High Schools |  Galleries |  Recruiting |  Baseball |  Baseball Stats |  Basketball |  Basketball Stats |  Softball |  Softball Stats |  Football |  Football Stats |  Golf |  Hockey |  Soccer |  Swimming |  Tennis |  Track |  Volleyball |  Wrestling |  Other

By Dave Yohe

Published: Sunday, February 24, 2013, 10:12 p.m.
Updated: Saturday, April 6, 2013

Eliminated in the first round last season, Serra Catholic's girls basketball team suddenly is headed to the WPIAL Class A Final Four.

The No. 2-seeded Golden Eagles (22-2) take on No. 3 North Catholic (15-9) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Keystone Oaks for a chance to play for the championship at Duquesne University's A.J. Palumbo Center.

Serra's trek to the semifinals continued over the weekend as it held off No. 11 Rochester, 61-42, in a quarterfinal game Saturday at Northgate.

Serra needed to throw Rochester's game right back at it in order to advance in the bracket.

“Rochester is a very, very good defensive team,” Serra Catholic coach Bill Cleary said. “They play very aggressively. We had to match that fire with our fire.”

Serra's plan proved effective, as it jumped out to a an 11-point lead early in the second quarter.

But Rochester (12-12), with its aggressive style, wouldn't go away.

“I told them, ‘keep playing our game, settle down on offense and look for open shots',” Rochester coach Jen Milne said. “(Coach Cleary) switched defenses several times on us, so each time down we saw something different.”

Shortly after Serra built its lead, Rochester roared back with a 15-4 run, tying the game at 26 with 1:15 left in the half.

“We wanted to come out and get some pressure, get some turnovers and get some easy hoops,” Cleary said. “It worked for a while, then all of a sudden they solved it.”

It took a string of put-backs and free throws to give Serra Catholic the lead, 34-26, at halftime.

Both teams plodded through the third quarter, with Serra Catholic extending its lead, 43-32, heading into the final frame. Serra Catholic continued building its lead before the final buzzer.

Sophomore guard Katie Sieg led all scorers with 17 points, while junior Megan Sieg had 11 and senior Lindsay Muschar 10 for Serra Catholic.

Sophomore forward Demi McFrazier led Rochester with 13 points, shooting 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Senior guard Kayla Besong added 10 points.

“I thought we played them pretty well. I thought my kids gave 100 percent, from start-to-finish,” Milne said. “With 45 seconds left, they're still trying to get steals. You're not going to win the game, but that shows their dedication and heart.”

Dave Yohe is a freelance writer.

1. Springdale OKs Vlassich as new girls basketball coach
2. Hempfield boys basketball coach Nesser ousted
3. Cal’s Tanner Huffman going to W&J
4. Leechburg hires Ceraso as girls basketball coach

There are currently no comments for this story.
Subscribe today! Click here for our subscription offers.