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LATE RALLY FALLS SHORT AS KISKI AREA DOWNS
LADY TIGERS, 60-57

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

The Lady Tigers fell behind early, battled back late, but came up short as the Kiski Area Cavaliers held on to defeat NA, 60-57, in the first round of the McDonald/WPIAL Quad A tournament at Fox Chapel High School on Saturday afternoon.  A 35-19 halftime advantage was too much to make up, but junior guard Kelly Brennan led a furious fourth quarter rally to bring NA within three at the end of the game. Brennan finished with 22 points to lead NA with junior forward Zoe Calabrese adding 11.

Calabrese gave NA an early 2-0 lead when she got loose for a layup.  After Cosentino hit a trey and Celena Meighan hit a deuce to put Kiski on top, 5-2, Calabrese came back with another layup to cut the margin to one with 5:31 still remaining in the quarter.  A trey by Makenzie Zidek and a layup by Cosentino extended the margin to 10-4.  Senior Emily Bergman came off the NA bench to drain a trey to cut the margin to 10-7, but Kiski came right back with a layup by Maddie Antone and a driving score by Zidek to make it a 14-7 game with 2:41 left in the quarter.  Brennan answered with a baseline jumper, but Aileen Feeney and Muffie Taylor came back with hoops to extend the lead to 18-9 with 1:50 left.  A driving layup by junior Paige Hufnagel cut the lead to seven, but Cosentino had the answer for the Cavaliers to make it a 20-11 game.  Senior forward Alex Blumer put back a rebound with 34 seconds left, but Zidek answered with another driving layup to give Kiski a 22-13 lead after one quarter of play.

The Lady Tigers could manage only six points in the second quarter as the Cavaliers built a 16-point halftime lead.  Kiski scored the first ten pints of the quarter on a field goal by Meighan, two free throws by Cosetino, a driving layup by Taylor, two more foul shots by Feeney, and a hoop by Cosentino as Kiski took a commanding 32-13 lead.  Blumer finally ended the run with a layup with just 2:39 left in the half.  After Antone converted one of two from the line, senior guard Angela Sipes scored on a layup to make it a 33-17 game.  Two foul shots by Cosentino were answered by two from Blumer, but Kiski had built a 35-19 advantage at the intermission.

In the third quarter, the Lady Tigers began their comeback as they outscored Kiski by a 17-13 count.  Early in the quarter, senior guard Alysia Libby drove and scored, but Meighan answered with a triple to make it 38-21.  Brennan followed with a layup and a triple to cut the lead to twelve at 38-26.  Antone got loose by a driving layup and added a short jumper to push the margin to 42-26 with 4:10 left.  After Brennan scored again, Zidek put back a rebound.  Brennan answered with her second triple of the quarter, and Calabrese dropped in a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 44-32 with 1:08 left.  After Antone added a field goal, Hufnagel made one of two from the line and senior guard Leslie Barksdale drilled a long triple to cut the margin to ten at 46-36.  A layup with time running out by Tara Stolarski gave the Cavaliers a 48-36 lead going into the final quarter.

The Lady Tigers continued to battle back in the final stanza.  Morgan Waddell opened the scoring with a hoop early in the fourth quarter, but Libby answered with a driving layup to make it 50-38.  Zidek extended the lead to 14 with a basket but Brennan countered with a traditional three-point play to cut the margin to 50-41 with 6:31 still remaining in the game.  Kiski missed several shots over the next two minutes, but the Lady Tigers could not take advantage as the lead remained at eleven.  Meighan finally broke through to score a layup, but Sipes drilled a three to cut the lead to 54-44 at the 4:56 mark.  After Calabrese put in a layup, Zidek once again had the answer to extend the lead back to ten.  Calabrese came back with a triple to cut the lead to seven at 56-49 with 2:23 left.  A driving layup by Brennan made it a five point game.  With 1:05 left, Brennan scored again to bring NA within three at 56-53.  The Lady Tigers were forced to foul, and Zidek made both to push the lead back to five with 52.5 on the clock.  It was Brennan again on a driving layup with 35 seconds left to cut the lead to 58-55.  One of two from the line by Zidek made it a 59-55 game, but Brennan converted a pair to cut the margin to two at 59-57 with 20.6 still left.  Meighan was able to hit only one of two to give NA a chance with 19.4 left.  An NA miss was knocked out of bounds giving the Lady Tigers one final opportunity with 5 seconds remaining.  After an NA time out, Bergman got an open look at a three that would have tied the game but the ball hit the front of the rim allowing the Cavaliers to hang on for the upset victory.

Good shooting was the key to success for Kiski as they made 23 of 42 (54.8%) from the field including 3 of 5 (60.0%) from beyond the arc.  From the line, however, Kiski made only 11 of 20 (55.0%) giving NA a chance down the stretch. The Lady Tigers hit on 22 of 53 (41.5%) from the field with 5 of 12 (41.7%) from three point range.  From the foul line, NA converted 8 of 14 (57.1%).  Kiski had a slight edge in several other categories including a 32-26 lead in points in the paint and a 10-4 edge in fast break points.  Both teams had 19 points off turnovers with both teams committing 23 turnovers.  Individually, Brennan came alive in the second half scoring 20 of her 22 points including 11 in the last quarter as she lead the NA comeback.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Kelly Brennan as the Player of the Game.  Blumer pulled down seven rebounds to lead in that category while Calabrese posted five steals and five rebounds.

With the loss, the season came to an end for the Lady Tigers as they finished with an overall record of 17-6 on the season.  Sophomore guard Alexis Aiken did not play because of a broken hand that was suffered in the final regular season game against Ambridge.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
KISKI AREA - 60  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 57

WPIAL QUAD A TOURNAMENT

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AMBRIDGE FALLS TO LADY TIGERS, 56-47,
IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

Junior guard Kelly Brennan scored a game high 24 points to pace the Lady Tigers to a 56-47 victory over Ambridge at the Senior High gym on Monday night.  Sophomore guard Alexis Aiken added 15 points in the non-section contest as NA finished the regular season with 12 wins in the their last 13 games.

After taking a narrow one-point lead, 14-13, after one quarter, NA used a strong 16-6 edge in the second period to post a 30-19 halftime lead.  The Bridgers came back to cut the margin to 44-37 after three quarters, but NA held off the visitors in the fourth quarter to complete the 56-47 victory.

With the win, NA finished with an overall record of 17-5 on the season.  The Lady Tigers completed the section season with a 9-3 mark, good for a tie for second place in Section 3-AAAA.  NA awaits the upcoming WPIAL tournament that is scheduled to begin on the weekend.  The WPIAL pairings meeting is still scheduled for tomorrow night.  We will post the pairings as soon as they are available.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 56  AMBRIDGE - 47

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LADY TIGERS HOLD OFF LATE SENECA RALLY
TO TAKE 72-61 VICTORY

Box Score

The Lady Tigers built an early 27-9 lead and held off a late Seneca Valley rally to win a 72-61 victory in the final section game of the season at Seneca Valley on Saturday night.  Sophomore guard Alexis Aiken led the way with 21 points while junior forward Zoe Calabrese added 15 and junior guard/forward Paige Hufnagel 14 for the winning Lady Tigers.

Statistically, NA was dominant making 26 of 46 (56.5%) from the field but just 3 of 12 (25.0%) from three point range.  From the foul line, the Lady Tigers converted 17 of 25 (68.0%).  Seneca was 22 of 54 (40.7%) from the field with 4 of 15 (26.7%) from beyond the arc.  From the line, the Raiders made 13 of 18 (72.2%).  NA led in two key areas outscoring SV by a 34-18 count in the paint.  In addition, the Tiger bench held a 29-6 advantage over the Raider reserves.  Aiken was 6 for eight from the field including 2 of 4 three-point field goals and seven of 11 from the line.  Aiken also pulled in seven rebounds to lead in that category.

With the win, NA finished in a tie for second place in Section 3-AAAA with a record of 9-3.  The overall NA mark improved to 16-5 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will host Ambridge tomorrow night in a tuneup for the upcoming WPIAL playoffs.  Game time ihas been moved up to 6:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 72  SENECA VALLEY - 61

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LADY TIGERS CRUSH NORTH HILLS, 54-20,
ON SENIOR NIGHT

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The Lady Tigers used a 20-2 run in the second quarter to take a commanding 37-7 lead at halftime against rival North Hills at the Senior High gym on Friday night on Senior Night.  In the second half, the entire NA squad had a chance to play as the Lady Tigers completed a 54-20 romp over the Indians.  Junior forward Zoe Calabrese scored 14 points to lead the Lady Tigers to their 10th win in the last 11 games.

Junior Paige Hufnagel got the Lady Tigers off and running with a driving layup just 25 seconds into the game.  Blumer followed with a layup to make it 4-0 before Katy Turzak got loose under the hoop to cut the margin to two.  NA scored the next seven points as Blumer hit a jumper, Calabrese followed with another, and junior Chandler Caufield drained a long trey to make it an 11-4 game with 2:11 remaining.  Ali Patton came back with one of two from the line, but the Tigers closed out the quarter by scoring the final six points.  Blumer scored again, Hufnagel dropped in a pair from the line, and Caufield scored with just 22 seconds remaining as the Lady Tigers took a 17-5 advantage into the second stanza.  The Indians made only one of 11 field goal attempts in the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, the Lady Tigers outscored NH, 20-2, to put the game away.  NA continued the run from the end of the first quarter by scoring the first eight points of the second.  Junior Kelly Brennan drove and scored, Caufield followed with her second trey of the game, senior guard Emily Bergman made one of two foul shots, and senior Lauren Scheurer put back a rebound as NA built a 25-5 lead.  NH's Kayla Ebbert scored the Indians' only points of the period with 3:22 left to make it 25-7.  NA closed out the half with another run, this time of twelve straight points.  Hufnagel scored on a put back, Calabrese added a jumper, sophomore guard Alexis Aiken drove for a basket, Calabrese scored on a fast break, and Brennan drove and scored as time was running out as NA took a commanding 37-7 lead at halftime.  North Hills made only two of 24 field goal attempts in the half whie NA was 16 of 23.

Lady Tiger Coach Sherry McConnell continued to substitute liberally in the second half allowing a number of seniors to get extended playing time on Senior Night.  Early in the third quarter, Patton hit a triple to make it a 37-10 game.  Calabrese answered with a pair from the line, but Jess Rectenwald hit a triple and Emma Wingerd a deuce as NH cut the margin to 39-15.  The Lady Tigers continued to play a patient game on offense and it paid off as Calabrese finished with a layup to push the margin to 41-15 with 5:09 left.  Patton put back a rebound, but the Tigers answered by scoring the last seven points of the quarter.  Senior guard Alysia Libby hit a baseline jumper from the left side and Aiken scored on a coast-to-coast driving layup.  Libby scored again dropping in a triple from the left corner as the Lady Tigers took a 48-17 lead into the final quarter.

Both teams played reserves throughout much of the last quarter.  Calabrese stayed in long enough to put in a layup to make it 50-17.  Bergman followed with a layup and Blumer hit a jumper to push the margin to 54-17 with 3:10 left.  NH's Carly Herr scored the last three points of the game on a layup and foul shot as the Lady Tigers closed out the 54-20 victory

NA dominated the statistics as they made 23 of 48 (47.9%) from the field but just 3 for 13 (23.1%) from three point range.  From the foul line, the Lady Tigers converted five of eight (62.5%).  North Hills was able to hit just seven of 47 (14.9%) from the field, 2 for 10 (20.0%) from beyond the arc, and 4 for 10 (40.0%) from the line.  The NA defense forced 18 turnovers good for 19 points.  In the paint, the Lady Tigers outscored the Indians, 26-8, and the Tiger bench had a 31-5 advantage.  Individually, Calabrese posted seven rebounds along with a blocked shot.  Senior Alex Blumer scored eight points on four of seven from the field, pulled down five rebounds and had five blocked shots to earn the Player of the Game award from the North Allegheny Sports Network.

With the win, NA improved to 8-3 in section play, 15-5 overall.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Seneca Valley this afternoon to meet the Raiders in the section finale.  A win will give NA a tie for second place in the final Section 3-AAAA standings.  Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 54  NORTH HILLS - 20

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LADY TIGERS CRUISE OVER MOON, 46-30

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

The Lady Tigers took control of the game with a 15-2 advantage in the second quarter and went on to a 46-30 section victory over Moon at the Senior High gym on Thursday night.  Sophomore guard Alexis Aiken led the way with 12 points as NA won their ninth game in the last ten starts.

Aiken got the Tigers off and running with a fast break layup just 1:10 into the contest.  Dana Magnelli answered for Moon with a short shot from under the hoop to tie the game at 2-2.  Junior forward Zoe Calabrese got loose for a layup and Aiken scored again to give NA a 6-2 lead with 5:12 still remaining in the quarter.  After Erin Kelly dropped in a layup, Aiken made one of two from the line, but Jharrin Gill came back with a short jumper to cut the lead to 7-6.  After junior guard Kelly Brennan scored, a field goal by Kelly and a foul shot by Gill tied the score at 9-9 with 1:57 on the first quarter clock.  NA was unable to score in the remaining time, but Dani Lewis put back a rebound with two seconds left to give Moon an 11-9 lead after one quarter of play.

The second quarter belonged to the Lady Tigers who scored the first 11 points of the stanza.  Aiken stole the ball early and scored on a layup to tie the game just 26 seconds into the period.  Senior Alysia Libby followed with another steal and layup to give NA the lead for good at 13-11 with 5:22 still remaining in the quarter.  After senior forward Alex Blumer hit a short jumper, Aiken drained a trey from the right side to extend the margin to 18-11.  Junior guard Chandler Caufield followed with another field goal to make it a 20-11 game with 4:46 left.  Moon finally stopped the run on a Kelly field goal to cut the margin to 20-13.  It would be the only Moon basket of the quarter.  Brennan answered with a driving layup and added a pair of free throws with 27.9 seconds left to give the Lady Tigers a 24-13 advantage at the intermission.

Neither team scored early in the third quarter with NA holding the 11-point lead.  Kelly put back a rebound with 5:57 remaining for the first points of the quarter as Moon cut the lead to 24-15.  After Calabrese hit one of two from the line, Marquesha Mackey drove and scored to reduce the margin to eight.  Caufield had the answer with a long triple, and Calabrese hit another jumper to push the lead to 30-17 with 2:11 remaining in the period.  Blumer added another short jumper and Libby scored on a fast break layup to give NA a commanding 34-17 lead after three quarters of play.

Early in the fourth quarter, Aiken drove and scored to push the margin to 36-17, the biggest lead of the game for NA.  Natalie Corso came back with a pair of jump shots and Kelly dropped in another jumper as Moon cut the lead to 36-23 with 5:41 still left.  Caufield answered with a baseline jumper, but Kelly came right back to score again to make it a 38-25 game.  Senior guard Emily Bergman then took over with a pair of long three-point field goals that increased the Lady Tiger lead to 44-25 with 2:52 remaining in the game.  After Kelly hit one of two free throws, Bergman scored again on a fast break layup to extend the margin to twenty at 46-26.  At this point, NA Coach Sherry McConnell cleared the bench as the reserves played the remaining time.  Moon was able to get two more field goals by Gill before time ran out as NA completed the 46-30 victory.

The Lady Tigers shot well enough to win making 19 of 52 (36.5%) from the field, but only 4 of 17 (23.5%) from three-point range.  From the foul line, NA was four for eight (50.0%) in a game that featured only 12 personal fouls called in the entire game.  Moon hit on 14 of 46 (30.4%) from the field and did not make a three-point field goal in eight attempts.  From the line, the Moon Tigers were 2 for 4 (50.0%).  The NA bench was a key factor in the contest outscoring Moon by a 16-2 count.  The Lady Tigers forced 16 turnovers resulitng in 13 points.  Caufield and junior guard/forward Paige Hufnagel pulled down eight rebounds each to pace NA in that category.  Aiken was five for eight from the field, including a triple, pulled down five rebounds, and added a block and two steals.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Alexis Aiken as the Player of the Game.

With the win, NA improved to 7-3 in section play, 14-5 overall.  The NA-Seneca Valley game has been rescheduled for Saturday afternoon with the JV game at 4:30 pm and the varsity contest at 6:00 pm.  NA will host rival North Hills on Friday night.  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. 

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 46  MOON - 30

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BUTLER BOUNCES LADY TIGERS, 70-45

Box Score

The Lady Tigers were defeated by the first place Butler Tornado, 70-45, on Monday night in a Section 3-AAAA battle at Butler.  Sophomore guard Alexis Aiken led NA with 17 points, but it was not enough as Butler built a big first-half lead and coasted to the victory.  Florida State recruit Olivia Bresnahan led the Tornado with 21 points.

The Tornado jumped off to an 18-13 first quarter lead and extended the margin to 38-24 at halftime.  Butler did not let up after the intermission as they pushed the lead to 55-32 going into the final quarter.  A 15-13 edge in the fourth period gave Butler the final 70-45 score.

NA did not shoot well in the loss making 15 of 42 (35.7%) from the field but just 2 of 15 (13.3%) from three-point land.  From the foul line, however, the Lad Tigers converted 13 of 17 (76.5%).  Butler hit on 24 of 53 (45.3%) from the field and 7 of 13 (53.8%) from beyond the arc.  The Tornado made 15 of 25 (60.0%) from the foul line.  The major statistics all favored the Tornado as Butler outscored NA, 34-24, in the paint, 26-10, on fast break points, and 20-8 in bench points.  Individually, Aiken was 8 of 9 from the foul line while junior forward Zoe Calabrese pulled down six rebounds to lead NA.

With the loss, the NA section record fell to 6-3, the overall mark to 13-5 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will host Moon on Thursday night as section play continues.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
BUTLER - 70  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 45

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BRENNAN LEADS LADY TIGERS
OVER PENN HILLS, 58-45

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

Junior guard Kelly Brennan scored 21 points to lead the Lady Tigers to a 58-45 non-section victory over Penn Hills at the Senior High gym on Friday night.  Junior guard Chandler Caufield and junior forward Zoe Calabrese scored 10 points each for the winning Lady Tigers.  Senior Davida Penn tallied 21 points to pace Penn Hills.

The Lady Tigers jumped off to a quick 9-2 lead behind a triple from Caufield, a putback and two foul shots by sophomore guard Alexis Aiken, and a layup by Calabrese.  Penn led a Penn Hills comeback with a drive and layup to cut the lead to 9-6 before senior forward Alex Blumer came off the bench to hit a jump shot.  After Penn scored again on a put back to make it 11-8, senior guard Emily Bergman drained a trey from the left side, and Brennan hit a runner to make it a 16-8 game.  Penn scored with time running out, but NA took a 16-10 lead into the second quarter.

After Angelica Blakeman opened the second quarter scoring with a layup, Calabrese answered with a driving layup to make it 18-12.  Brennan followed with a jumper from the foul line to extend the margin to 20-12.  The Indians came back to score the next eight points to tie the game on a pair of field goals by Lisa Burton along with two baskets from under the hoop by Alexis Johnson.  Brennan then took over as she scored the next six points to regain the lead for the Lady Tigers at 26-20 with 2:52 remaining in the half.  Junior forward Paige Hufnagel added a free throw and Brennan two more foul shots to extend the margin to 29-20.  With time running out, Brennan drove to the hoop and scored to give NA a 31-20 advantage at the intermission.

Blakeman hit a jumper early in the third quarter for the Indians, but Calabrese answered with a layup and Aiken added a put back to push the lead to 35-22.  After Blakeman scored again, Brennan dropped in a pair from the line to push the lead back to thirteen at 37-24.  A reverse layup by Penn and a steal and layup by Blackman cut the NA lead to 37-28.  Brennan answered with a baseline jumper and Aiken drilled a triple from the right side to increase the lead to 42-28 with 3:02 left in the period.  Brennan was fouled on a three point attempt and coolly converted all three foul shots to give the Lady Tiger their biggest lead at 45-28.  Foul shots by Penn and Burton cut the margin to fifteen with 1:18 left.  Bergman's fast break layup gave NA a commanding 47-30 lead after three quarters of play. 

NA Coach Sherry McConnell began substituting liberally in the final quarter.  Penn scored early with a layup, but Caufield came back with a hoop to push the margin back to seventeen at 49-32.  Hoops by Blackman and Penn cut the lead to 49-36, but Caufield drained a triple to make it a 52-36 game with 4:45 still left.  After Penn drove for a basket and Blakeman scored on yet another layup, Calabrese came back with a hoop to make it a 54-40 game with 4:17 remaining.  A minute later, Calabrese scored again to push the lead to sixteen.  Penn picked up another field goal from under the basket, but Caufield drove the lane and scored as the score went to 58-42.  A put back and foul shot by Blakeman finished the scoring as the Lady Tigers completed the 58-45 victory.

Statistically, the Lady Tigers shot well from the field making 22 of 54 (40.7%) but only 4 of 16 (25.0%) from three-point range.  From the foul line, NA was 10 of 14 (71.4%).  Penn Hills hit 21 of 69 (30.4%) and did not connect on a three-point basket going 0 for 6.  From the line, the Indians were only 3 for 10 (30.0%).  The NA defense forced 16 Penn Hills turnovers with full court pressure for most of the game.  Individually, Brennan made 7 of 17 from the field and all seven from the line in addition to three rebounds and two steals.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Kelly Brennan as the Player of the Game.  Calabrese pulled down 8 rebounds to pace NA.

With the win, the overall NA record improved to 13-4 as they won their eighth consecutive game.  The Lady Tigers will travel to Butler on Monday night to meet the first place Tornado in a key section contest.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 58  PENN HILLS - 45

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ALTOONA FALLS TO LADY TIGERS, 45-40

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

The Lady Tigers downed Altoona, 45-40, in a non-section contest at the Senior High gym on Thursday night for their seventh consecutive victory.  Junior forward Zoe Calabrese tallied 12 points to pace NA with junior guard Kelly Brennan adding nine for the winning Lady Tigers.  Lysa Mealing scored 22 to lead the Mountain Lions.

It took almost two minutes for either team to score with Altoona’s Marrysa Moyer putting in a layup to give the Mountain Lions the early 2-0 lead.  Junior Chandler Caufield came back with a three to put NA on top for the first time at 3-2 with 5:52 left in the quarter.  Another layup by Moyer regained the advantage for Altoona before Calabrese hit a jumper to make it a 5-4 NA lead.  Caufield hit one of two from the line to extend the margin to 6-4.  Altoona then scored the final eight points of the quarter.  Mealing’s layup tied the game with 2:27 left.   Two more field goals by Mealing made it 10-6 before Moyer scored with time running out to give the Mountain Lions a 12-6 lead after one quarter of play.

In the second quarter, it was the Lady Tigers who rallied to take the lead.  After Mealing hit another short banker, Calabrese dropped in a layup and junior guard Kelly Brennan hit a baseline jumper to cut the margin to 14-10.  Brennan followed with a triple from straight away to make it a one-point game at 14-13 with 4:33 remaining in the half.  After Brittany Smith came off the Altoona bench to put back a rebound, Calabrese knocked down a jumper from the foul line to cut the lead to one again at 16-15.  Senior forward Alex Blumer came in and completed a conventional three-point play to put NA on top, 18-16, with 2:13 left.  Senior guard Emily Bergman added a trey from the left side to extend the margin to 21-16 before Kayla DeCriscio made two foul shots for AAHS.  After Blumer converted one of two from the line, Mealing made two free throws with 8.4 seconds left to cut the Lady Tiger lead to 22-20 at the intermission.

Early in the third quarter, junior forward Paige Hufnagel drove to the basket and scored to start the scoring and give NA a 24-20 lead at the 1:27 mark of the period.  Mealing answered with a layup to cut the margin back to two, but Hufnagel came back with another layup to make it a 26-22 game with 5:22 remaining.   On the next NA possession, Brennan drilled her second triple of the game to give the Lady Tigers a seven-point advantage at 29-22.  After Shelby Reimer scored from the right side, Aiken put back a rebound and then hit a trey from the right corner to give the Lady Tigers a 34-24 lead with 3:35 still left in the stanza.  After an Altoona miss, Calabrese hit a jumper to give NA its biggest lead of the night at 36-24 with 3:00 remaining.  After a time out, Altoona regrouped to score the last four points of the quarter.  A layup by Moyer and two free throws by Mealing cut the Lady Tiger lead to 36-28 as the third quarter ended.

After Calabrese put back a rebound early in the fourth quarter to restore the ten-point lead, the Mountain Lions rallied again.  Mealing led the comeback with three straight scores from under the basket as Altoona cut the lead to 38-34 with 5:21 remaining in the game.  Calabrese then hit a jumper to push the lead back to six at 40-34.  Altoona kept battling, however, as Reimer scored to cut the margin to two with 3:12 still on the clock.  After an NA time out, the Lady Tigers spread the floor.  At this point, three Lady Tigers --- Calabrese, Hufnagel, and Blumer --- were playing with four fouls.  After a turnover, Moyer dropped in a baseline jumper from the right side to cut the margin to two at 40-38 with 52.9 remaining.  Altoona was forced to foul with time running out.  Aiken stepped to the line and converted a pair to extend the lead to 42-38 with 49.8 on the clock.  After several Altoona missed field goal attempts, Hufnagel was fouled after pulling down a rebound.  The NA junior also was perfect on two attempts to make it a 44-38 game with just 16.2 seconds left.  Mealing was able to drop in a layup to cut the lead to four but time was running out.  Brennan was fouled with 6.8 remaining in the game and made one of two to give the Lady Tigers the final point in a 45-40 victory.

Neither team shot well from the floor.  Altoona made 17 of 50 (34.0%) but did not score from three point range missing all 11 attempts.  From the foul line, the Mountain Lions were only 6 of 13 (46.2%).  The Lady Tigers hit on 16 of 54 (29.6%) from the field with 5 of 16 (31.3%) from beyond the arc.  From the line, however, NA was 8 for 11 (72.7%).  NA forced 15 turnovers good for 12 points.  Off the bench, the Lady Tigers outscored AAHS by a 7-4 margin.  In the paint, however, the Mountain Lions held a 24-18 edge.  Individually, Alexis Aiken scored seven pints, recorded 8 rebounds and two steals, and made a pair of crucial free throws down the stretch to earn the Player of the Game award from the North Allegheny Sports Network.

With the win, NA improved their non-section record to 12-4 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will host Penn Hills tonight in another non-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 - 45  ALTOONA - 40

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LADY TIGERS OUTLAST PINE-RICHLAND, 53-43

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

The Lady Tigers used a strong second half to take the lead and held off Pine-Richland down the stretch to take a 53-43 section victory at the Senior High gym on Monday night.  Junior guard Kelly Brennan led the way with 17 points, including three three-point field goals.  Junior swing player Paige Hufnagel followed with 16 points while junior forward Zoe Calabrese added 12 for the winning Lady Tigers.

The Rams started quickly building a 4-0 lead off a layup by Kelly Kennan and two free throws by Kathleen Humes.  Brennan answered with a long triple to cut the lead to 4-3 with 5:57 remaining.  Brennan came back a minute later with another trey to give NA their first lead of night at 6-4.  The Rams took the lead back on a layup by Lisa Rader and a pair of foul shots by McDarragh Minnick before Hugnagel put back a rebound to tie the game at 8-8 with 1:17 on the first quarter clock.  Minnick’s layup put the Rams back ahead before senior guard Alysia Libby came off the NA bench to hit a triple from the left side to make it an 11-10 Tiger lead.  Brittany Killian dropped in one of two from the line to complete the first quarter scoring.  After one quarter of play, the teams were tied at 11-11.

Early in the second quarter, Humes drove the lane, scored and added a free throw to give P-R a 14-11 advantage.  After Hufnagel and Rader exchanged foul shots, Hugnagel drove and scored to cut the margin to 15-14 with 3:52 left in the half.  Two foul shots by Hume and a left handed runner by Brittany Byerly extended the Ram lead to 19-14.  Brennan answered with her third triple of the game to cut the margin to 19-17.  After a P-R miss, Hugnagel tied the game with a pair from the line.  Humes drove for a layup and Rader scored from under the hoop to put P-R back on top with 35 seconds left.  Hufnagel was able to make one of two free throws before the half ended as Pine-Richland took a 23-20 advantage to the intermission.

The third quarter belonged to the Lady Tigers as they outscored the Rams, 16-7.  After Abbie Altman opened the second half scoring with one of two from the line, Brennan drove for a layup to cut the lead to 23-22.  After Altman hit one of two from the line, junior guard Alexis Aiken was fouled on a drive to the basket and converted both free throw attempts to tie the game at 24-24.  Calabrese dropped in a putback to give NA the lead at 26-24, and Hufnagel followed with a long triple from straight away to push the margin to 29-24 with 4:43 still left in the quarter.  Calabrese then stole the ball and scored to extend the lead to 31-24 before Minnick answered with a short jumper.  Kayleigh Jackson followed with a triple to cut the margin to two at 31-29 with 3:12 remaining.  Calabrese answered the P-R run with a jumper to restore a four-point lead at 33-29.  After Minnick made one of two from the line, Hufnagel drilled another triple to push the margin to 36-30.  Neither team scored again in the quarter as the Lady Tigers took a six-point advantage into the final period.

Early in the fourth quarter, Calabrese hit a long jumper to extend the NA lead to 38-30.  Jackson came back to hit a trey as the Rams cut the lead back to three.  It was Calabrese again with a putback to make it a 40-35 game with 5:20 remaining.  The Rams would not go away as Humes hit a pair of foul shots to cut the lead to three with 3:28 on the clock.  With the Lady Tigers slowing the tempo and looking for a good shot, Hufnagel found a lane and scored on a driving layup to make it 42-37 with 2:45 left in the game.  Kennan answered with a layup to once again cut the lead to three.  After Brennan hit one of two from the line, Calabrese pulled down another offensive rebound and scored to extend the lead to 45-39 with 1:42 remaining.  With the hoop, Calabrese totaled 12 points in the second half.  After a Ram miss and without time running out, P-R was forced to foul down the stretch.  Brennan hit a pair with 1:14 left to push the lead to 47-39.  Humes came back with a driving layup to cut the lead back to six.  Once again, Brennan was fouled and made one of two.  After a Ram turnover, Brennan went back to the line and converted two more to extend the margin to 50-43.  The Rams were running out of time and could not score on several attempts.  This time, Aiken was fouled and made both to give NA a 52-43 lead with 35.1 remaining.  One more foul shot by Aiken completed the scoring as the Lady Tigers finished off P-R with the 53-43 final score.   

Statistically, NA shot well from behind the arc making 6 of 15 (40.0%) but from the field made just 16 of 51 (31.4%).  From the line, NA converted on 15 of 20 with Brennan hitting 6 of 8 in the fourth quarter.  The Rams made just 14 of 39 (35.9%) with 2 for 9 from three-point range.  From the foul line, P-R hit 13 of 20 with Kathleen Humes making good on all seven attempts.  A key stat showed NA outscoring P-R, 19-4, on second chance points.  Individually Hufnagel led with seven rebounds including four on the offensive boards. 

With the win, NA improved their section record to 6-2, the overall mark to 11-4 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will host two non-section games later this week.  NA will face Altoona on Thursday night at 7:00 pm and Penn Hills on Friday night at 7:30 pm.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast both games LIVE on the internet.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 53  PINE-RICHLAND - 43

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LADY TIGERS HOLD OFF NORWIN, 53-51

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

The Lady Tigers built a 51-42 lead early in the third quarter and had to hold off a furious Norwin rally to defeat the Knights, 53-51, at the Senior High gym on Friday night.  Junior guard Kelly Brennan led NA for the second straight game with 20 points while junior forward Zoe Calabrese added 11 and sophomore guard Alexis Aiken 10.

In the first quarter, Brennan drove for a layup just thirty seconds into the game to give NA a 2-0 lead.  A jumper by Nicky Costabile tied the game and a put back by Maura Znaver gave Norwin a 4-2 advantage.  After junior Paige Hufnagel hit a pair of free throws to tie the game, Jenna Demek drilled a triple to make it a 7-4 Knight lead.  Aiken came back with a field goal to cut the margin to one, but a layup by 6-0 center Brittany Bargiel and another field goal from close in by Znaver pushed the margin to 11-6.  Brennan answered with a long triple, but Znaver drove for another layup to make it a 13-9 game with 2:46 remaining.  Senior guard Alysia Libby came off the bench to hit a trey to cut the lead to one.  With 2:17 left, Brennan was fouled attempting a three-point field goal and made two of three to put NA back on top, 14-13.  With just 19.9 left in the quarter, 6-0 sophomore center Jennifer Straw came in to score on a put back and add a foul shot to give Norwin a 16-14 advantage after one quarter of play.

Znaver opened the second quarter scoring with a put back of a missed Norwin shot to extend the lead to four.  After Brennan made one of two from the line, Autumn Gaska drove the lane and dropped in an underhand scoop shot to extend the margin to 20-15.  The Lady Tigers scored the next eight points to take the lead.  After Hufnagel drove the lane and scored, Brennan's layup cut the margin to one at 20-19.  Two foul shots and a fast break layup by Brennan put NA on top by a 23-20 score.  Nikki Brenner answered for Norwin with a triple from the left side to tie the game with 2:12 left in the half.  Senior forward Alex Blumer then scored on a layup to regain the lead for NA at 25-23.  The Knights followed with six straight points.  A layup by Bargiel, a put back by Straw and another short jumper by Bargiel gave the Knights a 29-25 lead with 20 seconds left.  Blumer was able to make one of two from the line to cut the margin to 29-26 at the intermission.

The third quarter proved to be the difference in the game as the Lady Tigers outscored the Knights, 15-6.  Calabrese sparked the rally with a jumper just 41 seconds into the second half to cut the lead to one.  The junior forward followed with a layup to put NA back on top, 30-29.  Calabrese followed with a long triple to extend the margin to four with 5:42 still remaining in the quarter.  The NA defense kept Norwin off the board as Aiken drilled a trey from the right corner and added a foul shot as the lead went to 37-29.  The Knights finally scored on a drive by Znavor with 2:57 remaining in the period.  Aiken answered with a driving layup of her own before Demek put back a rebound to make it a 39-33 game.  Straw drove the lane for a layup and scored to cut the margin to four, but Brennan came back with a pair of free throws to give NA a 41-35 lead with 55 seconds left in the period.  Neither team scored again as the Lady Tigers took a six-point lead into the final quarter.

Both teams started quickly early in the fourth quarter.  After Brenner drained a trey just ten seconds into the period, Calabrese drove and scored to restore a five point lead at 43-38.  Costabile, who had been on the bench with foul trouble, came in to drop in a runner to cut the margin to three.  Brennan answered to make it 45-40 with 7:06 still remaining in the game.  Brenner came back with a driving layup to cut the lead to three once again.  This time, the NA answer extended the advantage to nine.  After junior guard Chandler Caufield hit a short jumper in the paint, Calabrese followed with another jump shot to make it a 49-42 game.  A put back by Aiken gave the Lady Tigers a 51-42 lead, but 5:22 still remained in the game.  After a time out, Norwin went to a full court press that bothered the Lady Tigers.  After a turnover, Znaver hit a short banker to cut the margin to 51-44.  Straw followed with a layup, and Costabile drained a long trey from the right side as the lead dwindled to 51-49 with 2:01 still left.  After an NA time out, the Lady Tigers patiently worked for a good shot and Brennan converted a layup to extend the lead to 53-49 with 1:10 left.  The Knights came back on a put back by Straw to cut the lead to two once again with 53 seconds left.  After a Norwin time out, NA lost the ball out of bounds giving the Knights another chance.  After two missed shots, senior Emily Bergman pulled down the rebound but was tied up.  The arrow gave the ball to the Lady Tigers, and Norwin used another time out with 18 seconds left.  On the inbounds pass, NA turned it over again.  Two more missed shots by the Knights allowed the Lady Tigers to grab the rebound and hold on for the two-point victory. 

In the statistical summary, fouls and foul shots were prominent.  There were only a total of 22 fouls called, 10 against the Lady Tigers.  From the line, NA made 11 of 15 (73.3%) while Norwin made one of just three attempted.  From the field, the Lady Tigers hit on 19 of 49 (38.8%) with 4 of 11 (36.4%) from three-point range.  The Knights were 23 of 61 (37.7%) from the field after making 13 of 26 (50.0%) in the first half.  From three point land, Norwin made 4 of 10 (40.0%).  The NA defense forced 14 turnovers.  Individually, Brennan was 6 of 16 from the field and seven for nine from the line.  Junior Paige Hufnagel led with seven rebunds.  Calabrese was five of eight from the field and one for one from the line.  All eleven points were scored in the second half when NA took the lead.  For her efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Zoe Calabrese as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved their overall record to 10-4 on the season.  NA will host Pine-Richland on Monday night as section play continues.  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 at the Senior High gym.

Box Score

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 53  NORWIN - 51

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BRENNAN LEADS LADY TIGER COMEBACK
IN 62-59 WIN AT SHALER

Box Score

Junior guard Kelly Brennan exploded for 27 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Lady Tigers to a 62-39 comeback win at Shaler on Thursday night.  Junior forward Paige Hufnagel added 14 points and sophomore guard Alexis Aiken 10 for the winning Lady Tigers.

After trailing 14-8 after one quarter, NA battled back to tie the game after three quarters.  The Lady Tigers cut the lead to three at halftime at 24-21 and used a 16-13 edge in the third quarter to make it a 37-37 going into the final period.  In the fourth stanza, Brennan made nine of eleven from the line to lead NA to the win.

Statistically, NA used good shooting in the second half making 9 of 15 (60.0%) from the field to spark the comeback victory.  It was a hard fought game featuring turnovers and fouls!  NA forced 15 Shaler miscues while NA committed 10.  Fifty fouls were called in the game, 27 on Shaler and 23 on the Lady Tigers.  From the line, NA was 25 for 40 (62.5%) while Shaler made 25 of 33 (75.8%).  Brennan made 9 of 14 from the field.  Junior forward Zoe Calabrese recorded six rebounds and Hufnagel five to lead NA in that category.

The win was the fourth in a row for NA and improved their section record to 5-2, the overall mark to 9-4 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will host Norwin tonight 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 7:15 pm with game time scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 62  SHALER - 59

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WPIAL GIRLS' BASKETBALL - 2009-10

The Lady 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 19, 2010.  All playoff entries will be determined by section record only and will be determined by the best 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 determinant for establishing the fourth place team.  If a tie cannot be broken, all tied teams will enter the playoffs.

TIE-BREAKER 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 13, 2010.  All teams (qualifying playoff teams or non-qualifying teams) that complete their section schedule by that prescribed date may play exhibition games provided they do not exceed their limit of 22 competitions.  No play-off qualifying team may play a game after Monday, February 15, 2010.  Teams that qualify for the WPIAL playoffs may scrimmage any other team that has qualified for post-season play beginning on Tuesday, February 16, 2010.

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
CLASS AAAA - 29 TEAMS

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