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GAME SUMMARIES

NORTH HILLS SURPRISES TIGERS, 65-55

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Rival North Hills hit nine three-point baskets and led from start to finish as they upset the Tigers, 65-55, at the Senior High gym on Tuesday night.  Senior Nick Dvorsky scored 19 points to pace NA, but it was not enough as the Tiger four-game winning streak came to an end.

The Indians came out on fire as they drained three treys in the first 1:38 to take a 9-3 early lead.  Scott Zubik hit a triple just 32 seconds into the game and added another trey in next possession to give NH the lead for good.  After senior Jordan Baierl answered with a triple, Sean White came back with another three-point basket from the corner to make it 9-3.  Dvorsky drove for a hoop, but it was Zubik again with his third triple of the quarter to push the margin to 12-5.  Senior Stephane Batton got loose for a short banker, and senior Andy Blumer hit a trey from the corner to cut the margin to 12-10 with 4:23 remaining.  Jeff Witt got loose under the basket for a deuce, and D.J. Scott came off the NH bench to hit, what else, another trey to push the margin to 17-10.  Dvorsky's layup cut the lead to 17-12, but Timo Steffins dropped in a layup as time was running out as the Indians took a 19-12 advantage into the second quarter.

The Indians scored first in the second quarter to push the margin to 21-12, but senior Jeff Haus drove and scored and added a foul shot to cut the lead to six.  Senior Jeff Dassner followed with a long trey to make it a 21-18 game, but Witt got loose under the basket to restore a five-point margin.  The Indians' point guard, Cody Patton, came back with two quick baskets to push the lead to 27-18 with 4:05 remaining in the half.  The Tigers then rallied behind a fast break basket by Dvorsky, a triple by Blumer, and another trey by Dassner after an NA steal to bring the Tigers to within one at 27-26.  It was as close as the Tigers would get.  Scott answered with his second triple of the quarter, but Batton came back with a short jumper to cut the lead to 30-28.  Zubik added yet another three to give North Hills a 33-28 advantage at the intermission.

The Tigers came out cold in the second half scoring just one basket in the first four minutes.  White hit a jumper, but Haus drained a trey to make it a 35-31 game with 6:12 remaining in the period.  Witt answered with a layup and White drained a trey before Dvorsky dropped in a baseline jumper as the NH lead went to 40-33.  The Indians were not finished, however, Witt hit two more shots from under the basket and R.J. Miller added another deuce as the NH lead ballooned to 46-33 with 2:07 left.  After an NA time out, senior Ian Thomas drove for a basket, but White drained another trey to push the margin to 49-35.  Down the stretch, senior Damian Founds hit one of two from the line as did Haus.  Batton drove and scored as time was running out, but North Hills took a 49-39 lead into the fourth quarter.

Haus opened the fourth quarter scoring with one of two foul shots, but Zubik stole the ball and scored to push the margin to 51-40.  After Dvorsky stole the ball and scored on a layup, Witt had the answer on a putback to restore the 11-point margin.  Thomas followed with a steal and another layup, but Witt dropped in a layup and a foul shot to push the lead to 56-44 with 3:05 remaining.  Dvorsky's jumper cut the lead to ten, but Zubik added two quick hoops to end the NA hopes as the score went to 60-46 with just 1:44 on the fourth quarter clock.  Dvorsky came back with a pair of treys to cut the lead to 60-52, but Patton hit two free throws to extend the margin back to ten at 62-52 with 29.8 remaining in the game.  A foul shot by D.J. Scott and another hoop by White made it 65-52 before Dvorsky hit a long triple.  The Indians completed the upset as they went home with a 65-55 victory.

North Hills used an outstanding shooting night to post the victory.  The Indians hit on 26 of 48 (54.2%) from the field and 9 of 23 (39.1%) from beyond the arc.  NH was only 4 of 10 (40.0%) from the stripe, but their shooting from the floor led them to the win.  The Tigers made 21 of 52 (40.4%) and 9 of 27 (33.3%) from the field, but hit on just 4 of 14 three-point basket attempts in the second half.  From the line, NA was only 4 of 9 (44.4%).  The Indians scored 21 points on NA turnovers and outscored the Tigers, 30-22, in the paint.  The Tiger bench scored 16 to nine for the NH reserves but it was not enough.  For his individual efforts, particularly in the fourth quarter, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Nick Dvorsky as the Player of the Game.  The Tiger senior made 8 of 14 field goal attempts including 3 of 4 from three-point land.     

With the loss, the Tigers dropped to 4-2 in section play as four teams now share first place.  The overall NA record dropped to 8-4 on the season.  The Tigers will host Shaler in the second game of a girl/boy section doubleheader 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 7:45 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH HILLS - 65  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 55

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DVORSKY'S HOOP AT BUZZER BEATS
SENECA VALLEY, 50-49

Box Score

Senior guard Nick Dvorsky drove and hit a short jumper as time ran out to give the Tigers a 50-49 section victory at Seneca Valley on Friday night.  Dvorsky scored 19 points to pace NA while senior forward/guard Jeff Haus and senior forward Stephane Batton added 11 each.  C.J. Brown tallied 13 to lead the Raiders.

Seneca Valley jumped off to a 17-12 lead after one quarter and extended the margin to 23-19 at halftime.  After three quarters, the Raiders were still on top by a 37-32 score.  Early in the fourth quarter, the lead went to ten before the Tigers rallied to take a two-point lead with a minute to go.  After a time out, the Raiders held the ball until seven seconds remained when Dan Rohm hit a trey to put SV ahead, 49-48.  After an NA time out, Dvorsky dribbled across the middle, cut down the lane, and put in the winning basket at the buzzer.

Statistically, the Tigers shot well from the field making 21 of 50 (42.0%), but they made only 4 of 18 (22.2%) from beyond the arc.  From the line, the Tigers hit 4 of only 8 (50.0%) free throws.  The NA defense held Seneca Valley to 18 of 54 (33.3%) from the field along with 5 of 19 (26.3%) from three-point range.  The other stats were even with rebounds at 32 each, points in the paint favoring NA, 22-20, and bench points even at 7 each.  Individually, Haus pulled down eleven boards while Batton added nine. 

With the win, the Tigers took over first place in Section 3 with a 4-1 record with the overall mark improving to 8-3 on the season.  NA will host rival North Hills on Tuesday night at the Senior High gym as first half section action concludes.  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
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 50  SENECA VALLEY - 49

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TIGERS UPSET #3 CENTRAL CATHOLIC, 58-56

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Senior Jeff Haus scored 20 points to lead the Tigers to a 58-56 victory over Central Catholic in a section contest at the Senior High gym on Tuesday night.  Senior forward Stephane Batton added 16 and senior guard Nick Dvorsky 11 for the winning Tigers.  The Tigers held a 46-38 lead going into the final quarter and held off a furious Central rally to post the victory.

Both teams started quickly with Central's Daniel Schnelbach hitting a jumper just 51 seconds into the contest and Haus answering with a triple to put NA on top, 3-2,at the 1:19 mark.  The Vikings' Evan Tsudis came back with a baseline jumper and Dylan Layton added a hoop to give Central the lead back at 6-3.  Haus then hit a short jumper, but Liam Halferty drained the first of his five three-point baskets to put the Viings on top, 9-5.  Haus followed with two successful drives down the middle to tie the game at 9-9.  Halferty again hit a triple, but Haus drive again, scored and added a foul shot to tie the game at 12-12 with 4:34 left in the quarter.  After Ben Mickens dropped in a layup, Batton answered to tie the game at 14-14.  Dvorsky drove the middle and scored to give NA a brief lead before Halferty hit his third trey of the quarter to push the Vikings back ahead, 17-16.  Tsudis put back a rebound, but Haus came back with a layup with two seconds remaining as Central took a 19-18 lead after one period.  Haus scored 14 points for the Tigers in the opening period.

The Tigers outscored the Vikings, 17-7, in the second quarter to take a nine-point lead to the intermission.  Two fouls shots by senior Damian Founds gave NA the lead at 20-19 just 32 seconds into the quarter.  The Tigers would score the next 11 points to build a 31-19 advantage.  Batton stole the ball and scored with Haus following with another steal and layup to push the NA lead to 24-19.  Founds then drained a trey to extend the margin to 27-19 with 6:06 still left in the half.  Another layup by Batton and two free throws by sophomore guard Steve Ferringer pushed the Tiger lead to 31-19 with 3:41 left.  Tim Lackner finally stopped the NA run with a pair of foul shots, and Halferty hit another triple to cut the margin to 31-24 with 2:32 remaining.  Two foul shots by Dvorsky extended the margin back to nine before Schnelbach got loose on the baseline for a hoop.  With three seconds left, Batton dropped in a putback as NA took the 35-26 advantage to halftime.

The Vikings tried to rally in the third quarter, but NA had the answer each time.  Central scored the first six points of the period on a hoop by Halferty, another by Lucas Mickens, his first of the game, and two free throws by Schnelback that cut the NA lead to 35-32 just 1:43 into the quarter.  Batton came back with a layup, but Tsudis dropped a shot from under the hoop as the margin stayed at three.  Batton then scored on an out of bounds play, and Haus added another basket to push the lead to 41-34 with 3:32 left.  Tsudis scored again from under the hoop, but Batton got loose for a layup to make it a 43-36 game.  It was Tsudis again on a putback to cut the lead to five, but Dvorsky had the answer with a triple from the left corner to extend the margin to 46-38 with 46.9 left.  Lucas Mickens missed a pair of foul shots in the waning seconds as NA took the eight-point lead into the final period.

Lucas Mickens opened the fourth quarter scoring with a drive down the middle, but senior guard Andy Blumer drained a trey from the right corner to extend the margin to 49-40 with 6:45 left on the fourth quarter clock.  Mickens drove the middle, scored and added the free throw to cut the lead to six.  After Dvorsky hit a jumper, Halferty hit yet another triple to cut the lead to five at 51-46.  A fast break hoop by Tsudis was answered by another hoop by Dvorsky.  With NA up by five with 3:48 left, Central scored the next six points to take the lead.  Two foul shots by Mickens, a basket by Schnelbach, and a tip in by Tsudis put Central of top, 54-53, with 2:50 left in the game.  Haus came back with a layup to regain the lead for the Tigers, 55-54, with 1:53 left.  After Central failed to score, Batton made two crucial free throws to push the margin to 57-54 with 41.4 remaining.  Schnelbach came back with a short jumper from the right side to cut the lead to one with 23.9 remaining.  Founds was fouled with 13.2 left and made one of two to put NA up, 58-56.  The Vikings got the ball inside but missed the shot and the teams battled for the rebound with a held ball resulting.  With two seconds left, Central coach Chuck Crummie called a time out.  Lucas Mickens got the inbounds pass and sent a three-point attempt at the hoop that missed as time ran out.  The Tigers held on for the important 58-56 victory.

It was a good win for the Tigers over a quality opponent who came into the game ranked #1 by the MSA Sports Network and #3 by the Post-Gazette and the Tribune-Review.  From the field, the Tigers shot just well enough to win making 22 of 57 (38.6%) although they hit on only 4 of 15 (26.7%) from three-point range.  From the foul line, the Tigers converted on 10 of 12 (83.3%) including 3 of 4 in the last minute.  The Vikings hit on 22 of 50 (44.0%) from the field and 5 of 10 (50.0%) from beyond the arc.  From the foul line, however, Central was only 7 of 12 (58.3%).  Central outrebounded NA, 34-25, and outscored the Tigers, 32-28 in the paint.  The bench was key for the Tigers as they outscored Central, 25-6.  NA forced 16 turnovers to 15 by Central, but the Tigers made them pay off scoring 22 points to 12 off turnovers.  The North Allegheny Sports Network named Jeff Haus as the Player of the Game with 20 points scored on 9 of 12 from the field.  Haus also recorded 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals.

With the win, NA moved into first place in Section 3 with a 3-1 mark and improved their overall record to 7-3.  The Tigers will travel to Seneca Valley on Friday night to meet the Raiders in a 7:30 pm section game.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 58  CENTRAL CATHOLIC - 56

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TIGERS HOLD OFF SHALER, 43-40

Box Score

Senior Jeff Haus scored 18 points to lead the Tigers to a 43-40 section victory at Shaler on Saturday night.  Senior guards Nick Dvorsky and Andy Blumer added 10 points each for the winning Tigers.  NA trailed by two going into the final quarter, but rallied to take the lead and hold off the Titans for the victory.

Shaler took an early 12-9 lead after the first quarter and kept the advantage with a 22-20 lead at the intermission.  Both teams scored 13 points in the third quarter.  With the Tigers leading, 38-37, late in the game, senior guard Jeff Dassner drained a trey from the corner to push the margin to 41-37.  Down the stretch, the Tigers were able to maintain control of the ball and win the game.

Statistically, NA held the advantage in shooting.  The Tigers were 17 of 34 (50.0%) from the floor, along with 5 of 13 (38.5%) from beyond the arc.  From the line, however, the Tigers made only 4 of 9 (44.4%), including the front end of a one and one late in the game.  Shaler was able to make only 14 of 36 (38.9%) from the field and 2 of 8 (25.0%) from three-point land.  From the stripe, the Titans converted 10 of 13 (76.9%).  The turnovers were even (18-17) but the Tigers were able to score 29 points on Shaler mishaps to just 16 for the Titans.  The NA bench outscored SA, 13-4.

With the win, the Tigers improved their section record to 2-1, the overall mark to 6-3 on the season.  NA will host first-place Central Catholic on Tuesday night in a key contest 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.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 43  SHALER - 40

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TIGERS CAPTURE THIRD PLACE
AT McDOWELL TOURNAMENT

The Tigers overcame a four-point halftime deficit and defeated the North East Grapepickers, 71-63, in the consolation game of the First National Bank Holiday Tournament at McDowell High School on Saturday night.  Senior guard Andy Blumer scored 19 points to pace the Tigers to the victory.

North East used 20 ponts by Curtis Bailey to build the half time lead.  In the third quarter, the Tigers outscored the 'Pickers, 22-14, and held them off in the final period for the victory.  St. Edward edged host McDowell, 48-47, to win the tournament title.

With the win, the NA overall record improved to 5-3 on the season.  The Tigers will meet Shaler on Saturday night in a section contest postponed from earlier.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Shaler.

FIRST NATIONAL BANK HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
McDowell High School
Millcreek Township, PA

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ST. EDWARD STOPS TIGERS, 71-52, IN FIRST ROUND OF McDOWELL TOURNAMENT

The St. Edward Eagles from Lakewood, Ohio, defeated the Tigers, 71-52, in the first round of the First National Bank Holiday Tournament at Paul Goll Gymnasium at McDowell High School on Friday night.  Senior Nick Dvorsky scored 16 points to pace NA against a tall opponent.

Alhthough the Eagles were led by Jorgio Lacey's 17 points, it was the superior height of the Ohio team that gave NA the most trouble.  Led by 6-10 sophomore James Price and 6-7 junior Matt Stainbrook, the smaller Tigers had difficulty rebounding.

The Tigers will meet the North East Grapepickers (5-3) in the consolation game tonight.  North East was defeated by host McDowell, 64-32, in the other first round game.  Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm at Paul Goll Gymnasium.

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TIGERS HOLD OFF BUTLER, 51-36,
FOR FIRST SECTION WIN

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The Tigers built and early lead and went on to a 51-36 victory at Butler on Tuesday night.  Senior forward Stephane Batton and senior guard Nick Dvorsky tallied 15 points each to pace NA to their first section victory.

The Tigers went on a 9-2 opening run to take the lead for good.  After senior guard Jordan Baierl hit a jumper to open the scoring, Brian Jendesky drove for a layup to tie the game at 2-2.  A fast break hoop by Batton and a drive by Dvorsky pushed the lead to 6-2 with 5:41 left in the quarter.  After junior guard Damian Founds hit a straight away triple, Dvorsky was fouled on a putback attempt and made one of two as the lead went to 10-2.  Vinnie Schmidt dropped in a jumper, but Founds answered with a drive to the hoop to make it a 12-4 game.  Two quick baskets by Jeff Tompkins and Vinnie Schmidt cut the margin to 12-8 with 1:10 remaining.  Batton drove and scored, but Bobby Swartout got loose under the basket for a deuce to make it 14-10.  With 30 seocnds remaining, Founds drove for another basket to give the Tigers a 16-10 advantage after one quarter.

After Batton made one of two from the line early in the second quarter, Jendesky stole the ball and scored to cut the margin to 17-12 with 5:28 left.  Batton scored again to make it a 19-12 NA lead.  After Swartout dropped in a pair from the stripe, Dvorsky drained a trey from the corner to increase the margin to 22-14 with 3:36 still left in the half.  Two foul shots by Batton extended the lead to ten at 24-14 before steals by Vinnie Schmidt and Jendesky cut the lead to 24-18 with 1:58 left in the quarter.  Senior Jeff Haus answered with a drive to the hoop to extend the lead to 26-18.  After Jeff Tompkins scored for the Tornado, Batton stole the ball and scored to push the margin to 28-20 with 50 seconds remaining.  Neither team scored again as NA took an eight-point advantage to the intermission.

Early in the third quarter, Swartout converted on two more free throws to bring Butler to within six at 28-22.  Dvorsky scored on a layup with Jendesky hitting one of two from the line as the score went to 30-23.  After Dvorsky scored again, Cole Harvey hit a jumper as Butler continued to stay close at 32-25.  NA scored the next seven points, however, to extend the margin to 39-25, their biggest lead of the game.  One of two from the line by Haus along with field goals by Batton, Dvorsky, and senior guard Ian Thomas were key in the run.  Harvey scored on a put back to close out the scoring as the Tigers took a 39-27 lead into the final period.

With the 12-point lead, the Tigers slowed the pace in the fourth quarter.  Vinnie Schmidt scored just 23 seconds into the quarter, but a layup by Dvorsky restored the twelve-point margin at 41-29.  Two foul shots by Vinnie Schmidt and another by Logan Renwick brought the Tornado to within eight at 41-33 with 4:52 remaining.  It was as close as Butler would get.  Two free throws by Founds, another by Thomas and a hoop by Batton extended the lead to 46-33 with 2:02 left in the game.  Dvorsky drove, scored and added the free throw to push the margin to 49-33.  Harvey came back with a trey from the corner, but the game belonged to the Tigers.  Two more foul shots by Thomas finished the scoring as NA went on to a 51-36 victory.

It was a good win for the Tigers after losing two straight games by a total of five points.  The NA shooting improved as they made 19 of 39 (48.7%) from the field although they were only 2 of 11 (18.2%) from beyond the three-point line.  The Tigers struggled from the charity stripe converting on only 11 of 23 (47.8%) free throws.  The Tiger defense held Butler to just 4 of 14 from the field in the second half although the Tornado had a respectable 13 of 32 (40.6%) for the game.  From three-point land, Butler made only 1 of 9 (11.1%).  The Tornado hit 9 of 13 (69.2%) from the line.  NA forced 25 Butler turnovers and scored 16 points from the miscues.  NA outrebounded Butler, 23-16, and outscored the Tornado 34-20 in the paint.  Individually, Batton had six rebounds and six steals to go with his 15 points and earned Stephane Batton the Player of the Game from the North Allegheny Sports Network. 

With the win, the Tigers are now 1-1 in section, 4-2 overall.  NA will travel to Erie on Friday where they will meet St. Edward (OH) in the first round of the McDowell Holiday Tournament.  Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

Photo Gallery
Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 51  BUTLER - 36

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NEW CASTLE EDGES NA, 59-58, AT BUZZER

The Tigers dropped their second game in two nights as New Castle defeated NA, 59-58, on a last second shot at the buzzer at New Castle on Wednesday night.  Senior forward Stephane Batton led the Tigers with 19 points while senior guard Nick Dvorsky added 14.  Senior forward Jeff Haus tallied nine points for NA.

The Tigers took a 15-11 lead after the first quarter and built the margin to 33-25 at halftime.  After three quarters, NA still held a 46-39 advantage.  The 'Canes rallied, however, to outscore NA, 20-12, in the final stanza with Tonio Fulena hitting the winning shot to give New Castle the victory.

Once again, the Tigers struggled from the field making only 18 of 47 (38.3%) and just 4 for 13 from three-point range.  At the foul line, the Tigers were 18 of 29 (62.1%) although Batton converted 13 of 17.  New Castle shot well from the field making 23 of 48 (47.9%) but just 2 of 16 (12.5%) from beyond the arc.  At the foul line the 'Canes were 11 for 18 (61.1%).  NA made good use of offensive rebounds outscoring NC, 18-5 on second chance points.  Once again, the opponents' bench hurt the Tigers as the Red Hurricane reserves outscored NA, 26-10.  Individually, Haus recorded nine rebounds and four steals while Batton posted 8 rebounds and a pair of steals.

With the loss, the NA overall record fell to 3-2 in the early season.  The Tigers will travel to Butler on Tuesday night as section play resumes.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:45 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NEW CASTLE - 59  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 58

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PINE-RICHLAND RALLIES TO UPSET TIGERS, 58-54

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The Pine-Richland Rams outscored the Tigers, 18-9, in the fourth quarter to post a 58-54 victory over NA at the Senior High on Tuesday night in the section opener.  Senior guard Jordan Baierl and senior forward Jeff Haus both recorded 14 points to pace the Tigers.  Senior guard Nick Dvorsky added 12 points but it was not enough as NA lost for the first time.

Baierl got the Tigers off and running with a three just 35 seconds into the contest, but R.J. White answered with a pair of hoops to give the Rams a 4-3 lead.  Dvorsky drove for a basket to put NA back on top, but again the Rams answered with a deuce by Tommy Johnson and a foul shot by White to take a 7-5 lead with 4:42 left in the period.  Junior Ryan Besonson tied the game on a layup, but Johnson scored again from under the basket to make it 9-7.  After Batton tied the game on a short banker, foul shots by Haus and Baierl gave NA an 11-9 advantage with 1:55 remaining.  White drove for a hoop to tie the score, but Baierl drained another trey to give the Tigers a 14-11 lead with just 21.7 left.  The Rams' Erik Kordenbrock was able to score just before the buzzer, but NA took a 14-13 lead after the first quarter.

Two free throws by Haus and another by senior guard Andy Blumer pushed the margin to 17-13, but the Rams had the answer as they would throughout the game.  After Eric Holmes scored to cut the lead to two, freshman Andy Andrie came off the Ram bench to drain a trey and give P-R an 18-17 lead.  Baierl answered with his third trey of the game to regain the lead for NA at 20-18.  After a steal, Baierl scored on a layup to push the margin to 22-18 with 4:20 left in the half.  White came back with a hoop on a drive, and Dvorsky dropped in one of two from the line as the Tigers took a 23-20 lead.  A three by Haus made it 26-20 before Andrie made two from the line.  A triple by senior guard Damian Founds gave NA its biggest lead of the game at 29-22 with 1:48 remaining.  The Rams came back, however, to outscore the Tigers, 9-1, to take the lead at halftime.  A hoop by Johnson and a triple by Holmes cut the lead to 29-27.  After Hennessy drove the lane to tie the score, Haus made one of two from the stripe to give NA a 30-29 lead with 13.8 seconds left.  It was Johnson again, this time on a putback, scoring to give the Rams a 31-30 lead at the intermission.

The Tigers came out strong at the beginning of the third quarter to regain the lead.  Haus scored just fifteen seconds into the half, Dvorsky drove across the lane for a hoop, and Haus added a putback to give NA a 36-31 advantage.  A triple by White cut the lead to 36-34, but Batton answered from under the basket to make it a 38-34 game.  After Johnson added a hoop to cut it to two, Holmes stole the ball and scored on a layup to tie the game at 38-38 with 4:15 remaining.  Founds hit his second trey of the game to restore a three-point NA lead at 41-38.  After Dvorsky drove for another basket, White was able to drive to cut the lead to 43-40.  Baierl added a deuce with 1:25 left as the Tigers took a 45-40 lead into the final period.

The Rams took advantage of some cold NA shooting early in the fourth quarter to put together a 9-2 run and take control of the game.  Andrie started with a triple just 15 seconds in to cut the margin to 45-42, and Johnson hit one of two from the line to reduce the lead to one.  Haus scored on a tip in to push the lead to 47-44, but the Rams would score the next six points.  A layup by White and Andrie's third trey of the game put the Rams on top, 49-47.  After a free throw by White, Haus made one of two from the line to cut the lead to 50-48 with 3:31 still remaining.  A foul shot by Holmes and two more by Johnson pushed the margin to 53-48 with 1:39 left as the Tigers continued to misfire from the field.  Dvorsky converted two free throws after being fouled on a drive, but Johnson came back with a short banker to extend the margin back to five, 55-50, with 1:10 left.  Dvorsky drove the lane again to cut the lead to three with 54.8 seconds left.  The Tiger press came up with a steal, but NA was unable to convert missing two shots from under the basket.  After an NA time out, the Tigers were forced to foul and Holmes hit them both to make it a 57-52 game with just 19.2 remaining.  It was Dvorsky again with another hoop with 5.3 left to cut the lead to 57-54.  After a final Tiger time out, White was fouled on the inbounds pass.  The Ram senior made one of two as Pine-Richland held on to upset the #2 ranked Tigers, 58-54.

The Tigers had trouble from the floor making only 19 of 65 (29.2%).  In addition, NA was only 6 of 27 (22.2%) from beyond the arc, including just one of eleven in the second half.  At the foul line, the Tigers were 10 of 19 (52.6%).  The Rams, however, shot well making 21 of 41 (51.2%) from the field and 5 of 14 (35.7%) three point attempts.  At the line, P-R hit on 11 of 19 (57.9%).  The Rams outrebounded the Tigers, 34-30, and outscored NA, 30-24, in the paint.  A key factor was in points scored by bench players.  In an element of the game that has favored the Tigers, it was the Ram bench outscoring the NA bench, 11-3.

It was a tough loss for the Tigers in the section opener after opening with three straight non-section wins.  NA was averaging 70.0 points per game coming into the contest but were held to just 54 by the P-R zone defense.  For his efforts, particularly in helping NA to an early lead, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Jordan Baierl as the Player of the Game.  The loss dropped the NA section record to 0-1, the overall mark to 3-1 on the season.  The Tigers will travel to New Castle tonight to meet the 'Canes in a 7:30 pm non-section contest.

Box Score
Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
PINE-RICHLAND - 58  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 54

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TIGERS REMAIN UNBEATEN WITH 70-58
VICTORY AT MT. LEBANON

Senior guard Nick Dvorsky scored 24 points to lead the Tigers to their third victory without a loss as NA downed Mt. Lebanon, 70-58, on the road on Tuesday night.  Senior forward Jeff Haus added 13 points for the winning Tigers.  Evan Pierce had 33 in a losing effort for Lebo.

The Tigers took a 20-14 lead after one quarter and extended the margin to 41-29 at halftime.  The Blue Devils trimmed two off the lead, but the Tigers still led by ten, 53-43, after three quarters.  The fourth quarter saw NA outscore Lebo, 17-15, to insure the victory.

With the win, the Tigers improved their non-section record to 3-0 as they prepared for the section opener later in the week.  NA will travel to Shaler on Friday night to meet the Titans as section play begins.  The starting time is set for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 70  MT. LEBANON - 58

* * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS RALLY TO DOWN STATE COLLEGE,
83-80, IN OVERTIME

Senior Andy Blumer led an NA rally that saw the Tigers come back from nine points down to defeat State College, 83-80, in overtime to win the Skip Coleman Tip Off Tournament at State College HS.  Senior forward Stephane Batton led NA with 19 points while Blumer added 17, including eight in the overtime period.

With the win, the Tigers improved their early season record to 2-0.  NA will travel to Mt. Lebanon on Tuesday night to meet the Blue Devils in a 7:30 pm non-section contest.  The game will be the Comcast High School Game of the Week and may be viewed the next day on Video On Demand.  The Tigers will open section play on Friday night at Shaler.

FRIDAY RECAP

The Tigers overcame a 21-20 halftime deficit with an 18-6 run in the third quarter on their way to a 57-47 victory over Hazleton in the first round of the Skip Coleman Tip Off Tournament at State College High School on Friday night.  Senior guard Nick Dvorsky scored 18 points to lead the winning Tigers.

SKIP COLEMAN TIP OFF TOURNAMENT
State College High School
December 5-6, 2008

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