Published Sunday, Feb. 23, 1997
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Kennedy, Slippery Rock, Brookfield move on
The opening round of the District 10 girls' basketball playoffs took its toll on local teams Saturday, with only Slippery Rock and Kennedy Christian joining Lakeview in advancing to the semifinals.
Mercer County Athletic Conference Class AAA titlist Slippery Rock held off North East, 55-50, while MCAC Class A champion Kennedy handled Conneaut Lake, 61-29.
Also, in second round of Ohio's Division III Py Valley Sectional tournament, Broofield advanced to the finals by getting past Burton-Berskire, 46-29.
Following are game reports:
CLASS AAA
Slippery Rock 55
North East 50
At Cambridge Springs, the Lady Rockets got a battle from North East, a D-10 finalist a year ago, and won the see-saw affair, despite being outscored 14-11 in the fourth quarter.
``It was a tough first-round draw,'' said Slippery Rock coach John Tabisz. ``They have a little more playoff experience than we do, but we came through down the stretch. Our girls kept their poise.''
The Lady Rockets (20-4) led 30-27 at halftime and increased their lead to as many as 11 points in the third quarter. But the Lady Grapepickers (16-5) whittled their deficit down to 44-36 heading into the fourth, and North East eventually tied the game with five minutes left. The Lady Rockets took a 7-point lead, but the Lady Grapepickers countered to trail by just one point late.
``It could have gone either way,'' admitted Tabisz. ``We were fortunate to get two good leads but they were able to come back. We let them creep back into it.''
Jamie Dick led the Lady Rockets with 15 points, including a trio of treys, and dished out a dozen assists. Marisa Taylor contributed with 13 points, and Whitney DiFrischia chipped in nine points and 10 rebounds.
Shawna Boyd had 17 points and Jill Atherton 12 for North East, which led after the first quarter, 17-16.
The Lady Rockets will play Fort LeBoeuf at a site, date and time yet to be determined.
Oil City 69
Hickory 52
At Farrell, Hickory went up against the state's third-ranked team, but it was Oil City's top two players who led the way, as Tracy Whitling and Jackie Craft scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, to lead the Lady Oilers (24-2) to the win.
``We never did stand toe-to-toe with them,'' said Hickory coach Jeanette Whitehead, whose team was making its first playoff appearance in six years. ``They came into the game with experience and a height advantage, but I can't say they came into it with a bigger heart.''
Oil City broke out to a 23-11 lead at the end of the first quarter and increased that to 37-21 at halftime.
``They came out strong against us in the first quarter and caught us on our heels,'' Whitehead said.
But in the third quarter, the Hornettes (11-13) outscored the Lady Oilers, 20-14, to trail by just 10 heading into the fourth quarter.
Sara Viselli, Venus Connors and Cristy Gustas each scored 12 points for Hickory, with Connors adding 10 rebounds. Jill Miller also scored 10 to go along with six boards.
``The score was not indicative of the level of play out there,'' Whitehead said, while citing the help of her assistants as a big factor. ``The girls 2showed maturity and growth throughout the year and the way they played shows a lot for the future. They showed they had a lot of heart.''
CLASS AA
Cranberry 58
Greenville 38
At Farrell, MCAC Class AA runner-up Greenville played on even terms with perennial D-10 power Cranberry before succumbing in the final frame. Cranberry led 27-23 at intermission and 39-35 at the third-quarter turn.
Brooke Vernam bucketed a game-high 20 points for the Berries (18-6), while Stefanie Cross chipped in with 13 markers.
For Greenville (13-12), Kirsten Keller emerged as the Lady Trojans' lone double-digit scorer with 13 points, including 9-for-10 marksmanship from the free-throw line.
CLASS A
Kennedy Christian 61
Conneaut Lake 29
At Farrell, Kennedy Christian broke out to a 20-6 lead after the first quarter and coasted to the opening-round victory.
``I thought it was a good start for us,'' said Kennedy head coach Father Rick Tomasone. ``The kids came out and played very well early.''
Jamie Cicuto and Katie Meier each scored 12 points to lead the Lady Golden Eagles (20-5), who held the Lady Indians (12-13) to just two points in the third quarter to take a 52-15 lead into the fourth period.
Kennedy Christian's man-to-man defense held Conneaut Lake to just 10 field goals, as Tomasone used a 10-player rotation.
``I felt today would be a good day to play man-to-man and get everyone into it as quick as we could,'' he said.
Cicuto had 12 rebounds, Julie Fill had 11 points, Melanie Giordano chipped in eight points and five steals, and Tara Stevens had six points and nine rebounds.
The Lady Golden Eagles will play Sheffield _ 51-47 overtime winners over Union City _ at a site, date and time yet to be determined.
Youngsville 58
Commodore Perry 30
At Cambridge Springs, Youngsville led 19-1 at the first-quarter buzzer and never looked back, though after the first quarter the Lady Panthers (1-23) settled down and played a strong game for the duration.
``Our girls, being young, were pretty nerved out with the crowd,'' said Lady Panthers coach Matt Blaschak. ``But it was good to get in there and play a good game (after the first quarter).''
Kelly McKalip scored 11 points to lead Commodore Perry, which outscored Youngsville (23-2) 10-9 in the third quarter, but still trailed 47-23 going into the fourth frame.
Julie Nansen scored 16 points and Amy Nansen 14 for Youngsville.
OHIO DIVISION III
Py Valley Sectional
Brookfield 46
Berkshire 29
At Andover, Emily Pasquerilla poured in 24 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead Brookfield.
The Lady Warriors (15-7) led 19-16 at halftime, but increased it to 30-24 at the third-quarter turn and outscored Berkshire 16-5 in the final frame
Christy Reiser complemented Pasquerilla with eight points.
Brookfield will take on undefeated Pymatuning Valley (21-0), Ohio's sixth-ranked team, Thursday at PV.
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Updated Feb. 23, 1997
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