Lady Pioneers survive frantic finish in semifinals, take aim at Rochester
West Greene players Kaytlynn Walls (24), Brooke Barner (40) and Elizabeth Brudnock (4) celebrate while Sewickley Academy players agonize over a 46-45 loss during the WPIAL Class 1A semifinal game.
Brooke Barner (40) and Kaytlynn Walls (24) celebrate while Sewickley Academy players in the background anguish over West Greene鈥檚 46-45 triumph during the WPIAL Class 1A semfinal game.
Brooke Barner (40) jumps for joy and Kaytlynn Walls (24) celebrates after West Greene defeated Sewickley Academy, 46-45, in the WPIAL Class A semfinal game.
Eleanor Bailey/
Brooke Barner (40) looks to shoot against Bre Warner (25). Barner helped lead West Greene to victory, 46-45, against Sewickley Academny
Eleanor Bailey
Jersey Wise goes up for a basket but is called for a charging foul during West Greene鈥檚 semifinal basketball playoff game against Sewickley Academy.
By Eleanor Bailey/
By Eleanor Bailey
Anna Durbin remains focused on the basket despite the defensive efforts of Desirae Nance.
Eleanor Bailey/
Jersey Wise splits two defenders and drives to the basket during West Greene鈥檚 46-45 victory against Sewickley Academy.
CANONSBURG 鈥� It wasn鈥檛 pretty.
But West Greene girls basketball coach Jordan Watson knows once you get to this point it doesn鈥檛 have to be.
Watching the final six seconds with bated breath from the sideline 鈥� similar to the many fans who rose to their feet 鈥� Watson could only watch, hope and plead for none of Sewickley Academy鈥檚 shots to fall into the net.
They never did.
Watching No. 6 Sewickley Academy miss three potential game-winning shots within two feet of the basket, second-seeded West Greene created a tie-up as the clock ticked to 0:00 and escaped with a 46-45 win in a WPIAL Class A semifinal game Tuesday night at Canon-McMillan High School.
鈥淚t felt like 100 (shots),鈥� Watson said. 鈥淭hat last six seconds seemed to take at least one minute. It felt like the ball was in the air forever. It was nerve-racking. But we made just enough stops.鈥�
The Pioneers made enough stops to make sure their district playoff run didn鈥檛 come to a complete halt.
West Greene (24-0) advances to the Class A title game for the third consecutive year. It will play top-seeded Rochester (23-1) in a rematch of last year鈥檚 championship at 3 p.m. Friday at the Petersen Events Center. Rochester was a 57-37 winner over Clairton in the other semifinal.
鈥淚 think going into the year, nobody outside of those girls in that locker room thought we鈥檇 make it back,鈥� Watson proudly said. 鈥淲e set goals, and that was a goal they all had.鈥�
A return trip to Pittsburgh might not have been possible without Brooke Barner. Tied 35-35 early in the fourth quarter, Barner made a baseline three-pointer to spark a 9-2 run. The run ended with her collecting a Jersey Wise pass and converting a three-point play the old-fashioned way by making a layup with a defender draped across her back and an ensuing free throw.
鈥淯nbelievable,鈥� Watson said of Barner. 鈥淓very 50-50 game we鈥檝e had this year, Brooke has played huge. Whether it was Ellis School, Wheeling Central Catholic or whatever, she has came to play.鈥�
Sewickley (14-11), facing its biggest deficit of the game, didn鈥檛 go away.
Taking advantage of Pioneers鈥� turnovers, Des Nance made three layups in less than one minute, including one off a West Greene miscue with 54 seconds left to tie the game at 45-45.
Fouled on the next possession, Wise made one of two free throws on a bad night for both teams at the line. That free throw proved to be the difference.
The Pioneers, who made 23 of 26 foul shots in a regular-season win against Sewickley, shot just 40% (6-for-15) from the foul line. The Panthers were even worse, going only 2-for-17 from the foul line.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been our new trend in the last two games,鈥� Sewickley coach Mark Gaither said of missing free throws. 鈥淲e had our chances. That last play of the game, we drew it up and did exactly what we wanted. We missed a layup, fought and got a rebound, miss another layup, got the rebound and missed again. We were that close. It stinks to be that close and not get it done.鈥�
Barner, a 5-5 sophomore who made the transition to a post player at the beginning of this season, scored a game- and career-high 17 points. She also grabbed 13 rebounds.
鈥淚 never thought I鈥檇 be here,鈥� said Barner, who didn鈥檛 start as a freshman. 鈥淚t shows hard work pays off. I鈥檝e been grinding and put in the time. It鈥檚 crazy. It鈥檚 unbelievable. It鈥檚 honestly a blessing.鈥�
Wise was the only other Pioneer in double figures with 15 points. She made back-to-back three-pointers 鈥� from opposite sides of the baseline 鈥� in the middle of the third quarter to put West Greene ahead 32-29. It was the first lead the Pioneers had since early in the second quarter.
Sewickley鈥檚 Bre Warner tried to go toe-to-toe with Barner inside. Warner scored 10 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Kamryn Lightcap led Sewickley with 12 points.
鈥�(Brooke) comes in every day with the right mindset,鈥� Watson said, 鈥渁n infectious personality and just plays really hard. She isn鈥檛 big, but she wants the ball more than other people. She is always in the right spot. She is one of those girls that say, 鈥榊es, Coach鈥� to everything. She doesn鈥檛 complain. She embraces it.鈥�
Turning his attention to facing Rochester for a fourth straight year in the playoffs, Watson said there will likely be no surprises from either side.
鈥淲e played them in the quarterfinals in 2017 and 2018 and beat them both times,鈥� Watson said, 鈥渢hen last year they beat us at the Pete. We鈥檙e very familiar with their personnel and I鈥檓 sure they鈥檙e very familiar with our personnel.
鈥淭heir top three girls are back. Corynne Hauser is really their engine. She makes everything run. She鈥檚 by far their best player. She does a little bit of everything. Alexis Robison is a great shooter and then you鈥檝e got to try to keep their center Jasmine Mack off the boards, which is easier said than done. We鈥檝e got to limit her second-chance points. Last year she scored 21 points against us and I think half of those were second-chance points.鈥�
Watson鈥檚 starting lineup is expected to be Wise, Barner, Elizabeth Brudnock, Anna Durbin and either 5-foot-7 forward Kaytlynn Walls or 5-3 guard Katie Lampe.
Even though his team is familiar with the Petersen Events Center it still can be an intimidating place, according to Watson.
鈥淚 think, for us, being there three years in a row definitely helps,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou always try to preach when the game starts it comes down to execution, it鈥檚 just another game. But the reality is when you walk in there you go, 鈥榃ow. This isn鈥檛 like a normal gym here.鈥� It is different.
鈥淏ut Jersey had double figures both games before and Elizabeth did as a freshman. So we have kids that have been there and shot well in that venue.鈥�
Rochester has won its two playoff games by a combined 60 points (64-24 over Aquinas Academy in the quarterfinals), while the Lady Pioneers had a tight game with Avella before pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 55-45 win, and battled Sewickley until the end.
Watson sees that as another positive for his girls, though.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have an easy one but it helps to be battle tested when you鈥檙e going through the playoffs,鈥� Watson said. 鈥淚 think this will be a 50-50 game. It鈥檒l come down to getting a key stop, getting a key rebound, making foul shots.鈥�