had 13 points and Mariah Swanson 11 for Hickory (5-15, 4-6).
CLEARFIELD 78, BELLEFONTE 51
BELLEFONTE, Pa. – Sonny Diehl’s first career 30-point game lifted visiting Clearfield to a 78-51 win over Bellefonte in LHAC East action.
The freshman scored 21 of her game-high 32 points in the first half helping the Lady Bison (12-6 overall, 9-3 LHAC East) to a 40-26 halftime lead.
Mia Helsel added 15 points for Clearfield with Cayleigh Walker chipping in 10 and Hannah Glunt contributed eight tallies.
Mackenzie Ellenberger had 20 points for Bellefonte (1-17, 1-10).
COUDERSPORT 48, NORTHERN POTTER 28
COUDERSPORT, Pa. – Coudersport clinched a spot in the inaugural NTL playoffs with a 48-28 win over visiting Northern Potter.
It was another balanced effort for the Lady Falcons (14-4 overall, 11-2 NTL) who got 12 points and six rebounds from Olivia Fink and nine points, four steals, and three assists from Hallie Rigas.
Sierra Myers chipped in six rebounds and five points in the win.
Kayden Brown scored eight points for Northern Potter (10-9, 6-7), who saw their NTL playoff hopes take a blow with the loss.
ERIE 60, HARBOR CREEK 46
HARBORCREEK, Pa. – Ari Reap had a monster double-double with 22 points and 18 rebounds to lead Erie to a 60-46 Region 6 win over Harbor Creek.
Reap did most of her damage in the second and third quarters for the Royals (15-5 overall, 7-3 Region 6), scoring 18 of her 22 points.
Aubrey Neavins tallied 17 points for Erie, while Draya Neavins added 10.
Brooke Przybylski led Harbor Creek (10-8, 4-6) with a game-high 24 points.
KENNEDY CATHOLIC 66, LAKEVIEW 26
HERMITAGE, Pa. – Layke Fields scored 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Kennedy Catholic stayed perfect in Region 1 with a 66-26 win over Lakeview.
Leading 12-7 after the first quarter, the Golden Eagles (14-3 overall, 10-0 Region 1) went on a 26-10 run to take a 38-17 halftime advantage.
Tori Harvey had 16 points for Kennedy Catholic, while Bella Magestro and Madison Pfleger netted eight each.
Kyndra Seddon had seven points and five rebounds for Lakeview (10-9, 8-3).
SAEGERTOWN 42, UNION CITY 40
UNION CITY, Pa. – Saegertown outscored Union City 8-5 in the fourth quarter to rally for a 42-40 win.
Lyndzee Amory, Abby Rockwell and Lindsey Weaver all had buckets in the fourth quarter for the Lady Panthers.
It was Amory that led the way for Saegertown (10-10 overall, 6-4 Region 2), which led 29-24 at halftime, with 12 points, while Lindsey Greco had 11 points and Weaver 10.
Union City went on an 11-5 run to take a 35-34 lead going into the fourth.
Brooke VanTassel had 16 points and Ava Greer 10 for the Bears (8-11, 5-4).
DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC 62, KANE 39
DUBOIS, Pa. – Emma Elensky led a four-some of DuBois Central Catholic players in double digits with 16 points in a 62-39 AML home win over Kane.
Lexi Berta hit five 3-pointers, including three in the first quarter, on her way to 15 points for the Lady Cardinals (11-8 overall, 4-5 AML South) who also saw Hope Jacob score 11 points and Kayley Risser 10 points.
Maya Smith had a game-high 22 points for Kane (9-9, 1-5 AML North) while Leah Tigani scored 12 points.
CRANBERRY 39, UNION/A-C VALLEY 25
SENECA, Pa. – In the resumption of a game suspended because of floor conditions on Jan. 25, Cranberry beat visiting Union/A-C Valley, 39-25.
The game resumed with 1:22 left in the second quarter with Cranberry leading 19-13.
Avery Coe led the Berries (4-15) with 11 points in the non-conference clash while Sarah Schoch added nine and Hallie Gregory had seven.
Maddy Dehart had eight points and five steals for Union/A-C Valley (2-16) with Kya Wetzel adding eight points, four rebounds, and four assists.
RIDGWAY 56, KEYSTONE 29
KNOX, Pa. – Getting a combined 35 points from Jenna Kasmierski and Kristen Ellenberger, Ridgway ran past Keystone on the road, 56-29.
Kasmierski had a game-high 18 points to go with five assists while Ellenberger added 17 points and eight steals.
Emma Vargas chipped in eight points for the Lady Elkers (16-4) while Gabby Amacher scored seven points.
Ashlee Albright scored 11 points for Keystone (7-12).
EISENHOWER 52, GIRARD 29
GIRARD, Pa. – Clara Steinberg scored 20 points as Eisenhower earned a 52-29 Region 3 win over Girard.
Steinberg was one of three players in double figures for Eisenhower (8-10 overall, 4-7 Region 3), which led 28-10 at halftime en route to the win.
Lainey Belcher added 14 points and Samantha Childs 11 for the Lady Knights.
Leah Pratt had 10 points for Girard (3-16, 3-8).
JOHNSONBURG 58, SMETHPORT 42
JOHNSONBURG, Pa. – A career-high 26 points from Maria Casilio helped Johnsonburg beat visiting Smethport, 58-42.
Casilio nailed six 3-pointers and scored 16 first-half points on her way to the career night.
Cadence Brechtel added 18 points for the Ramettes (5-14).
Elizabeth Hungiville had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Smethport (4-15).
MOSHANNON VALLEY 44, CURWENSVILLE 35
HOUTZDALE, Pa. – Curwensville battled hard but fell at Moshannon Valley, 44-35, in ICC North action.
The Black Damsels (8-9 overall, 4-6 ICC North) led 16-10 at halftime and expanded the lead to nine, 31-22, by the end of the third quarter.
Ella Berg led MoValley with 15 points with Riley Wharton scoring 10.
Natalie Wischuck had 13 points for Curwensville (0-18, 0-9) who also got seven tallies from Briah Peoples.
MAPLEWOOD 47, ROCKY GROVE 12
SUGARCREEK BOROUGH, Pa. – Maplewood clinched at least a shar of the Region 2 title with a 47-12 win over Rocky Grove.
Madison O’Hara led a balanced Maplewood (17-3 overall, 10-0 Region 2) effort with 12 points.
Nine different Maplewood players scored in the win, including nine from Savannah O’Hara.
Lydia Kennedy had five points for Rocky Grove (6-12, 0-10).
WARREN 62, OIL CITY 23
WARREN, Pa. – Warren jumped out to a 42-10 halftime lead to stay perfect in Region 5 with a 62-23 win over Oil CIty.
Alyssa Farr scored 11 of her 17 points in the first half for Warren (15-4 overall, 7-0 Region 5).
Eight different players scored in the win for the Dragons, including 11 from Peyton Wotorson, eight from Alana Stuart and seven from Sammie Ruhlman.
Payton Liederbach had 13 points for Oil City (8-11, 1-6).
CONNEAUT 46, FRANKIN 35
FRANKLIN, Pa. – Lainie Harrington scored 24 points to go along with 13 rebounds and five steals as Conneaut picked up a Region 5 road win over Franklin.
Conneaut outscored Franklin 21-13 in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win.
Courtney Perrye added 10 points for CASH, while Hannah Brady had eight points and three blocks and Morgan Poff six rebounds and three assists.
Katie Boal had 19 points for Franklin, while Jenn Blum added 10.
MERCER 55, JAMESTOWN 38
MERCER, Pa. – Zoey Seidel scored 18 points to lead Mercer to a 55-38 win over Jamestown.
Mercer (12-6 overall, 6-4 Region 1) led 29-9 at halftime en route to the win.
Ten different players scored for Mercer in the win.
Alayna Cadman led Jamestown (5-11, 2-8) with 19 points, while Ivy Riley netted 12.
CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS 52, YOUNGSVILLE 13
YOUNGSVILLE, Pa. – Sydney Zilhaver had 25 points and 10 rebounds as Cambridge Springs earned a 52-13 Region 2 win over Youngsville.
Payton Leandro added 11 points in the victory for the Blue Devils (8-11, 4-5).
Molly Helman had eight points to pace Youngsville (6-13, 1-8).
