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LADY TIGERS WIN SECTION FINALE, 39-29, OVER RIVAL NORTH HILLS

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Coach Will Saunders used all fifteen Lady Tigers as NA defeated archrival North Hills, 39-29, on Senior Night at the Senior High gym on Friday night.  Seven seniors played their last game for NA, but it was juniors Maria Nolan and Ginny Thistle who led the scoring with seven points each.  Tara Veverka led North Hills with nine points.

It was an all-senior first quarter for the Lady Tigers.  Neither team could score early until Veverka drove for a layup to give North Hills a 2-0 lead 1:43 into the game.  Senior forward Megan Hartwig got NA even with a pair of foul shots.  Nina Glisan scored to put the Lady Tigers on top, 4-2, at the 4:50 mark, but Juli O'Connell tied it at 4-4.  Ververka came back with another drive and added a foul shot to give the Indians a 7-4 lead.  After Kristen Beatty hit a short jumper, Veverka scored again to give North Hills a 9-6 advantage after one period.

In the second quarter, the NA juniors and sophomores took over and went on an 8-0 run.  Early in the period, sophomore Dawn Murphy drained a long trey to tie the game at 9-9.  Nolan dropped in a short jump shot to put the Lady Tigers ahead for good, 11-9, at the 6:38 mark.  Thistle then took over at the foul line, making four straight to increase the margin to 15-9.  Nolan's second hoop of the quarter on a put back extended the lead to 17-9 with 4:18 left in the half.  The Indians came back, however, on a foul shot by O'Connell and a basket by 6-0 sophomore Gabi Marshall to cut the lead to 17-12.  NA answered as Nolan hit two from the line and Thistle one more to make it a 20-12 game.  After Veverka scored, sophomore Julie Figan dropped in a jumper from the corner to give the Lady Tigers a 22-14 lead with 30 seconds remaining.  A foul shot by Katie Wilson closed out the first half scoring as NA took a 22-15 advantage to the intermission.

In the third quarter, Coach Saunders continued to play his entire team, this time mixing seniors and underclass players.  After Figan scored her second basket of the game, NH senior Bethany Alabeck drained a trey to cut the lead to 24-18.  Alabeck followed with a jumper in the lane and the lead was down to four.  Thistle answered with a pair of free throws, and sophomore Jackie Lang scored from close in to push the lead back to eight at 28-20 with 3:59 left in the quarter.  After Nolan made one of two from the line, Alabeck was fouled on a three-point attempt and made two of three.  Lang answered with a pair of foul shots with Alabeck coming back with one of two.  Glisan dropped in her second hoop of the game with 1:02 left as the Lady Tigers took a 33-23 lead into the final quarter.  Alabeck scored all eight of North Hills points in the quarter.

In the final quarter, Coach Saunders gave the NA seniors a chance for a final curtain call as he replaced each player individually down the stretch.  Each team scored six points each in the quarter with seniors Nicole Spellman and Sarah Haas both knocking down short shots and Beatty hitting two free throws.  O'Connell's trey and three foul shots provided the NH scoring.

It was a great opportunity for the NA seniors to play their final game in front of the home crowd and pick up a victory against their rivals from North Hills.  It was a team effort all the way as the Lady Tigers finished off the 2006-07 season with a 39-29 victory.

For her play on the boards and at the foul line when the game was in doubt, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Ginny Thistle as the Player of the Game.  With the win, the Lady Tigers completed their regular season with a record of 13-11, 5-7 in section play.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 39  NORTH HILLS - 29

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BUTLER ENDS LADY TIGERS' PLAYOFF HOPES
WITH 48-35 VICTORY

Box Score

The Butler Golden Tornado defeated NA, 48-35, at Butler on Monday night ending the Lady Tigers hope for a playoff berth.  Junior Ginny Thistle and sophomore Dawn Murphy scored eight points each to lead NA.  Olivia Bresnahan tallied fourteen points to pace Butler.

Butler jumped off to a 17-4 lead after one quarter and never looked back.  The Tornado extended the margin to 27-11 at the intermission.  The Lady Tigers rallied in the third quarter to cut the margin to 37-26, but could get no closer.  Butler was able to hold off NA in the final period to take the thirteen-point victory.

With the loss, the NA section record fell to 4-7, the overall mark to 12-11.  The Lady Tigers will host rival North Hills on Friday night in the season finale.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
BUTLER - 48  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 35

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#1 NEW CASTLE TOO TOUGH FOR LADY TIGERS
IN 46-30 WIN

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The top-ranked New Castle Lady 'Canes used a strong second half to hold off the Lady Tigers, 46-30, at the Senior High gym on Friday night.  Sophomore Jackie Lang netted ten points to pace NA with Jalessa Sams tallying 12 and Abby Allen eleven for New Castle.

In the first quarter, the Lady Tigers played a patient ball control offensive style, taking their time looking for a good shot.  As a result, not many points were scored.  Junior Ginny Thistle put NA on the board first with a short banker at the 5:42 mark.  New Castle answered quickly on a three by Kara Joseph to give the 'Canes a 3-2 lead.  Junior Maria Nolan answered with 3:09 remaining to put NA back on top, 4-3.  Only two more points were scored in the quarter with Ryenn Micaletti scoring on a drive to the hoop with 38.3 left as New Castle took a 5-4 lead after one quarter.

The Lady Tigers remained patient early in the second quarter.  Nolan scored again just 1:13 into the period to give NA a 6-5 lead.  Logan Hartman, a 6-1 junior, scored from under the hoop to push the Lady 'Canes back ahead, 7-6, at the 6:08 mark.  After Micaletti scored her second hoop of the game, Lang drove for a basket to make it a 9-8 game.  With 4:00 remaining, senior Kristen Beatty took the ball to the basket to give NA their last lead of the game, 10-9.  New Castle then went on a 10-0 run to take control of the contest.  Sams scored her first of the game to put NC ahead, 11-10, and Joseph hit another trey to make it 14-10 with 3:08 left in the half.  Sams got loose for another basket to extend the lead to 16-10 at the 2:19 mark.  Neither team could score until time was running out when Abby Allen drained a trey to give New Castle a 19-10 advantage at the intermission.

Early in the third quarter, Thistle banked in a short jumper to cut the margin to 19-12, but the 'Canes answered quickly.  Micaletti hit a trey, Hartman added a put back, and Micaletti scored again to push the lead to 25-12 with NA Coach Will Saunders calling a time out.  Sams and Hartman added baskets to extend the margin to 29-12 with 4:44 remaining.  Lang brought the Tigers closer with two hoops in fifteen seconds to make it a 29-16 game.  Allen came back with a three to push the lead to sixteen at 32-16.  Beatty drove to the basket and scored but missed the free throw.  Senior point guard Marissa Posteraro followed with a driving attempt that drew a foul.  The NA senior made one of two to cut the lead to 32-19 with 3:04 left in the period.  Sams answered to push it to 34-19 before Lang scored her third basket of the quarter.  New Castle took a commanding 34-21 lead into the final quarter.

Allen opened the fourth quarter scoring with her third trey of game, and Hartman followed with a  hoop to extend the led to 39-21 just 1:15 into the quarter.  With the big lead, New Castle slowed the pace.  Lang scored again for NA, and sophomore Julie Figan came off the bench to knock down a three to cut the margin to 39-26 with 5:30 remaining in the game.  Beatty got through the NC defense to bring NA to within 11 with 5:04 left.  It would be as close as the Lady Tigers would get.  Sams connected on four of six from the foul line to push the lead back to fifteen at 43-28 with 1:57 left.  Posteraro drove to the hoop and scored to cut it to 43-30.  With the Lady 'Canes holding the ball, NA was forced to foul down the stretch.  Allen made two from the line and Joseph added another as New Castle went on to the 46-30 victory.

It was a gutsy performance by the Lady Tigers against a very good New Castle team that won its 21st game without a loss.  Poor shooting hurt NA both from the field and the foul line where they were one for eight.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Jackie Lang as the Player of the Game.

With the loss, the NA section record fell to 4-6, the overall mark to 12-10.  The Lady Tigers still have a chance at the playoffs, but they must win their last two games and get some help.  NA will travel to Butler on Monday night to face the Tornado in a key section contest with game time set for 7:30 pm.

Box Score
Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
NEW CASTLE - 46  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 30

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LEBO DOWNS LADY TIGERS, 52-42, IN
NON-SECTION CONTEST

Photo Gallery

The Lady Tigers dropped a 52-42 non-section contest to Mt. Lebanon on Monday night at the Senior High gym.  Senior Kristen Beatty scored 13 points to pace NA while Chelsea Apke had 12 for Lebo.

The Lady Tigers played the #5 ranked Blue Devils tough throughout the game.  After one quarter, NA took a 10-8 lead, but Lebo came back to go ahead, 22-20 at halftime.  In a low scoring third quarter, Mt. Lebanon was still in reach with the Blue Devils holding a 30-26 lead.  A 22-16 advantage in the fourth period gave Lebo the ten-point victory.

With the loss, the NA overall record dropped to 12-9 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will host the #1 ranked New Castle Lady 'Canes on Friday night at the Senior High gym.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
MT. LEBANON - 52  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 42

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PINE-RICHLAND DOWNS LADY TIGERS, 52-33

The Lady Tigers traveled to Pine-Richland on Thursday night and were defeated by the Rams, 52-33.  Senior Kristen Beatty had 14 points to lead NA.  Sydney Wilson and Tricia Adamczyk had 13 each to pace Pine-Richland.

In the first quarter, the Lady Tigers took a 13-11 lead, but the Rams rallied to go on to 21-20 at the intermission.  Pine-Richland won the game with a 17-2 advantage in the third quarter.  With the Lady Tigers trailing, 38-22, going into the final period, the Rams coasted to the 19-point victory.

The loss hurt the NA playoff chances as they dropped to fifth place in Section 3 with a 4-5 section mark.  The Lady Tigers will host Mt. Lebanon on Monday night in a non-section game at the Senior High gym.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
PINE-RICHLAND - 52  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 33

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LADY TIGER TRIO TOO MUCH FOR
SENECA VALLEY, 43-35

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Three Lady Tigers scored 14 points each as NA defeated Seneca Valley, 43-35, at the Senior High gym on Monday night.  Senior Kristen Beatty, junior Maria Nolan, and sophomore Jackie Lang tied for scoring honors as NA moved into a tie for the final playoff spot with the win.  Beatty added ten rebounds with Nolan pulling down nine.  Jackie Mangola led the Raiders with 13 points.

The Lady Tigers jumped off to a quick 6-0 lead.  Lang scored on a putback just fifteen seconds into the contest, and Nolan hit two short jumpers during the run.  The Raiders answered, however, with eight straight points to take an 8-6 lead.  Mangola put SV on the board with a trey to cut the lead in half, and Kelsey Patsilevas dropped in a trlple from the corner to tie the game at the 3:34 mark.  Mangola scored again to give the Raiders their first lead of the game at 8-6.  After Lang hit one of two from the line, Kelsey Spencer made it 10-7 with a hoop with 36.6 seconds left in the quarter.  The Raiders took a 10-7 advantage into the second period.

The scoring picked up in the second quarter.  After Mangola made two foul shots, Nolan hit a jumper to cut the lead to 12-9.  Mangola added two more free throws before Nolan scored again to make it a 14-11 game with 6:01 left in the half.  Sophomore Amy Eagle continued the Raider free throw streak when she hit two to push the lead back to five.  Lang drove to the hoop, was fouled, and converted both free throws as the lead was cut to 16-13.  Lang put back another rebound to make it a one point game at the 5:01 mark.  After Patsilevas scored, Beatty made two foul shots to cut the lead to one again at 18-17.  Mangola then drained another long trey, but Lang answered with a triple to cut the margin to 21-20 with 1:06 remaining.  A foul shot by Spencer and a layup by Amy Johnson gave the Raiders a 24-20 advantage at the intermission.

The Lady Tigers came out strong defensively in the third quarter holding the Raiders to just five points.  On the offensive end, it was the Kristen Beatty show as the Tiger senior scored all ten NA points.  Two free throws by Beatty cut the lead to two, but Patsilevas hit her second triple of the game to push the margin to 27-22 with 6:21 left in the quarter.  Beatty continued to drive to the hoop to make things happen for NA.  A foul shot and two hoops from in close tied the game at 27-27 at the 4:06 mark.  Another Beatty free throw gave NA their first lead since the first quarter at 28-27.  Spencer scored with 52 seconds left to put the Raiders back ahead.  Beatty wasn't finished, however, as she scored with time running out to give the Lady Tigers a 30-29 lead after three quarters.

The pace slowed in the fourth quarter with most of the scoring coming at the foul line.  After senior Sarah Haas made one of two from the line, Spencer completed a conventional three-point play to put the Raiders ahead, 32-31.  It would be the last Raider lead of the game.  Nolan hit one of two free throws to tie the game, and then scored on a short jumper to put NA back on top, 34-32.  With 3:43 remaining, Lang grabbed a rebound off a missed NA foul shot and converted both attempts to make it 36-32.  After Mangola added a foul shot for the Raiders, Nolan had a chance to extend the lead further but made only one of five from the line to make it 37-33 with 1:11 remaining.  In the last minute, the Lady Tigers regained their touch at the line as Nolan hit a pair and Beatty followed with two more as the lead went to 41-33.  A layup by Megan Gebrosky cut the margin to 41-35, but Lang put the finishing touches on the win with two more free throws as the Lady Tigers went on to a 43-35 victory.

It was a must win for the Lady Tigers and they came through with a strong second half to pull out the victory.  In the second half, NA limited Seneca Valley to just eleven total points.  Shooting was not a strong point in the win as NA made only 11 of 56 in the game for a 19.6%.  From the line, the Lady Tigers were 20 for 33 (60.6%), but made six of six in the final minute.  For her efforts on offense, defense and at the foul line where she was 7 for 8, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Jackie Lang as the Player of the Game.

With the victory, the NA section record improved to 4-4, the overall mark to 12-7.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Pine-Richland on Thursday night to meet the Rams in a key Section 3 contest.   Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 43  SENECA VALLEY - 35

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SHALER STOPS LADY TIGERS, 45-32

Photo Gallery

The Shaler Titans defeated the Lady Tigers, 45-32, at Shaler on Thursday night as second half action got under way in Section 3.  Junior Maria Nolan scored 14 points to lead NA while Olivia DiNucci tallied 17 for the Titans.  The loss ended a four-game Lady Tiger winning streak.

The Lady Tigers got off to a slow start scoring only two points in the first quarter.  Shaler increased their 9-2 lead afte one to 16-7 at the intermission.  The scoring picked up in the second half, but NA could cut into the lead.  The Titans led, 28-18, after three quarters before falling by thirteen.

With the loss, the NA section record fell to 3-4, the overall mark to 11-7 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will host Seneca Valley on Monday night at the Senior High gym.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
SHALER - 45  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 32

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LADY TIGERS CRUSH PENN HILLS, 46-29, FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN

Photo Gallery

The Lady Tigers defeated Penn Hills, 46-29, at the Senior High gym on Tuesday night for their fourth consecutive victory.  Sophomore Jackie Lang scored 15 points and senior Kristen Beatty added 11 as NA defeated Penn Hills for the second time this season.  Taja Wilson had 10 points to pace the Indians.

The Tigers jumped ahead early and took a commanding 18-2 lead after one quarter and led at halftime by a 27-13 count.  Penn Hills cut into the margin in the third quarter making it a 33-25 game going into the final period.  The Lady Tigers outscored the Indians, 13-4, in the fourth quarter to take home a convincing 46-29 victory.

Statistically, the Lady Tigers dominated.  Penn Hills made only 6 of 49 from the floor for 12.2% while NA hit only 16 of 46 (34.8%).  NA forced 20 Penn Hills turnovers while committing 16. 

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved their overall mark to 11-6.  The victory was the third in four days for NA as they prepared for the opening of the second half in Section 3.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Shaler tomorrow night to meet the Titans in a key section contest.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 46  PENN HILLS - 29

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BEATTY LEADS LADY TIGERS OVER LATROBE, 49-45

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Senior Kristen Beatty scored a career high 29 points to lead the Lady Tigers to a 49-45 victory over Section 1 leader Latrobe at the Senior High gym on Monday afternoon.  Emily Fenton had 17 points to pace the Wildcats.

The Lady Tigers got off to a great start holding the Wildcats scoreless in the first quarter.  Beatty put NA n the board first with one of two from the line with 6:28 left.  Senior Sarah Haas put back a rebound, and Beatty added a driving layup to push the lead to 5-0.  Junior Ginny Thistle scored from under the hoop to extend the margin to 7-0 before sophomore Jackie Lang added a jumper to make it a 9-0 game with 1:47 remaining in the quarter.  Beatty finished off the first quarter scoring with her second basket of the game as the Lady Tigers took an 11-0 lead after one quarter.

Latrobe went to a trapping defense in the second quarter and got back in the game.  After Thistle's hoop made it 13-0, Lindsay Muchnock scored the Wildcats' first basket to cut the lead to 13-2.  Courtney Sherwin followed with two of four from the line before Fenton hit a trey to cut the margin to 13-7 with 5:45 remaining in the half.  After Beatty made one of two foul shots, Muchnock scored on a putback to cut it to 14-9.  Beatty answered with a drive to the hoop, but Sherwin scored to make it a 16-11 game.  Lang was fouled on a drive and converted both free throws, but Latrobe answered again when Fenton hit a pair of free throws and followed with a short jumper to cut the lead to 18-15.  Courtney Zitt came off the Latrobe bench to score and make it a one point contest.  Senior Tina Kachulis dropped in a pair of foul shots, and Beatty made one of two from the line with Fenton adding a foul shot as time ran out.  The Lady Tigers took a 21-18 lead to the intermission.

The Lady Tigers opened quickly in the third quarter behind Beatty who drove through the Wildcat defense to score three straight baskets.  Fenton came back with a trey and Sherwin scored to cut the lead to 27-23 at the 5:07 mark.  Beatty wasn't finished, however, as she scored on a conventional three-point play to up the lead to 30-23.  After Natalie Ferrari scored from in close, the Tiger senior dropped in two more foul shots to make it 32-25.  Muchnock hit a foul shot and scored on a put back, and Fenton followed with a jumper to cut the margin to 32-28.  Junior Maria Nolan answered as she rolled in a short shot from the baseline, and Haas drained a long trey to counter a hoop by Fenton as the score went to 37-30.  Beatty finished off an eleven point third quarter with a pair of foul shots as NA took a 39-30 lead into the final period.

Latrobe struck quickly early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 39-35.  Muchnock hit a layup and added the foul shot, and Ferrari got her second hoop of the game with just 1:07 gone in the period.  Beatty answered again with a putback of her own shot to push the margin to 41-35.  Ferrari then hit a basket and dropped in two from the line to cut the lead to 41-39 with 5:33 left.  Beatty drove again for yet another hoop to push the margin to four.  After Muchnock hit two from the line, Beatty scored on another driving layup to make it 45-41.  Beatty continued to drive and was fouled on two straight plays.  After Beatty converted on two of four free throws, Fenton scored to cut the lead to 47-45 with 27.1 remaining.  Two seconds later, Beatty was fouled and made the two free throws to give NA a 49-45 lead with 25.1 left.  After a Latrobe time out, the NA defense would not allow a shot until just five seconds were left in the game.  The Wildcats were unable to score again as the Lady Tigers took a hard earned 49-45 victory.

It was a good win for the Tigers against the #4 ranked Wildcats.  Statistically, neither team shot well as Latrobe finished with 16 of 49 for a 32.7% while NA was 17 of 63 (27.0%).  The Tiger defense forced 20 Latrobe turnovers on their way to their third straight victory.  For her outstanding efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Kristen Beatty as the Player of the Game.  In addition to her 29 points, Beatty had seven rebounds and seven steals.

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved their overall record to 10-6 on the year.  NA will host Penn Hills tonight at the Senior High gym.  Game time for the non-section contest is set for 7:30 pm.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 49  LATROBE - 45

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LADY TIGERS BOUNCE PENN-TRAFFORD, 54-40

Photo Gallery

The Lady Tigers won their second straight game with a 54-40 non-section win over Penn-Trafford at the Senior High gym on Saturday afternoon.  Senior Kristen Beatty led the way with 16 points with junior Maria Nolan adding 11 and senior Sarah Haas ten.  Ashley Maijan had ten points to pace the Warriors.

In the first quarter, the Lady Tigers built a 12-6 lead and increased the margin to 23-9 at the intermission.  NA did not let up and outscored the Warriors, 16-11, in the third quarter to take a 39-20 lead into the final period.

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved their overall record to 9-6 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will host Latrobe on Monday afternoon in a non-section contest.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 4:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 4:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 54  PENN-TRAFFORD - 40

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LADY TIGERS TAKE CARE OF NORTH HILLS, 51-38

Photo Gallery

The Lady Tigers defeated rival North Hills, 51-38, at North Hills on Thursday night as the first half of section play came to an end.  Sophomore Jackie Lang scored 15 points and senior Kristen Beatty added 13 to pace NA.

The Lady Tigers took control of the contest from the outset, jumping off to an 18-4 lead after one quarter.  The Indians rallied in the second quarter to close the gap to 27-18 at the intermission.  In the third quarter, NA increased the margin to 40-29 and coasted to the 13-point victory.

With the win, NA finished the first half with a 3-3 section record and a tie for third place.  The overall NA mark improved to 8-6. 

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 51  NORTH HILLS - 38

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BUTLER RALLY DOWNS LADY TIGERS, 58-56, IN DOUBLE OVERTIME

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

The Lady Tigers came close to upsetting #4 ranked Butler at the Senior High gym on Monday night, but the Tornado rallied to edge NA, 58-56, in double overtime.  NA held a 25-15 edge at halftime and led, 35-28, going into the final period before Butler came back.  Sophomore Jackie Lang led the Lady Tigers with 20 points, but Amy Achesinski tallied 34 for the winning Golden Tornado.

The Lady Tigers got off to a slow start, scoring only three points in the first quarter. Rachel Barry put in a rebound to give Butler a 2-0 lead 41 seconds into the contest.  After Achesinski made one of two from the line, Maria Baroffio followed with a basket and a foul shot to push the margin to 6-0.  Lang hit one of two free throws to put NA on the board, and senior Kristen Beatty scored on a fast break to cut the lead to 6-3 with 2:18 left.  Achesinski dropped in two from the line to give the Tornado an 8-3 advantage after one quarter.

In the second quarter, NA turned up the defensive pressure to take the lead.  Senior Sarah Haas hit a trey from the corner to cut the margin to 8-6 with 7:12 left.  Sophomore Dawn Murphy was fouled on a drive and made the free throws to tie the game at 8-8.  Junior Ginny Thistle gave the Lady Tigers their first lead with a foul shot, and junior Maria Nolan followed with a short jumper to make it 11-8.  Thistle scored from underneath the basket after a nice feed from Nolan to push the margin to 13-8.  Senior Tina Kachulis came off the NA bench to drain a trey and complete a 13-0 Lady Tiger run that increased the lead to 16-8 with 4:23 left in the half.  Karissa King broke the streak with a long triple to cut the margin to 16-11.  Haas answered with her second trey of the game, and Lang scored two consecutive field goals to extend the lead to 23-13 at the 1:42 mark.  After Achesinski hit two from the stripe, Lang closed out the first half scoring with two foul shots as NA took a 25-15 lead to the intermission.  The Lady Tiger defense held Butler to 3 for 20 from the field and forced seven second quarter turnovers.

Butler rallied in the third quarter behind Achesinski's eleven points.  After Achesinski scored from down low, Lang answered to make it a 27-17 game.  Achesinski came back again to score a hoop, King dropped in another trey, and Achesinski scored a conventional three-point play to cut the margin to 27-25.  Lang again answered and Nolan scored to push the lead to 31-25.  After Achesinski scored again, Nolan hit her second straight field goal to make it 33-27.  Achesinski hit one of two from the line, but Beatty drove for a hoop with just two seconds left in the quarter as the Lady Tigers took a 35-28 lead into the final period.

In the fourth quarter, Butler went to a trapping full court defense and it paid dividends.  Sophomore Julie Figan dropped in a layup and a foul shot to push the lead back to ten just 31 seconds into the quarter.  Erica Miller hit a triple, but Lang answered to make it 40-31.  Miller scored again, but two free throws by Lang extended the lead back to nine at 42-33.  The Tornado then scored the next nine points to tie the game at 42.  Achesinski scored on a three-point play, Olivia Bresnahan hit one of two from the line, and Achesinski added another conventional three-point play to tie the game with 1:00 remaining.  After Lang made two more from the line, it was Achesinski again who scored and made the foul shot to put Butler ahead, 45-44, with 26.3 on the clock.  After an NA miss, Achesinski dropped in a pair of free throws to make it 47-44 with just 8.9 left in the quarter.  NA advanced the ball into the front court and called a time out.  On the inbounds play, Haas got open in the corner and drained a trey to tie the game as time ran out.  The teams went to overtime tied at 47-47.

Nolan gave NA a 49-47 lead early in the first overtime.  Bresnahan answered with a short banker to tie the game.  After Lang made one of two to give NA the lead, Achesinski scored to put Butler back on top, 51-50.  Bresnahan hit one of two from the line, but Beatty scored on a driving layup to tie the game with 15 seconds remaining.  As time was running out, Nolan intercepted a pass intended for Achesinski sending the game to a second overtime tied at 52-52.

Early in the second overtime, Achesinski hit a basket and yet another free throw to give the Tornado a 55-52 advantage.  Lang came back to score to cut the lead to one at 55-54.  After a Tiger miss, Achesinski went to the line again but made only one of two.  NA again had a chance to tie but the shot by Nolan fell off the rim.  With time running out, NA fouled Miller who made one of two.  Beatty then drove for a hoop with 8.6 left to cut the margin to 57-56.  On the inbounds pass, the Lady Tigers fouled Barry who also made only one of two.  With time running out, Beatty drove to the hoop but her shot bounced out.  Butler took home a  hard-earned 58-56 victory.

Statistically, the foul line was the difference.  The Tornado shot 38 foul shots while NA attempted 17.  Achesinski was 16 of 22 from the stripe.  NA forced 17 Butler turnovers but committed 23.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Jackie Lang as the Player of the Game.

The loss dropped the NA section record to 2-3, the overall mark to 7-6.  The Lady Tigers will travel to rival North Hills on Thursday night for a 7:30 pm section contest.

Box Score
Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
BUTLER - 58  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 56

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NEW CASTLE DROPS LADY TIGERS, 57-31

Box Score

The second-ranked New Castle Lady 'Canes proved to be too tough for the Lady Tigers at New Castle on Thursday night as NA was defeated, 57-31, in a Section 3 contest.  Sophomore Jackie Lang led NA with 10 points while all-WPIAL forward Jalessa Sams tallied 22 to pace New Castle.  Junior Ginny Thistle added nine points and junior Maria Nolan seven for NA.

New Castle took a 14-6 lead after one quarter and extended the margin to 30-12 at halftime.  The third quarter was a low scoring affair with NA actually outscoring the Lady 'Canes, 7-6, but New Castle still led, 36-19, after three periods of play.  In the fourth quarter, New Castle outscored the Lady Tigers, 21-12, to post the 57-31 victory.

With the loss, the NA section record fell to 2-2, the overall mark to 7-5.  New Castle won their 12th game without a loss, including five in section play.  The Lady Tigers will host Butler on Monday night in a section game at the Senior High gym.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NEW CASTLE - 57  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 31

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LADY TIGERS RALLY TO EDGE
CHARTIERS VALLEY, 47-46

Photo Gallery

The Lady Tigers stepped out of section play on Tuesday night and earned a 47-46 victory at Chartiers Valley.  NA had to come back for the victory as they trailed at halftime, 28-19.  Junior Maria Nolan scored 16 points for the winning Lady Tigers.  Kathy Bianco scored 13, Paige Aleski 12, and Mary Rodavich 12 for the Colts.

Chartiers Valley jumped off to a 16-11 lead after one quarter before extending the margin to 28-19 at the break.  The Lady Tigers used a strong third quarter to take the lead, 36-33, going into the final period.  The Colts cut the margin to one, but the Lady Tigers held on for the victory.

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved their overall record to 7-4 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will travel to #2 ranked New Castle tomorrow night for a section contest.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 47  CHARTIERS VALLEY - 46

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WPIAL GIRLS' BASKETBALL - 2006-07

The Lady Tigers will compete again in Class AAAA along with 28 other teams.  WPIAL girls' basketball section competition will begin on December 4-5, 2006 and must be completed according to the schedule.  In Quad A, four teams from each section will enter the WPIAL tournament.  The top four teams and ties for fourth place will enter the team tournament set to begin on February 16th.  If two teams tie for fourth place but one of the teams has won both head to head contests, that team will enter the tournament round.  Three way of 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 by broken, all will enter post-season play.

In Quad A, six teams will qualify for the PIAA tournament.  PIAA placement will be determined on a "Follow the winner" basis.

WPIAL GIRLS' BASKETBALL ALIGNMENT

CLASS AAAA - 29 Teams

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