Favorites ruled the day in the quarterfinals of the District 10 playoffs, setting up intriguing semifinal matchups.
The only upset by seed was No. 5 Sharpsville earning a 37-30 win over No. 4 Northwestern in Class 3A.
The four semifinalists in Class 4A – Fairview, Harbor Creek, Warren, and Conneaut – have already punched their tickets to the PIAA championships. Classes 3A and 2A will take three teams each.
Here’s a look at each matchup.
CLASS 4A
(1) FAIRVIEW vs. (4) CONNEAUT at Meadville H.S., 6 p.m.
Fairview had no problem in its opener, earning a 47-23 win over No. 8 Hickory. Likewise for Conneaut, which beat No. 5 Franklin, 42-22.
Sara Gennuso led a balanced scoring effort for the Lady Tigers (17-6) with 12 points, nine of which came in the first half. Hope Garrity, Fairview’s all-time leading scorer, finished with 11 points, as did Bre Heidt.
Conneaut, meanwhile, got a big effort from Lainie Harrington, who scored 20 points in sending the Lady Eagles to their first-ever playoff win, while Hannah Brady added 11.
The winner will face the winner of Harbor Creek-Warren in the championship game, while the losers will match up in the third-place contest.
All four teams have already advanced to the PIAA championships, with District 10 taking four teams in Class 4A.
(2) HARBOR CREEK vs. (3) WARREN at Hagerty Center, 7:30 p.m.
Warren has won three of the last four championships in Class 5A, and the Lady Dragons’ move down to 4A began with an impressive 45-21 win over Grove City.
In the win for the Lady Dragons (17-6), they held Grove City’s two leading scorers, Piper Comoe and Delaney Callahan to a combined two points.
Alana Stuart had 11 points, Alyssa Farr seven and Meea Irwin six.
Harbor Creek, meanwhile, had no problems against General McLane in a 56-26 win.
Brooke Przybylski poured in 23 points in the win, while Harbor Creek’s other leading scorer on the season, Sammy Zank, added seven.
Harbor Creek also held Libby Opp, one of the top scorers in District 10, to three points.
CLASS 3A
(1) MERCYHURST PREP vs. (5) SHARPSVILLE at Fairview H.S., 7 p.m.
Mercyhurst Prep (17-5) finally gets to play its playoff opener, having received the top seed in the seven-team field, thus receiving a first-round bye.
Olivia Kulyk has been one of the best players in District 10 all season. Kulyk surpassed 1,000 points in a win over Eisenhower late in the regular season, is averaging just over 19 points per game.
Lillirose Lang also checks in at 10.2 ppg. for the Lakers.
They will be playing a Sharpsville (13-9) team that has won seven straight, including 37-30 over Northwestern in their playoff opener.
Tori Kimpan and Chasie Fry scored 11 points each to lead the Blue Devils in that win.
Class 3A takes three teams to the PIAA tournament, so the loser will still be alive.
(2) WILMINGTON vs. (3) GREENVILLE at Sharon H.S., 7:30 p.m
Wilmington (20-3) won its first playoff game since 1995 on Saturday, turning up the defense in a 45-29 win over Mercer.
Lia Krarup, who already has over 800 career points as a sophomore, led the way with 19 points, 17 of which came after the first quarter.
Reese Bruckner also scored all 12 of her points in the first quarter in the win.
Greenville (18-5), meanwhile, has overcome season-ending injuries to starters, Sarah Mallek and Reese Schaller, beating North East 43-29 in the quarterfinals.
Josie Lewis became a member of the 1,000-point club in the win, and led the Trojans with 14 points, while Grace Cano had nine.
Fellow starter Anna Harpst is also working her way back from injury for the Trojans.
CLASS 2A
(1) KENNEDY CATHOLIC vs. (4) LAKEVIEW at Sharon H.S., 6 p.m.
Kennedy Catholic, the PIAA runner-up in Class 1A last season, had no problems in its Class 2A playoff opener against Eisenhower.
Eisenhower actually scored first, but it was all Kennedy after that in an 85-16 win.
Layke Fields, one of District 10’s top players, led four Kennedy Catholic players in double figures with 20 points, while Izzy Bianco had 19, Bella Magestro 17, and Hayden Keith 14.
Lakeview, meanwhile, turned up the defensive intensity in a 50-21 win over Union City. The Sailors didn’t allow more than six points in any quarter in the win.
Kyndra Seddon scored 16 points in the win, while Emma Marsteller added 12.
(2) MAPLEWOOD vs. (3) CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS at Meadville H.S., 7:30 p.m.
Rivals Maplewood and Cambridge Springs meet with a trip to the finals on the line.
The two teams split each of the previous two regular seasons, but this season, it was Maplewood earning the regular season sweep with wins of 43-32 and 30-29.
The Lady Tigers (19-4) have won nine-straight games. In their first-round win over Mercer, Bailey Varndell had 11 points, Madison O’Hara 10 and Sadie Thomas nine.
Cambridge Springs, meanwhile, built a 34-15 lead after three quarters and held off a late West Middlesex rally for a 42-31 win.
Finley Rauscher knocked down four 3s on her way to 14 points in the win for Cambridge Springs, while Makenzie Yanc had 11 and Brooklynn Cole eight.
