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BRENNAN SELECTED TO
ALL-SECTION TEAM

Sophomore guard Kelly Brennan was named to the WPIAL Class AAAA Section 3 All-Section team by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Brennan scored 11.0 points per game in helping lead the Lady Tigers to the WPIAL playoffs.

CONGRATULATIONS, KELLY!!!

(NOTE: All-section teams were selected by the section coaches)

WPIAL CLASS AAAA
SECTION 3 ALL-SECTION TEAM

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BALDWIN BREAKS FOURTH QUARTER TIE
TO DOWN LADY TIGERS, 56-51

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

The Lady Tigers gave a strong effort in the first round of the WPIAL Quad A playoffs against Baldwin at Fox Chapel on Saturday afternoon, but the Highlanders used a big third quarter and held off a late NA rally to pull out a 56-51 victory.  Freshman guard Alexis Aiken scored 15 points, all in the second half, to pace NA with sophomore guard Kelly Brennan adding 13.  Belma Nurkic led Baldwin with a game high 26 points.

The Lady Tigers started quickly as senior guard Julie Figan drained a trey to five NA a 3-0 lead at the 1:58 mark of the game.  The Highlanders' Chelsea Gazzam answered with a pair of foul shots to make it a 3-2 game.  After Figan made one of two from the line, Gazaam answered with one free throw.  Figan came back with her second triple of the game, and senior forward Andrea Elmore came off the bench to hit a baseline jumper to push the margin to 9-3.  After Nurkic dropped in two from the line, junior guard Alysia Libby came in to make a free throw to make it a 10-5 NA lead with 3:32 remaining in the quarter.  Nurkic answered with her first hoop of the game to cut the lead to three.  Brennan extended the margin to 13-7 with a triple with just 22 seconds left as NA took a six-point lead into the second quarter.

Baldwin scored the first nine points of the second quarter to take a 16-13 lead.  A basket by Taylor Wentzel, another by Samantha Walsh, a putback by Chelsea Gazzam, and a triple by Amanda Szymanski keyed the run.  Elmore finally broke the run with a hoop with just 2:17 remaining to cut the margin to 16-15.  Elmore followed with one of two from the stripe to tie the game, and Figan hit two more from the line to give NA an 18-16 lead.  Chelsea Gazzam's basket as time ran out tied the game at 18-18 as the teams went to the intermission.  Nurkic was held to just four points in the first half.

The scoring picked up in the third quarter.  After sophomore forward Zoe Calabrese gave NA a 20-18 lead, two foul shots by Nurkic tied the game again.  Aiken dropped in a pair from the line for her first points of the game as the Lady Tigers again took a two-point lead.  Nurkic came back with a conventional three-point lead to push Baldwin back ahead at 23-22.  Brennan answered with a three-point play of her own to give NA a 25-23 advantage.  Walsh then hit a triple, and Lauren Gazzam made two from the line to push the Highlanders back ahead at 28-25.  After Nurkic drove for a basket, Aiken scored on a putback and added the foul shot to cut the margin to two with 2:38 remaining in the quarter.  Dana Kozel came off the Baldwin bench to add a layup, but Brennan answered to keep the margin at two at 32-30.  Kozel then hit a trey, and Nurkic drove for a layup as time expired in the period.  Baldwin took a 37-30 lead into the final quarter.

After Nurkic opened the fourth quarter scoring with a layup to give Baldwin their biggest lead of the game at 39-30, the Lady Tigers rallied behind the play of Aiken.  The Tiger freshman scored on a putback, but Chelsea Gazzam answered with a layup.  Brennan then drained a trey to cut the lead to 41-35.  Aiken followed with two foul shots and a hoop to make it a two point game.  Elmore's two foul shots completed the comeback as NA tied the game at 41-41 with 4:01 left in the game.  After a Baldwin time out, Nurkic took over.  The Highlander sophomore drove, scored and made the foul shot to put Baldwin back ahead, 44-41.  Nurkic then hit three straight hoops, two on layups, to extend the margin to 50-41 before Aiken came back with a driving layup.  Calabrese made one of two from the line to cut the lead to five at 50-45, but Nurkic hit two from the line and Walsh added another to make it 53-45 with 42.3 seconds left.  A putback by Calabrese cut the lead to six, but Walsh made two more free throws to extend the margin to 55-47 with 28 seconds left.  A putback by Brennan made it a six-point game but time was running out on the Lady Tigers.  After Szymanski hit one of two from the line, Aiken drove for a final NA score, but Baldwin held on for the 56-51 victory.

Once again, the Lady Tigers did not shoot well making just 16 of 50 (32.0%) from the field and only 4 of 21 (19.0%) from three point land.  From the foul line, the Lady Tigers again were consistent with 15 of 21 (71.4%).  Baldwin was not much better with 18 of 52 (34.6%) from the field and only 3 of 15 (20.0%) from beyond the arc.  From the foul line, the Highlanders made 17 of 22 (77.3%).  Turnovers were key in the game with NA committing 20 to ten for Baldwin.  NA dominated on the boards with 42 rebounds to 21 for Baldwin.  Calabrese pulled down eleven boards and Aiken 10.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Alexis Aiken as the Player of the Game.

The loss ended the Lady Tigers' season as they finished with a final record of 13-10.  With a nucleus of young players returning, Coach Sherry McConnell should present a very competitive squad for the 2009-2010 season.  Baldwin will advance to the quarterfinals to be played next weekend.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
BALDWIN - 56  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 51

WPIAL CLASS AAAA PLAYOFFS

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AMBRIDGE TOPS LADY TIGERS, 50-46

Box Score

The Lady Tigers traveled to Ambridge on Monday night to meet the Bridgers in the regular season finale.  Ambridge edged NA, 50-46, as both teams prepared for the upcoming WPIAL playoffs.  Senior guard Julie Figan scored 13 points to pace NA.

After Ambridge took a 10-9 lead after one quarter, the Lady Tigers stormed back to gain a 26-21 advantage at halftime.  A strong third quarter gave the Bridgers a 36-31 lead, after three quarters.  NA was able to outscore Ambridge, 15-14, in the final period, but the Bridgers held on for the four-point victory.

Statistically, poor shooting from the field  hurt NA as they made only 12 of 52 (23.1%) from the field and just 5 of 23 (21.7%) from beyond the arc.  A strong showing at the line saw the Lady Tigers drop in 17 of 20 (85.0%).  The Bridgers hit on 21 from 59 from the field (35.6%) while missing all seven three-point attempts.  At the line, Ambridge made only 8 of 20 (40.0%).  Ambridge posted a huge advantage on the boards pulling down 49 rebounds to 24 for NA.   Individually, freshman guard Alexis Aiken and sophomore forward Zoe Calabrese both recorded three blocks in the game.

With the loss, the final NA regular season record finished at 13-9.  The Lady Tigers will enter the WPIAL Quad A tournament as the second place team from Section 3.  The WPIAL Basketball Committee will meet tonight to announce the pairings.  The MSA Sports Network will broadcast the pairings show live on the internet.

Click here to listen to the WPIAL pairings show at 7:00 pm!

GAME SUMMARY
AMBRIDGE - 50  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 46

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LADY TIGERS TOP NORTH HILLS, 63-41, TO FINISH SECOND IN SECTION

Box Score

Senior guard Julie Figan dropped in five three-point baskets to lead the Lady Tigers to a 63-41 victory over rival North Hills at the North Hills Junior High gym on Thursday night.  Figan finished with 18 points while sophomore guard Kelly Brennan led with 19 and freshman guard Alexis Aiken added 14 for the winning Lady Tigers.

The Lady Tigers jumped off to a 16-10 lead after one quarter and extended the margin to 32-23 at halftime.  NA put the game away in the third quarter with a 23-9 advantage that pushed the score to 55-32.   In the fourth quarter, NH outscored NA, 9-8, but the Lady Tigers took home the easy 22-point victory.

Statistically, it was all NA as the Lady Tigers made 23 of 58 (39.7%) from the floor to just 14 of 48 (29.2%) for the Indians.  From three-point land, NA was 7 for 21 (33.3%) while NH was 4 for 10 (40.0%).  From the foul line, the Lady Tigers converted 10 of 15 (66.7%) while North Hills made only 9 of 20 (40.0%).  The Lady Tigers outscored NH, 22-16 in the paint.  Individually, Figan made 6 of 10 from the floor including 5 of 7 from three-point range.  Sophomore Zoe Calabrese did not score but did pull down ten rebounds to lead NA in that category.

With the win, NA finished in second place in Section 3 with a 9-3 record while the overall mark improved to 13-8.  The Lady Tigers will finish regular season play on Monday with a trip to Ambridge to meet the Bridgers in a 6:30 pm non-section contest.  There will NOT be a JV game on Monday night.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 63  NORTH HILLS - 41

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ELMORE LEADS LADY TIGERS OVER SENECA VALLEY, 79-56, ON SENIOR NIGHT

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

Senior forward Andrea Elmore scored a career high 21 points to lead the Lady Tigers to a convincing 79-56 victory over Seneca Valley on Senior Night on Monday night at the Senior High gym.  Freshman guard Alexis Aiken scored 18, sophomore forward Zoe Calabrese 12, and junior guard Alysia Libby 10 for the winning Lady Tigers.

The Lady Tigers jumped off to a quick 5-0 lead thanks to a pair of free throws by senior guard Julie Figan, a foul shot by junior forward Chandler Caufield, and a short jumper by Calabrese.  Seneca answered with a triple by Aly Eagle to cut the lead to 5-3 with 5:20 still left in the quarter.  Elmore hit her first trey of the game from the corner to push the margin to 8-3, but a basket by Catherine Messmer and a driving layup by Alyssa Miller cut the lead to 8-7.  After Aiken hit a three, Messmer converted a foul shot to complete a conventional three-point play to make it an 11-10 game with 2:42 left in the quarter.  Another short jumper in the paint by Calabrese, two foul shots by Figan, one of two from the line by Aiken, and a fast break layup by Calabrese extended the margin to 18-10.  After Miller scored for the Raiders with 1:15 left, NA scored the last nine points of the quarter to take control of the game.  A triple by Aiken, another three by Caufield, and Aiken's third trey of the quarter gave the Lady Tigers a commanding 27-12 advantage after one quarter of play.

In the second quarter, the Lady Tigers kept up the defensive pressure and continued to score outscoring the Raiders, 18-6.  NA scored the first eleven points of the period completing a 20-0 run.  Elmore opened with a layup, Aiken added a foul shot, and Elmore hit another triple from the corner to make it a 33-12 game.  Two free throws by Calabrese and another by Elmore pushed the margin to 38-12.  After Kara Moyer stopped the run with a foul shot, Elmore drove for another hoop to make it 40-13.  A foul shot by Miller, a hoop by Gabby Allen, and a foul shot by Alex Karika, cut the margin to 40-17.  After Elmore drained her third trey of the game, Julia Vandrak made one of two from the line as the score went to 43-18.  Elmore's basket with eight seconds left finished the first half scoring as the Lady Tigers took a 45-18 lead to the intermission.

Seneca Valley regrouped at halftime and played much better in the third quarter.  After Karika scored from under the basket, Elmore picked up where she left off with another three from the corner to make it 48-20.  A foul shot by Messmer and a putback by Karika were answered by baskets from Calabrese and Aiken to make it a 52-25 game.  Seneca scored the next seven points as Karika scored on another putback and Eagle hit a layup and a triple to cut the lead to 52-32.  After Aiken made one of two foul shots, Karika scored two more baskets from in close before Libby drove for a hoop as the score went to 55-36.  A steal and layup by Eagle closed out the third quarter scoring with NA on top, 55-38.

Sophomore Kelly Brennan opened the fourth quarter scoring with a layup, but Karika answered to make it 57-40.  NA scored the next eight points as Aiken hit a pair from the line, Caufield drained her second trey of the game, and Figan hit a triple.  A layup by Elmore finished the run as the score went to 65-40.  After Eagle made two from the line, Aiken answered with two foul shots to make it 67-42.  Miller's layup cut the margin to 67-44, but Libby answered with a pair from the stripe.  Senior guard Dawn Murphy followed with a basket, but Miller scored five straight points and Eagle hit another triple to make it 71-52.  Libby came back with a basket and two foul shots with Miller making two from the line as the score went to 77-54 with 56.9 remaining in the game.  After Libby hit another hoop, Paige Tretter scored for the Raiders as the final score finished at 79-56.

Statistically, the Lady Tigers shot well from the field making 26 of 53 (49.1%) from the field and 10 for 26 (38.5%) from beyond the arc.  From the foul line, NA converted on 17 of 25 (68.0%).  Seneca Valley hit on 21 of 43 (48.8%) but only 3 of 12 (25.0%) from three-point land.  In addition, the Raiders were only 11 of 20 (55.0%) from the foul line.  It was a physical game with 35 fouls called and a total of 45 free throws attempted.  Key stats favoring NA included a 29-11 edge in points off turnovers and a 15-6 advantage in second chance points.  The Lady Tiger bench outscored SV, 34-6, in the victory.  Individually, senior Andrea Elmore was 8 of 10 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point land earning her the Player of the Game from the North Allegheny Sports Network.  Aiken had seven rebounds and Brennan four steals to lead in their respective categories.

It was a big win for NA as they improved to 8-3 in section play to remain in second place.  The overall mark went to 12-8 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will close out section play on Thursday night when they visit rival North Hills for a 7:30 pm contest.

Box Score
Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 79  SENECA VALLEY - 56

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LADY TIGERS NEED OVERTIME TO
FINISH OFF MOON, 73-65

Box Score

Sophomore guard Kelly Brennan poured in 27 points to lead the Lady Tigers to a 73-65 overtime victory at Moon on Thursday night.  Senior guard Julie Figan added 17 and freshman guard Alexis Aiken added 13 for the winning Lady Tigers.

The game was close throughout with the teams tied at 16-16 after one quarter.  At haltime, NA took a one-point lead at 36-35.  In the third quarter, the Lady Tigers outscored the Moon Tigers, 17-16, to take a 53-51 lead into the final period.  Moon was able to gain a 12-10 advantage in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.  In the extra period, the Lady Tigers prevailed, 10-2, to take the important section victory.

Statistically, Moon shot well from the field making 25 of 59 (42.4%) along with 6 of 14 (42.9%) from three-point range.  From the foul line, the Moon Tigers were only 9 of 18 (50.0%).  NA made 24 of 63 (38.1%) from the field and 5 of 16 (31.3%) from beyond the arc.  At the foul line, the Lady Tigers converted on 20 of 30 as Moon committed 20 personal fouls in the game.  Brennan made 10 of 11 from the line.  The NA defense forced 15 Moon turnovers while committing only seven.  NA outscored Moon, 26-16, in the paint.

With the win, NA improved to 7-3 in section play, 11-8 overall.  The Lady Tigers have already clinced a playoff spot and continue in second place in the section standings.  The Lady Tigers will host Seneca Valley on Monday night at the Senior High gym in a 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 7:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 73  MOON - 65

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BUTLER TOPS LADY TIGERS,
70-49

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

Butler clinched the section title with a 70-49 victory over the Lady Tigers at the Senior High gym on Monday night.  Freshman guard Alexis Aiken scored 11 points while senior guard Julie Figan and junior guard Alysia Libby added ten each for NA.  Junior Olivia Bresnahan recorded a game high 32 points to pace Butler.

Butler started quickly building a 9-0 lead before NA got on the board.  Jenna Manuel scored a pair of baskets on layups and added two foul shots while Bresnahan added a layup and Casey Fleeger a triple during the run.  NA finally scored with 30 seconds remaining when senior forward Andrea Elmore dropped in a layup shot.  The Golden Tornado led, 11-2, after one quarter of play.

Aiken drove for a layup early in the second quarter to cut the lead to 11-4.  After Cassie Cygan made one of two from the line, free throws by sophomore Zoe Calabrese and Aiken cut the margin to 12-6.  Butler then scored nine straight points with Cygan, Bresnahan, and Katresa Savisky doing most of the damage.  Aiken came back with a driving layup and Figan hit her first hoop of the game with 3:24 remaining in the half as NA cut the lead to 23-10.  After Savisky scored again, Figan dropped in a pair of free throws to make it a 25-12 game.  Bresnahan then drove for a basket, but a foul shot by sophomore guard Kelly Brennan and two more by Libby cut the margin to 27-15.  Cygan answered with a layup, but Libby stole and ball and scored on another layup to make it 29-17.  After Cygan scored again on a layup, Calabrese beat the buzzer with a short jumper as time ran out in the first half.  Butler took a 31-19 advantage to the intermission.

After Manuel opened the second half scoring with a layup, Brennan drove for a layup to cut the lead to 33-21.  Two foul shots by Amanda Dymun along with two more by Bresnahan made it a 37-21 Tornado lead.  Senior Dawn Murphy drove the right side and scored , but Bresnahan came back with a drive to the hoop to make it 39-23.  Aiken hit a short jumper in the paint, but Butler scored the next five points on a conventional three-point play by Bresnahan and two more free throws by the Butler junior.  With NA trailing, 44-25, Murphy hit one of two from the line and Aiken added two more to cut the lead to 44-28 with 1:59 remaining in the quarter.  After Elmore got loose under the basket for a layup, Bresnahan finished the third quarter scoring with a pair of foul shots as Butler took a commanding 46-30 lead into the final period.

After Elmore made one of two foul shots, Bresnahan answered with another driving layup to make it 48-31.  Figan came back with a long triple, but Manuel dropped in a pair from the line as the score went to 50-34.  Brennan hit two from the line, but two foul shots by Bresnahan and another by Manuel pushed the lad to 53-36 with 5:49 left in the game.  After a layup by Aiken, a put back by Manuel and another short banker by Bresnahan extended the margin to 59-38.  Figan came back with her second trey of the game, but Bresnahan answered to push the margin back to twenty at 61-41.  After Manuel scored, Libby drained a trey to make it a 63-44 game with 2:30 remaining.  A hoop by Elmore and a driving basket and foul shot by Libby cut the margin to 63-49.  The Tornado scored the last seven points of the game to complete a convincing 70-49 victory.

The Lady Tigers did not shoot well in the loss making only 16 of 56 (28.6%) from the field and just 3 of 19 (15.8%) from beyond the arc.  From the foul line, NA was 14 of 21 (66.7%).  The Tornado hit on 22 of 57 (38.6%) from the field but only one of nine (11.1%) from three-point land.  From the foul line, the Tornado made 25 of 28 (89.3%), including 14 of 15 by Bresnahan.  Butler had a 32-20 advantage in the paint and scored 18 points off 19 NA turnovers.  Alysia Libby came off the bench to make 3 of 6 from the field and three of three from the line.  Libby added three rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot and was named the NA Player of the Game by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

With the win, Butler clinched the section title as they improved their section record to 10-0, the overall mark to 16-1.  NA fell to 6-3 in section, 10-8 overall.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Moon on Thursday for a 7:30 pm section contest.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
BUTLER - 70  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 49

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LADY TIGERS TOP ALTOONA, 61-50

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

The Lady Tigers took the lead, 13-10, after the first quarter and never trailed as they went on to a 61-50 non-section victory over Altoona at the Senior High gym on Thursday night.  Senior guard Julie Figan led the way with 15 points while sophomore forward Zoe Calabrese added 14 and freshman guard Alexis Aiken 12 for the winning Lady Tigers.

Altoona took the early lead behind eight points from Marrysa Moyer from under the basket.  Sophomore forward Chandler Caufield led an NA rally with six points on a drive, a putback and a layup.  Figan drained a trey to put the Lady Tigers ahead for the first time at 11-10 with 38 seconds remaining.  After Caufield's layup, NA took a 13-10 advantage into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, NA used driving layups to extend the margin as Figan, Aiken and Calabrese all got free for layups.  Sophomore Kelly Brennan hit a triple and added a foul shot as the Lady Tigers extended the margin to 29-18 with 2:00 left in the half.  Hoops by Jessica Knott and Lysa Mealing cut the margin to 29-22 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Lady Tigers outscored the Mountain Lions, 19-10, to further extend the lead.  Aiken hit a three and was four for four from the lilne while junior guard Alysia Libby came off the bench to drop in two rebound putbacks during the run.  NA took a 48-32 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Altoona made several runs during the final period but were able to get no close that nine points at 59-50 with 59 seconds left.  Paige Robertson did most of the damage with a pair of threes and nine total points in the quarter.  For NA, Calabrese hit a layup and added four for four from the line.  The Lady Tigers were able to hold off the Mountain Lion rally and prevailed by a 61-50 final score.

Statiscally, NA made 21 of 57 from the floor (36.8%) but only 4 of 19 (21.1%) from beyond the arc.  At the line, the Lady Tigers converted on 15 of 20 (75.0%).  Altoona hit on 20 of 58 (34.5%) but just 4 of 21 (19.0%) from three-point land.  From the foul line, the visitors made 6 of 11 (54.5%).  The Lady Tigers outrebounded Altoona, 37-32, and were able to convert offensive rebounds by outscoring the Mountain Lions, 16-5, on second chance points.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Julie Figan as the Player of the game.  In addition to her 15 points, Figan pulled down six rebounds and had four steals in the game.

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved their overall record to 10-7 on the season.  NA will host Butler on Monday night in a key 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.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 61  ALTOONA - 50

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BRENNAN LEADS LADY TIGERS OVER
PINE-RICHLAND, 65-55

Box Score

Sophomore guard Kelly Brennan scored 26 points, including 10 for 10 from the foul line, to pace the Lady Tigers to a 65-55 section victory at Pine-Richland on Monday night.  Senior guard Julie Figan added 17 points as NA broke at two-game losing streak.  Senior guard Dawn Murphy scored eight points including two of three from beyond the arc.

The Lady Tigers took a 17-14 lead after one quarter and extended the margin to 29-20 at halftime.  In the third quarter, NA outscored the Rams, 21-17, to take a 50-37 advantage into the final period.  Although the Rams were able to outscore the Tigers, 18-15, in the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers prevailed with the ten-point victory.

Good shooting was the key to the win for the Lady Tigers as they made 19 of 44 (43.2%) from the field and 11 for 23 (47.8%) from three-point range.  In addition, NA converted on 16 of 18 (88.9%) from the foul line.  The Rams countered with 21 of 51 (41.2%) from the field but only 1 of 11 (9.1%) from beyond the arc.  From the foul line, P-R made only 12 of 24 (50.0%).  A key stat was points in the paint where NA outscored P-R, 36-12.  Brennan made 6 of 13 from the field, including four for nine three-point attempts, and also added four steals.

With the win, NA moved into second place in Section 3 with a 6-2 record with the overall mark improving to 9-7.  The Lady Tigers will host Altoona in a non-section game on Thursday 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
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 65  PINE-RICHLAND - 55

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NORWIN TOPS LADY TIGERS, 69-62

Box Score

The Norwin Lady Knights were too much for the visiting Lady Tigers on Saturday night as the host team defeated NA, 69-62.  Senior guard Julie Figan led NA with 17 points while sophomore guard Kelly Brennan and freshman guard Alexis Aiken scored 11 each.

The Lady Tigers got off to a good start as they took a 23-21 lead after one quarter of play.  Norwin came back to lead at halftime, 37-36 despite 11 first-half points from Figan.  The Lady Knights still held the one-point lead going into the fourth quarter and outscored NA, 19-13, to earn to the seven-point victory.

The Lady Tigers made 22 of 60 (36.7%) from the field and shot well from beyond the arc making 11 of 28 (39.3%).  From the foul line, NA was perfect converting on 7 of 7.  Norwin was called for just 6 personal fouls for the entire game.  Norwin made 27 of 62 (43.5%) from the field and 5 of 13 (38.5%) from three-point land.  From the foul line, the Lady Knights were 10 of 19 (52.6%).  NA outrebounded Norwin, 34-29, but had 17 turnovers to just nine for the Lady Knights. 

With the loss, the overall NA record fell to 8-7 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Pine-Richland tomorrow night to meet the Lady Rams in a section contest.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORWIN - 69  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 62

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SHALER OUTSCORES LADY TIGERS, 75-51

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

The Shaler Area Titans avenged an earlier loss to NA with a 75-51 victory over the Lady Tigers at the Senior High gym on Friday night.  Freshman guard Alexis Aiken score 14 and sophomore forward Zoe Calabrese 11 to pace NA.  The loss ended a three-game Tiger winning streak.

The Titans took control of the game early and built a 13-5 lead after one quarter.  Senior Julie Figan got the Lady Tigers off to a good start with a long triple just eight seconds into the quarter.  NA would not score another basket until the second quarter.  A basket and two foul shots by Hilary Sauer gave Shaler the lead for good at 4-3 with 6:27 still left in the quarter.  Layups by Haley Sauer, Valerie McQuade and Maria Bozzo, along with three of four from the line accounted for the Titan points with Aiken hitting two from the line for NA.

After Hilary Sauer put back a rebound, Figan hit another triple to cut the lead to 15-8 early in the second quarter.  Two quick hoops by Olivia DiNucci pushed the margin to 19-8 before senior Dawn Murphy hit a long trey to cut it to 19-11 with 5:18 left in the half.  A drive by DiNucci was answered by Aiken as the score went to 21-13.  After McQuade made one of two from the line, Murphy hit another triple to cut the margin to 22-16 with 4:37 still remaining in the quarter.  It was a close as NA would get.  After Bozzo drove for a basket, Haley Sauer hit a triple.  A hoop by Hilary Sauer and two foul shots by McQuade pushed the margin to 31-16.  After Aiken scored again for NA, a layup by Holly Knaus extended the lead to 33-18 with 42 seconds left.  Junior Alysia Libby came off the NA bench to drain a trey, but Bozzo scored again as Shaler took a commanding 35-21 advantage into the second half.

The Lady Tigers came out strong after the break and played Shaler even in the third quarter with both teams scoring 16 points.  A layup and triple by Aiken early in the period cut the lead to 35-26 two minutes into the third quarter.  The Titans scored the next ten points on field goals by DiNucci and Haley Sauer as they extended the margin to 45-26 with 3:42 remaining.  Calabrese finally broke the streak with a pair of foul shots, a layup and another free throw to make it 45-31.  DiNucci answered with a put back before sophomore Chandler Caufield dropped in two from the line as the score went to 47-33.  After Figan hit two free throws, it was DiNucci again with a pair of field goals to offset a Calabrese basket as Shaler led, 51-35, after three quarters of play.

The Titans continued to score and broke the game open midway through the final period.  After Val McQuade put back a rebound, sophomore guard Kelly Brennan made one of two from the line.  Haley Sauer answered with a pair from the stripe.  A conventional three-point play by Aiken cut the lead to 55-41.  A put back by Calabrese cut the lead to 55-43, but DiNucci answered with a score off a rebound.  After another Calabrese basket cut the lead to 57-45, Shaler scored the next ten points to make it a 67-45 game.  Caufield broke the run with a layup, but Shaler made eight foul shots down the stretch to win going away by a 75-51 score.  Scoring late for NA were Libby with a pair of foul shots and sophomore Paige Hufnagel with a basket at the buzzer

Shaler dominated the game on the boards outscoring NA, 40-16, in the paint.  The Titans also forced 25 NA turnovers resulting in 30 points to just 12 for the Lady Tigers off mistakes.  Shaler made 26 of 59 (44.1%) from the field with just 1 of 7 (14.3%) from three-point land.  From the foul line, the Titans were 22 of 31 (71.0%).  The Lady Tigers hit on only 16 of 52 (30.8%) from the field and 6 of 19 (31.6%) from beyond the arc.  From the foul line, NA made 13 of 20 (65.0%).  Alexis Aiken added three blocks and six rebounds to her 14 points and was named the NA Player of the Game by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

With the loss, the NA section record fell to 5-2 and dropped them into a second place tie with Shaler.  The overall Lady Tiger mark is 8-6 on the season.  NA will travel to Norwin tonight to meet the Knights in a 6:30 pm non-section contest.

Box Score
Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
SHALER - 75  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 51

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WPIAL GIRLS' BASKETBALL - 2008-09

The Tigers will compete again in the WPIAL in Class AAAA along with 28 other teams.  The top four teams in each section will enter the WPIAL Basketball Tournament scheduled to begin on February 13, 2009.  All playoff entries will be determined by section record only and will be determined by the best section won/lost record.  Teams that tie for first place will not have the tie broken and ALL tied teams will be declared section champions, will receive a section winner's plaque, and will be entered into the WPIAL tournament.  If four or more teams tie for first place, only those teams will qualify for post season play.

In the event of a multiple tie (two or more teams) for a playoff position, head-to-head competition will be the first determinant.  If head-to-head does not break the tie, the following tie-breaking system will be used.  If three or more teams are tied for third place and the tie breaking system identifies one team as the third place team, the remaining teams will then be tied for fourth place and the process begins all over with head-to-head competition being the first determinant for establishing the fourth place team.  If a tie cannot be broken, all tied teams will enter the playoffs.

TIE-BREAKING SYSTEM

1) Section won-loss records of the tied teams will be compiled.
2) the team(s) with the best numerical head-to-head section record among the tied teams will enter post-season play.
3) If the tie cannot be broken, all tied teams will enter post-season play.

Section play must be completed by Saturday, February 7, 2009.  All teams (qualifying playoff teams or non-qualifying teams) that complete their section schedule by the prescribed date may play exhibition games provided they do not exceed their limit of 22 competitions.  No playoff qualifying team may play a game after Monday, February 9, 2009.  Teams that qualify for the WPIAL playoffs may scrimmage any other team that has qualified for post season play beginning on Tuesday, February 10, 2009.

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

WPIAL GIRLS' BASKETBALL ALIGNMENT
QUAD A - 29 TEAMS

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