WARREN, Pa. – An 8-point game at the half turned into a down-to-the-wire battle as Warren held on to beat McDowell, 54-51, for its sixth straight win.
Rewatch the game:
The Dragons (11-4) held a 30-22 lead at the half, but the offense went cold as Warren made just three field goals in the second half. Warren found another way to generate offense, by getting to the free throw line, where the Dragons were 16-20 in the half.
“There’s been multiple games where we’ve had to rely on (free throws),” Warren’s Sammie Ruhlman said in her Cole Orthodontic Associates player interview. “And our coaches push us in practice. At the beginning of the year, we shot 250 each, so it’s a big part of our game.”
See Ruhlman’s full Cole Orthodontic Associates player interview:
Ruhlman made one of the three second-half field goals, perhaps the biggest of the half for the Dragons.
McDowell (2-12) was leading, 42-41, with 1:32 to play when Alyssa Farr found Ruhlman in the corner. Ruhlman knocked down a 3-pointer to put Warren back in front, 44-42.
“I was just beyond excited and I was glad that I could help my team and make it a little bit easier at the end,” Ruhlman said. “But it just kept the energy going and made us move forward a lot stronger.”
Ruhlman, Alana Stuart, and Halle Kuzminski went 5-6 from the line over the next 45 seconds to put the Dragons ahead, 49-42.
The Trojans weren’t about to go away quietly.
Frankie Russo hit a three to cut the lead to four, but Alyssa Farr was fouled on the inbound pass and hit both free throws to push the lead back to six, 51-45.
Russo answered with another 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game, 51-48.
McDowell fouled Kuzminski who hit both to take the lead back to five, 53-48. Russo had another response and knocked down her third 3-pointer in the final 48 seconds to cut the lead to two, 53-51.
Ruhlman was fouled with 4.6 seconds left. She hit the first but missed the second. Samantha Clemente grabbed the rebound for the Trojans. Clemente tried to hit a long outlet pass near midcourt, but Peyton Wotorson stepped in front to pick it off and seal the win.
“Sammie, Meea (Irwin), Alyssa, Halle, and Stu were all clutch from the free throw line in the fourth,” Warren coach Lisa LaVan said.
The Dragons looked like they might run away with it early, jumping out to a 10-3 lead. The Trojans answered with an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 11-10. Warren answered with a 5-0 run of its own to take a 15-11 lead into the second quarter.
Warren outscored McDowell, 15-11, in the second quarter as well for the 30-22 halftime lead.
Russo’s late threes led to a game-high 15 points. Mikaela Bennett had 14 points, and Amaiya Nelson added seven points.
Ruhlman led the Dragons with 12 points. Stuart and Wotorson each had 10 points, and Irwin had eight points in the win.
MERCYHURST PREP 69, REDBANK VALLEY 53
ERIE, Pa. – In a District 9/10 crossover against two of the top-tier teams in each district, Mercyhurst Prep got 31 points from Olivia Kulyk on its way to a 69-53 win over visiting Redbank Valley.
The Lakers (14-2) also got 14 points from freshman Seana Thrower and 12 points from Mia Mangini.
Mylee Harmon led Redbank Valley (13-3) with 21 points with Addy Bond adding 16.
Mercyhurst Prep led 13-9 at the end of the first quarter and then outscored the Lady Bulldogs 24-11 in the second quarter behind 13 points from Kulyk to take a 37-20 halftime lead.
NORTHERN POTTER 54, SMETHPORT 46, OVERTIME
ULYSSES, Pa. – Shutting out visiting Smethport in overtime, Northern Potter escaped an upset bid by the Lady Hubbers, 54-46.
The game was tied at 46 at the end of regulation – Smethport’s Jaidyn Goodman had a chance to win the game at the end but saw her 3-pointer rattle out – before the Lady Panthers (9-7 overall, 6-5 NTL) got a pair of baskets and four points from Molly Cady and also hit four free throws to outscore the Lady Hubbers 8-0 in the extra session.
Overtime looked like a long shot after a strong first quarter had Northern Potter ahead 17-7, but Smethport (3-12, 2-8) closed within five, 25-20, by halftime and took a 36-35 lead at the end of the third quarter before NoPo was able to force the extra session.
Cady led the Lady Panthers with 19 points, Haylee Chapman added 11 points, and Reagan Slawson chipped in 10 tallies.
Elizabeth Hungiville had a double-double of 12 points and 17 rebounds for Smethport while also adding five assists, four steals, and three blocked shots.
Payton Neff led the Lady Hubbers in scoring with 13 points, and Maddy McKean added eight points.
BROOKVILLE 48, BRADFORD 35
BROOKVILLE, Pa. – Taking a 13-point halftime lead and turning it into a 21-point advantage going to the fourth quarter, Brookville eased to a 48-35 home D9 League win over Bradford.
The Lady Raiders (7-8 overall, 2-4 D9 League) led 25-12 at halftime after outscoring the Lady Owls (3-13, 0-5) 14-2 in the second quarter before continuing to pour it on in the third quarter to take a 39-18 lead into the final eight minutes.
It was another outstanding performance for Eden Wonderling, as she led Brookville with a game-high 25 points. Samantha Whitling chipped in seven points.
Freshman Haley Keane had 19 points for Bradford.
DUBOIS 43, BROCKWAY 28
DUBOIS, Pa. – Avery Fontaine had a game-high 20 points to lead DuBois to a 43-28 win over visiting Brockway.
Lynx Lander added 11 points for the Lady Beavers (3-12).
Rheanna Spinda led Brockway (5-13) with eight points.
COUDERSPORT 44, WELLSBORO 33
WELLSBORO, Pa. – Coudersport went on the road and got a balanced effort in a 44-33 win over Wellsboro.
Olivia Fink led the Lady Falcons (9-4) with 10 points and seven rebounds with Savannah Myers adding nine points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Hallie Rigas also scored nine points, Sierra Myers contributed eight points, and Laura Dunn had nine rebounds and two points.
Chloe Brandenburg had a game-high 21 points for Wellsboro
