Late run lifts Lady Scots to 54-52 win over Freeport
Paul S. Brittain
The Southmoreland girls celebrate after holding in to edge Freeport, 54-52, Thursday night in the WPIAL Class AAAA quarterfinals at Penn-Trafford High School. The Lady Scots advance to the semifinals on Monday against Central Valley.
Southmoreland's Sarah Pisula (left) and Olivia Cernuto (10) surround Freeport's Madeline Clark during Thursday's WPIAL Class AAAA quarterfinal at Penn-Trafford High School. The Lady Scots defeated Freeport, 54-52.
Southmoreland coach Brian Pritts instructs his team during a time out in Thursday's WPiAL Class AAAA quarterfinal playoff game against Freeport at Penn-Trafford High School.
HARRISON CITY 鈥� Trailing by four points midway through the fourth quarter, Southmoreland closed with an 11-5 run to hold off Freeport for a 54-52 win Thursday night that kept the Lady Scotties unbeaten, vaulted them to the WPIAL Class AAAA semifinals, and locked up a PIAA playoff berth for the first time in program history.
The game at Penn-Trafford High School had 15 lead changes and eight ties, and wasn鈥檛 decided until a desperation 3-point shot by Freeport鈥檚 Melaina Dezort was off the mark at the final buzzer.
鈥淭his is our first trip to the WPIAL semifinals and first quarterfinal win,鈥� said Southmoreland coach Brian Pritts. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be more proud of the girls, although we didn鈥檛 exactly play our best. But we can celebrate some firsts in school history.鈥�
Freeport (17-7) was a much different team with seniors Sidney Shemanski and Madeline Clark in the lineup. Both were out with injuries when Southmoreland (23-0) defeated the Yellow Jackets by 40 points in the second game of the season.
After ties at 41-41 and 43-43 in the fourth quarter, Shemansky and Clark scored to equal the Yellow Jackets鈥� biggest lead at four, but Gracie Spadaro and senior Erika Sherbondy answered with baskets for a tie at 47-47.
Clark and Spadaro traded baskets before Delaynie Morvosh鈥檚 trey from the corner gave Southmoreland a 52-49 lead that lasted until Dezort answered with a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left.
Pisula was fouled with 5.8 seconds left and made the second of two free throws for a one-point edge. She then intercepted the inbounds pass at midcourt and was immediately fouled with four seconds left.
She made the first shot but missed the second, and a long pass to Dezort resulted in the missed 3-point try at the buzzer.
Pisula said she felt the pressure at the free throw line but reminded herself to shoot 鈥渏ust like in practice.鈥� On the inbounds pass, she said, 鈥淚 knew it was coming the way they were looking and knew I had to cut it off.鈥�
Sherbondy sank the first of four first-half 3-pointers to give the Lady Scotties the first basket of the game. But Freeport鈥檚 Dezort answered with a trey to tie the game at 3-3.
After Shemansky scored to give Freeport a 5-3 edge, Spadaro scored a field goal and Sherbondy added a 3-pointer to give the Lady Scotties an 8-7 lead.
Shemansky鈥檚 three-point play put Freeport ahead 10-8, but Southmoreland closed with a 9-point run on a free throw and basket by Spadaro, a trey by Morvosh, and a Spadaro basket for a 16-10 first-quarter lead.
Southmoreland led by eight points twice in the second quarter at 24-16 and 25-17, but Freeport closed the half on a 9-3 run led by six points from Shemansky to trail just 27-25.
Freeport went man-to-man in the second half and limited Sherbondy to just two more points.
鈥淚 got great passes (in the first half), and could tell when my shots were going in. They went to a man defense in the second half and I didn鈥檛 get open shots,鈥� said Sherbondy.
The lead changed hands five times in the third quarter as Shemansky and Clark each sank treys for Freeport, while Pisula scored six points and Olivia Cernuto added four as the Lady Scots clung to a 39-38 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Pritts praised Freeport鈥檚 effort, saying, 鈥淭hey did an incredibly awesome job of getting after us. But we scored a few more points and I鈥檒l take it.鈥�
Spadaro scored 17 points and Sherbondy added 14 points. Shemansky scored 16 points, and Clark and Dezort both finished with 10 for Freeport.
Southmoreland will play third-seeded Central Valley in the semifinals on Monday at a site and time to be determined.