Tigers Use 18-0 Run To Turn Tables On Tribe
In a battle of Section 3-AAAA unbeatens, the North Allegheny girls’ basketball team throttled the neighboring North Hills Indians by a 74-47 decision to gain sole possession of first place in the section standings. Off to the their best start since the 1998-99 season, the Indians seemed poised to make an impact in their visit to North Allegheny. However, the Tigers continued their dominance of North Hills with a thorough win on their home floor.
In a game that started a bit earlier than the scheduled 7:30 pm start time the Tigers began the game lethargically and trailed 9-4 in the first quarter. Following a time out by head coach Spencer Stefko, North Allegheny responded with an 18-0 run that turned the tables on North Hills and gave the Tigers a 22-9 lead and control of the game.
The NA run was sparked by the spirited play of sophomore Madelyn Fischer who came off the bench to score nine first quarter points. In all, Fischer netted 12 points and hauled in nine rebounds. A force on the offensive glass with five rebounds, Fischer was name the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.
The Tigers led by as much as 20 points in the first half and continued the onslaught in the second half in a terrific all-around performance. North Allegheny shot 44 percent from the field, outrebounded the Indians, 38-19, and forced North Hills into 19 turnovers.
Five players ended the night in double figures for North Allegheny with junior Hailey Zeise scoring a team-best 14 points. Senior Taylor Lake totaled 13 points and nine rebounds, freshman Rachel Martindale tallied 11 points, and senior Abby Gonzales chipped in with 10. North Hills had one player in double digits as Walsh University recruit Jamie Halloran netted 20 points and five 3-pointers. However, most of her damage was done with the game well out of reach in the second half.
North Allegheny leaps to 11-3 overall and 6-0 in Section 3-AAAA. North Hills falls to second place with a 5-1 section mark and 9-3 overall. The Lady Tigers host Shaler on Friday night at 6:30 in a game that will be broadcast live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.