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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY/JV BOYS' BASKETBALL

* SECTION CHAMPIONS *

File Photo Courtesy of Bob and Kathy Osterrieder

TIESI NAMED TO ALL-SECTION TEAM

Junior Ryan Tiesi was selected as a member of the WPIAL Class AAAA Section 3 All-Section team as chosen by the section coaches.  Tiesi has been the Tigers' point guard for the past three seasons and averaged 14.0 points per game this year.  The Tiger junior led the team with 99 assists and was third in rebounds with 106.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA
ALL-SECTION TEAM 
SECTION 3

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CHARTIERS VALLEY "BOMBS" NA, 73-52, TO KNOCK TIGERS FROM WPIAL PLAYOFFS

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!
(Note: Due to technical problems, the third quarter was lost from the broadcast)

The Chartiers Valley Colts knocked down 15 three-point baskets on their way to a 73-52 victory over NA at Canon-McMillan High School on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL tournament.  Junior Ryan Tiesi had 10 points to pace the Tigers while senior Brad Vlassich and junior Dino Johnson had nine each.  Senior Steve Profeta scored 22 points to lead the Colts.

The Colts set the stage at the outset of the contest as they scored the first 12 points of the game.  Two treys by Profeta, another by sophomore Adam Braithwaite, and two hoops by senior Matt Hindt put Chartiers Valley in a commanding position.  Vlassich finally got the Tigers on the board with a three at the 2:21 mark, but Profeta answered to push the lead to 15-3.  Junior Nick Henderson hit a deuce from the baseline and senior John Woodruff drained a trey to cut the lead to 15-8.  It was as close as the Tigers would get for the remainder of the game.  Hindt's triple closed out the scoring as CV took an 18-8 lead after one quarter.

Chartiers Valley continued their hot shooting, making seven of ten shots in the second quarter, including five triples.  After Profeta hit a deuce, Tiesi dropped in a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 20-10.  Profeta added a trey, but junior Dan Lavalee answered with a triple from the corner as the lead remained at ten, 23-13.  The Colts scored the next eight points on a three by sophomore Mike Sherry, another by Hindt and a basket by Braithwaite.  Senior Doug Dzambo scored from under the hoop and added the foul shot to cut the margin to 31-16.  But the Colts would not be denied as Sherry hit a pair of treys and Tiesi hit one of his own, but Chartiers Valley took a 37-19 lead to the intermission.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same.  The Colts hit on seven on nine shots, including five more treys.  Braithwaite drained the first three just nineteen seconds into the quarter, but Lavalle answered with a rare four-point play to cut the lead to 40-23.  Profeta hit another three before Dzambo made one of two from the line.  After Sherry hit a jumper, Tiesi answered to make it a 45-26 game.  Hindt drained a trey, but junior Ben Dvorsky scored on a short jumper after an offensive rebound.  Senior Tim Crouch was able to get loose for a short jumper and Woodruff followed with a baseline shot to cut the margin to 48-32.  The Colts then went on another 8-0 run, with threes by Profeta, senior Bill Poletti and a deuce by Braithwaite.  The third quarter ended with Chartiers Valley in front, 56-32.

In the fourth quarter, Johnson came off the bench to give the Tigers a spark.  Johnson hit a jumper to open the scoring just seconds into the period, but Hindt drove for a hoop, was fouled and completed the three-point play to make it 59-34.  After Johnson hit another jumper, Vlassich drained a trey to cut it to 59-39.  After a Profeta free throw, Johnson hit his third basket of the quarter to cut it to 60-41.  Woodruff hit another jumper, but as was the case all night long, the Colts went on another run, this time scoring the next ten points to make it 70-43. Down the stretch, Tiesi hit one of two from the line, added a field goal, and Vlassich drained his third trey of the game, but it was too little, too late as the Colts went on to a 73-52 victory.

Chartiers Valley posted impressive statistical numbers from the floor.  The Colts shot 23 for 38 (60.5%) for the game, including 15 of 26 from beyond the arc for a 57.7%.  The Tigers were 19 for 60 (31.7%).  NA forced nine CV turnovers while committing seven.  For his efforts in the final quarter, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Dino Johnson as the Player of the Game. 

The loss dropped the NA season record to 20-6.  The Tigers still have a chance to qualify for the PIAA playoffs.  If Chartiers Valley defeats Mt. Lebanon in the semifinals, the Tigers will advance to the state tournament.

Box Score

TIGER NOTES: With the win over Bethel Park, the 2004-05 Tiger team became one of only four NA teams to win 20 games in a season.  The most wins by a North Allegheny team came in 1992 when the Tigers won 23.  Listed below are the top records by wins:

WPIAL QUAD A BOYS' BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

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TIGERS RALLY TO BEAT BETHEL PARK, 50-43, IN FIRST ROUND OF WPIAL PLAYOFFS

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

After trailing by eight points early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers outscored Bethel Park, 20-5, down the stretch as the defeated the Blackhawks, 50-43, in the first round of the WPIAL Playoffs at Aliquippa High School on Saturday afternoon.  Senior Brad Vlassich led the way with 17 points, including four three-point baskets.  Senior John Woodruff added nine points and senior Doug Dzambo eight as the Tigers advanced to the quarterfinal round.  Steve Bielich had 15 points to pace Bethel Park.

Both teams had trouble scoring early in the game.  Sophomore Tom Picard opened the scoring with a hoop for Bethel Park as they took a 2-0 lead.  Senior Tim Crouch answered with a short jumper to tie the game at 2-2.  After Bielich scored from the baseline, Vlassich drained his first trey of the game to give NA a 5-4 lead at the 5:02 mark. Sophomore Mike Papp scored and Bielich dropped in two foul shots to put the Blackhawks back on top, 8-5.  Two hoops by 6-9 senior center A.J. Zimmer gave Bethel a 12-7 lead.  Dzambo banked in a short jumper to cut the margin to 12-9 after one quarter of play.

In the second quarter, Bethel Park scored the first five points to open a 17-9 advantage.  A hoop by Bielich and a conventional three-point play by sophomore Alex Wojdowski accounted for the run.  Crouch then came alive with two foul shots and a basket to cut the margin to 17-13.  Bielich followed with a jumper, but Vlassich answered with another trey to cut the lead to 19-16.  After Papp scored, junior Nick Henderson hit a jumper and Woodruff drained a trey from the right corner to tie the game at 21-21.   Henderson's second basket put NA ahead, 23-21, before Bielich got loose under the basket to tie the score.  With time running out in the half, Bielich hit a trey from the right side to give the Blackhawks a 26-23 lead as the teams went to the intermission.

The third quarter was a defensive struggle with neither team able to score many points.  Zimmer made one of two from the line before junior Ryan Tiesi answered to cut the lead to  27-25 at the 6:09 mark.  Another foul shot by Picard pushed the lead to 28-25, but Vlassich drained his third triple to tie the game at 28-28 with 5:26 remaining.  Bethel came back to score the last three baskets of the period to take a 34-28 advantage into the final period.

After sophomore Jeff Stewart scored just seconds into the fourth quarter, Woodruff made a pair of free throws to make it a 36-30 game.  Wojdowski scored from under the basket to give Bethel Park a 38-30 lead at the 7:14 mark.  The Tigers then scored the next thirteen points to take control of the game.  Vlassich hit his fourth trey to spark the rally and cut the lead to 38-33.  Dzambo then hit three consecutive shots, two from the foul line, as the Tigers grabbed a 39-38 lead with 2:50 left.  A hoop by Woodruff and two foul shots by Vlassich pushed the margin to 43-38 with just 47.6 remaining in the game.  Papp came back to hit a driving layup and cut the lead to 43-40.  After a missed shot, Bethel was forced to foul and Tiesi converted one of two. Vlassich then stole the ball, made a layup and was fouled intentionally by the Blackhawks.  Vlassich made the free throw to put NA ahead, 47-40.  Bethel had to foul and Tiesi came through with three of four from the stripe to make it a 50-40 game.  Picard hit a long three at the buzzer, but the Tigers had come away with a 50-43 victory.

It was a great effort defensively by the Tigers in the fourth quarter.  With the game on the line, NA turned up the pressure forcing Bethel into turnovers and quick shots.  For his efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Brad Vlassich as the Player of the Game.   

The victory improved the NA record to 20-5 on the season as they move on in the playoffs.  The Tigers will face defending WPIAL champion Chartiers Valley in the quarterfinals.  The date, site and time have not been determined as of yet.  We will post the information as soon as we receive it.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 50  BETHEL PARK - 43

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PLAYOFF PAIRINGS MEETING SCHEDULED FOR TONIGHT

Crouch Leads Tigers over Gateway, 57-54

Game Statistics

The Tigers edged Gateway, 57-54, on Monday night at the Senior High gym as they prepared for the upcoming WPIAL Playoffs.  Senior Tim Crouch scored a season-high 26 points to pace the Tigers with senior Brad Vlassich adding 15.  Sean Flynn had 18 to lead the Gators.

After trailing 15-11 after one quarter, the Tigers came back to take a 24-23 halftime lead.  Gateway outscored NA, 17-9, in the third quarter to take a 40-33 advantage into the final period.  A big 24-point fourth quarter was the key as the Tigers came back once again to earn a 57-54 victory.

The win improved the NA season record to 19-5.  The WPIAL Basketball Committee will meet tonight to announce the pairings for the 2005 tournament.  The MSA Sports Network will broadcast the meeting LIVE on the internet beginning at 7:00 pm.  We will post the NA game information as soon as we receive it.  

Click here to listen to the WPIAL basketball pairings show!

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 57  GATEWAY - 54

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TIGER COMEBACK BEATS NORTH HILLS, 63-62, IN OVERTIME

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

Trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, the Tigers rallied to tie the game in regulation and defeated North Hills, 63-62, in overtime in front of a huge Senior Night crowd at the Senior High gym on Friday night.  Senior Doug Dzambo had 19 points, including six in overtime, to pace the Tigers.  Junior Dino Johnson added 13 off the bench and senior Tim Crouch tallied 10.  C.J. Wink led North Hills with 18 points.

North Hills showed signs early of making this a memorable contest.  Senior Evan Sandherr scored just 35 seconds into the contest before Crouch tied the game at 2-2.  Sandherr answered with a trey, but a foul shot by Dzambo and a jump shot by senior Brad Vlassich tied the game at 5-5.  Vlassich followed with a long trey to put NA ahead, 8-5, but senior Dexter Bertram scored from under the hoop to make it an 8-7 NA lead with 3:21 remaining.  Dzambo's jumper in the lane pushed it to 10-7, but junior Josh Trocchio hit a triple to tie the score at 10-10.  Johnson gave NA a 13-10 lead with his first trey of the game, but two quick hoops by senior Brian Long put North Hills back on top, 14-13, at the 1:00 minute mark.  Junior Nick Henderson dropped in a baseline jumper as the Tigers took a 15-14 lead after one quarter of play.

The Indians used good foul shooting in the second quarter to take a halftime lead.  After senior John Woodruff made one of two from the stripe, Trocchio scored again to tie the game at 16-16.  After Crouch gave NA a two-point lead, Sandherr hit a pair of free throws to tie the game again.  Wink put NH ahead, 22-20, with two foul shots, but Dzambo answered the tie the game at 22-22 at the 4:35 mark.  Sophomore Matt Timko came off the North Hills bench to make two of four from the stripe after senior Andrew Krewatch hit one as the Indians took a 24-23 lead.  A drive by Sandherr and two free throws by Long pushed the lead to 28-23 with 1:22 left in the half.  Vlassich and Crouch both scored as NA cut the margin to 28-27 with 42 seconds on the first half clock.  Wink's basket with 19.4 left gave the Indians a 30-27 advantage at the intermission.  North Hills converted eight of eleven from the line during the quarter. 

The teams battled on even terms through most of the third quarter.  After Crouch dropped in a short jumper to cut the lead to one, Wink made two of four from the line to make it a 32-29 game.  Krewatch hit a free throw, but Bertram scored from down low to push the margin to 34-30.  The Tigers again came back quickly as Dzambo hit a put back and Henderson a short jumper to tie the score at 34-34.  After Bertram dropped in one of two from the line, Crouch gave the Tigers a 36-35 lead with another good move under the hoop.  Dzambo's jumper pushed the lead to 38-35, but Wink came back with a twisting drive to cut the lead back to one.  After Long's jump shot gave NH the lead, Dzambo made two free throws as the Tigers took a 40-39 advantage with 40.2 remaining in the period.  Trocchio then took over down the stretch.  With the Indians running the clock down, the Indian junior hit a trey from the corner at the 10 second mark.  After the Indians stole the inbounds pass, Trocchio dropped in a baseline deuce as North Hills took a 44-40 lead after three quarters of play.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Indians seemed to take control of the game, scoring the first six points of the quarter to take a 50-40 lead with 5:01 remaining.  North Hills had scored the last eleven points of the game.  Dzambo finally got NA on the board with a jumper at the 4:40 mark to cut the lead to 50-42.  After Wink made one of two from the line, Johnson came off the bench to give the Tigers a needed lift.  The Tiger junior put back a rebound and converted the three-point play to cut the margin to 51-45.  After Sandherr was one of two from the stripe, Henderson hit a long trey from the corner to cut the lead to four.  Wink again made one of two from the line, but Johnson answered again with a big triple to cut the margin to 53-51 at the 2:24 mark.  After a North Hills turnover, Johnson scored again to tie the game at 53-53 with 1:50 on the clock.  Wink answered with another great move under the hoop to put the Indians back ahead, 55-53.  This time, Henderson came through to tie the game at 55-55 at the 1:14 mark.  Both teams had chances down the stretch.  Sandherr missed two foul shots with just 14.1 seconds left.  The Tigers had the last shot, but Dzambo's long range jump shot missed sending the game to overtime.

The Tigers jumped out to a four-point lead behind two hoops by Dzambo early in the overtime.  North Hills continued to turn the ball over early, but Bertram converted a three-point play to bring the Indians within one at 59-58 with two and a half minutes left.  After an NA miss, Wink scored to put the Indians ahead but he missed the foul shot, and the lead remained 60-59 at the 2:04 mark.  After another NA miss, Johnson stole the ball at mid-court and took it to the hoop to give the Tigers a 61-60 advantage with 1:10 on the clock.  Again, it was Wink for the Indians who drove and was fouled.  The Indian junior dropped in both foul shots to put NH back ahead, 62-61.  The Tigers answered as Dzambo hit a short jumper with 34 seconds left to give NA a 63-62 lead.  After a time out, the Indians attacked the basket.  After three missed shots, Dzambo blocked the fourth and came down with the rebound and was fouled.  Dzambo could not convert giving the Indians one last chance, but Vlassich was there to pick off a pass, drawing a foul with just 1.8 remaining.  Although the foul shot was missed, time ran out giving the Tigers the 63-62 victory.

It was one of the most exciting games in the long history between these two neighborhood rivals.  Credit goes to both teams for a great effort.  The Tigers were playing without leading scorer and point guard Ryan Tiesi, but NA stepped up in his absence.  North Hills gave it the supreme effort and had to go home with a heartbreaking loss.  Congratulations to both teams and to their fans for a great night of high school basketball!

It was a team effort by the Tigers, but for his efforts in the clutch, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected senior Doug Dzambo as the Player of the Game on Senior Night.  The WPIAL playoff pairings meeting will be held on Tuesday night.  The MSA Sports Network will broadcast the meeting live on the internet.  If you do not choose to listen, we will have the pairings up on the website as soon as we find out.  The playoffs will begin the week of February 14.

The victory gave the Tigers a section record of 11-3 and a share of the Section 3 title.  It marked the first time since 1974 that NA won or shared a section championship.  The Tigers will be back in action again on Monday night when they finish the regular season with a non-section game with Gateway.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 63  NORTH HILLS - 62

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TIGERS FINISH OFF FOX CHAPEL, 76-70, IN OVERTIME

Game Statistics

The Tigers traveled to Fox Chapel on Tuesday night and returned home with an important 76-70 overtime victory over the Foxes.  Senior Brad Vlassich led the way with 20 points, junior Ryan Tiesi added 17, and junior Dan Lavalee 12 for the winning Tigers.  Seth Eisner had 16 to pace the Foxes.

The Tigers fought an uphill battle all night as they fell behind early.  The Foxes took a 17-14 lead after the first quarter and extended the margin to 37-32 at the intermission.  Trailing 55-49 after three quarters, NA rallied to tie the game at 64 and send it to overtime.  In the overtime period, the Tigers were able to outscore the Foxes, 12-6, to earn the hard-fought victory.

The victory improved the NA section record to 10-3 and set up the Friday night matchup with rival North Hills as a battle for the section crown.  NA, North Hills and Shaler are all tied for the top spot in Section 3.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:50 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 76  FOX CHAPEL - 70

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TIGERS TOP BIG MACS, 59-52, IN SECTION CHALLENGE

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

The Tigers defeated Canon-McMillan, 59-52, at the Senior High gym on Saturday afternoon in the Section 3 vs. Section 4 Challenge series.  Junior Ryan Tiesi led the Tigers with 15 points, including nine for nine from the foul line.  Matt Clemons tallied 17 points to pace the Big Macs.

The Tigers jumped out to a big lead early in the game.  After Larenzo Gregory scored to give Canon-Mac a 2-0 lead, junior Dan Lavalee hit a long three from the corner to put NA ahead for good, 3-2.  Senior Tim Crouch hit a baseline jumper to push it 5-2, and Lavalee added a long deuce to push the lead to 7-2 at the 4:45 mark.  Clemon's first hoop cut the margin to 7-4, but senior John Woodruff came off the bench to hit a jump shot to make it a 9-4 game.  Lavalee drained another trey from the corner to push the margin to 12-4, and junior Nick Henderson dropped in another baseline jumper to make it 14-4 with 3:18 remaining.  Junior Josh Snyder converted a three-point play to cut the lead to 14-7, Gregory added a foul shot, and Clemons scored again to cut the lead to 14-10 with just 1:25 left.  The Tigers then went on a 9-0 run to close out the quarter.  Senior Doug Dzambo hit a jumper, Crouch scored again, and Tiesi scored on a drive and added the foul shot.  Senior Brad Vlassich scored with time running out as the Tigers took a commanding 23-10 lead after one quarter.

In the second quarter, the Tiger shooting cooled allowing the Big Macs to get back in the game.  Canon-Mac scored the first eight points of the period behind a deuce and a trey from junior Jonas Ankrom, a hoop by senior Brandon Dittmar, and one of two from the line by freshman Charles Murphy.  Woodruff answered with a trey to push the lead to 26-18 at the 3:08 mark, breaking a scoreless streak of 4:52 in the quarter.  Tiesi scored on a put back to push the lead to ten, but the Big Macs answered with four straight foul shots.  Henderson's jumper made it 30-22 with 1:25 remaining in the half, but Gregory drove for a hoop to cut it to 30-24.  Tiesi hit a pair of foul shots with just 3.2 left to give the Tigers a 32-24 advantage at the intermission.

Canon-McMillan made a number of runs in the second half, but the Tigers had answers for all of them.  In the third quarter, Clemons hit a trey 50 seconds into the period to cut the lead to 32-27.  One of two from the line by Crouch and a hoop by Dzambo pushed the lead back to 35-27.  Murphy then scored a pair of field goals to bring the Big Macs to within four at 35-31 before senior Andrew Krewatch and Dzambo answered to push the lead back to eight at 39-31 with 3:55 remaining.  Two foul shots by Krewatch put the lead back to ten, but Clemons drained another trey to cut it to 41-34.  Woodruff answered with his second triple and Krewatch scored again as the Tigers took a 46-34 lead into the final period.

In the fourth quarter, Canon-Mac rallied again with sophomore Seth Alrutz scoring on a short jumper and Murphy draining a trey to cut the lead to 46-39 at the 6:25 mark.  Tiesi hit a jumper to push the lead to nine, but Clemons dropped in a pair of free throws to cut it back to seven.  Vlassich added a pair of free throws, but Murphy hit one of two from the line, and Clemons hit another trey to make it 50-45 with 2:47 remaining.  After Crouch scored from under the basket, Dittmar cut it to five again at 52-47 with 2:25 remaining.  The Tigers went to a spread offense at this point, and Canon-Mac was forced to foul.  Tiesi went to the line and converted six straight free throws to push the margin to 58-47 with 1:44 remaining.  Ankrom scored to cut it to 58-49, and Vlassich made one of two to push it back to a ten-point lead with 58.5 on the clock.  The Big Macs were not done as Alruth hit a triple, but time ran out as the Tigers held on for a 59-52 victory.

It was a good chance for Coach Dave DeGregorio to try some new combinations in a non-section game as the Tigers got ready for the final push for a section title.  For his efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Ryan Tiesi as the Player of the Game.  In the Section 3 vs. Section 4 Challenge, Section 3 was victorious, winning five of the eight games played on Saturday.

The win improved the NA overall record to 16-5 on the season.  The Tigers will travel to Fox Chapel on Tuesday as the last week of the regular season begins.  NA defeated Fox Chapel, 72-55, earlier in the season.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 59  CANON-McMILLAN - 52

SECTION 3 VS. SECTION 4 CHALLENGE
Saturday, January 29, 2005

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TIGERS GRIND OUT 49-36 VICTORY AGAINST PINE-RICHLAND

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

Led by junior point guard Ryan Tiesi's 18 points, the Tigers defeated the Pine-Richland Rams, 49-36, at the Senior High gym on Friday night.  Senior forward Tim Crouch added 10 points for the winning Tigers.  Eric Duerr led the Rams with 10 points.

The Tigers jumped off to an early lead in the first quarter and looked like they had things under control.  After Brett Matson dropped in a technical foul shot to give the Rams a 1-0 lead before the game started, Tiesi made one of two from the line to tie the game.  Duerr scored from the baseline, but junior Dan Lavalee answered with a trey and a foul shot to give NA a 5-3 lead.  Senior Brad Vlassich hit a jumper, Crouch scored from under the hoop, and senior Andrew Krewatch hit a jumper in the paint to extend the NA margin to 11-3 with 1:39 remaining.  Duerr scored his second basket of the quarter to close out the scoring with NA on top, 11-5.

In the second quarter, both teams committed numerous turnovers.  In addition, both teams were in the double bonus before the end of the quarter.  After Brian Felker scored, Crouch's hoop at the 7:31 mark pushed the lead to 13-7.  Vlassich was fouled on a three-point attempt and made two of three from the line to increase the lead to 15-7.   Senior Doug Dzambo dropped in a pair of foul shots  and Tiesi added two more from the line as the Tigers led, 19-8, with 5:19 remaining in the half.  The Rams outscored NA, 8-3, to cut the lead to six, 22-16, at the intermission.  A foul shot by Tiesi and a jumper by Dzambo were the only NA points during the stretch.  The Rams made four of eleven foul shots in the quarter while NA was seven of nine from the stripe.

After Matson drained a trey to open the third quarter scoring, Tiesi answered with a triple as NA took a 25-19 lead at the 6:17 mark.   Tiesi and Crouch added baskets as the Tigers pushed the margin to 29-19 before freshman Dom Lombardi hit a trey.  Junior Nick Henderson came back with a baseline jumper to push the lead to 31-22 with just 1:22 remaining in the quarter.  Tiesi scored again in the last minute as the Tigers took a 33-22 lead into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Duerr hit a short jump shot to cut the margin to 33-24 before Krewatch hit one of two from the stripe.  Felker then hit a long trey to keep the Rams within striking distance at 34-27.  Tiesi answered with his second trey of the game to push the margin back to 37-27 with 6:12 left in the game.  Krewatch followed with two key baskets to push the margin to 41-29 with 3:30 remaining.  After Crouch scored, Nick Madia came off the Rams' bench to drain a trey and cut the lead to 43-32.  Duerr scored to make it 43-34 before Crouch scored again to push the lead back to eleven at 45-34 with just 1:45 left.  Matson hit a jumper with 53.4 remaining to reduce the margin to nine again at 45-36, but the Rams were running out of time.  Pine-Richland was forced to foul, and Tiesi made four straight to close out the scoring as the Tigers went on to a 49-36 victory.

It was a hard-fought game between neighboring rivals with the Rams never quite out of the game until the final minutes.  The Tiger defense played well again, limiting the Rams to just 36 points.  For his efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Tim Crouch as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers improved their section mark to 9-3, the overall record to 15-5.  With Shaler's loss to North Hills on Friday night, the Tigers moved into a three-way tie for the section lead with Shaler and North Hills.  NA will be back in action again this afternoon when they host Canon-McMillan at 1:00 pm as part of the Section 3 vs. Section 4 Challenge.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 12:45 pm.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 49  PINE-RICHLAND - 36

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WPIAL BOYS' BASKETBALL - 2004-05

The Tigers will compete again in Class AAAA along with 31 other teams.  WPIAL boys' basketball Section 3 competition will begin December 13-14, 2004 and must be completed by February 3-4, 2005.  In Quad A, four teams from each section will enter the team championsPhips set to begin on February 11th.  It two teams tie for fourth place but one of the teams has won both head to head contests, that team will enter the tournament.  Three way or multiple ties will be broken in the following manner:

1.  The cumulative section won-lost records of all tied teams will be totaled.
2.  The team that has the best numerical record among the tied teams will enter post-season play.
3.  If the tie cannot clearly be broken, all will enter post-season play.

In Quad A, six teams will enter the PIAA Class AAAA tournament.  PIAA bracket placement will be determined on a "Follow the winner" basis.

WPIAL BOYS' BASKETBALL ALIGNMENT

QUAD A - 32 TEAMS

Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director Bob Bozzuto at:  bbozzuto@northallegheny.org