SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Redbank Valley gave Aliquippa it’s best shot, but in the end it was the Quips that delivered the knockout punch.
Redbank Valley was within seven points of Aliquippa in the fourth quarter. Then the Quips hit another gear.
Owen Clouse’s layup made it 47-40 with 6:45 to play in regulation, but Aliquippa (24-5) went on a 21-4 run to close the game and advance to the PIAA Class 2A semifinals.
Josh Pratt scored seven of his game-high 25 points during the closing run for the Quips, while Penn State football commit Tiqwai Hayes had six points, including an emphatic dunk and Cam Lindsey five.
Lindsey missed the Quips’ second round win over Eisenhower after being ejected in the first round win over Otto-Eldred. He made his presence against the Bulldogs (24-4) known, however, scoring 11 points despite picking up three fouls in the first half.
“That’s the thing, it’s a game of runs,” said Redbank Valley coach Emmanuel Marshall. “We went on a run, they went on their run and we just kind of petered out. We were gassed. Going against a team like that. They’re strong, they’re physical and we just ran out of juice at the end.”
After slow starts against O-E and Eisenhower in the state playoffs, Saturday’s game was the exact opposite for Aliquippa. The Quips scored 20 points in the first five minutes of the game, jumping out to a 20-8 lead after a Marques Council Jr. bucket.
The lead swelled to 30-13 after a Pratt layup with 5:20 to go in the half, but the Bulldogs answered the Quips opening punch.
Kieran Fricko was the offensive catalyst for Redbank Valley, scoring eight of his 15 points inte first half.
It was a combination of everyone that allowed the Bulldogs to claw back within 10, 34-24 at the break, as Ty Carrier, Braylon Wagner, Breckin Minich, Owen Clouse and Jaxson Huffman all scored in the closing 11-4 run.
The Bulldogs continued their ascent in the third quarter, as back-to-back 3-pointers by Minich and Fricko cut the lead to five, 40-35 with 3:10 to go in the third.
Aliquippa called a timeout and responded with a 7-0 run to close the quarter, with Lindsey and Hayes doing the damage.
Fricko’s 3-pointer came in front of Owen Clouse’s bucket that cut the lead to seven early in the fourth before the Quips went on their surge to close the game.
Minich scored eight points for the Bulldogs, while Mason Clouse had seven wand Wagner five.
Aliquippa will meet Fort Cherry, a 70-60 winner over Jeannette, in the semifinals on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
For Redbank Valley, they will look back fondly on a season that included a District 9 title and the most wins in a single season in program history.
“They made it to the Elite Eight,” Marshall said. “They have the most wins in school history. It was a great season.”
