Lady Tigers Lasso Colts In Season Opener, 61-42

Posted on: by North Allegheny

The maiden voyage for new North Allegheny girls’ basketball coach Spencer Stefko was a successful one as the Lady Tigers opened the 2015-16 season with a 61-42 win over the Chartiers Valley Colts at the Wright Automotive Tip-Off Tournament. Stefko, who coached seven seasons at Chartiers Valley and spent the last two years guiding Seton LaSalle to a pair of WPIAL Class AA titles, debuted as the Tigers new coach on Friday night and directed NA to a winning performance. Stefko takes over for Sherri McConnell who spent eight prosperous seasons at North Allegheny, posting a record of 149-44 and leading the Tigers to eight playoff appearances and three section crowns.

Chartiers Valley hung tough with North Allegheny in the early going as the black and gold held only a 19-18 lead midway through the second quarter. Colts guard Lauren Wagner poured in nine points in the first half and ended the night with 12.

Despite Chartiers Valley’s best efforts, the Lady Tigers used a half-ending 14-6 run to open up a 33-24 lead by intermission. Senior forward Taylor Lake helped NA build the lead with nine first-half points. The University of Chicago recruit also helped put the Colts away in the second half with eight more points to finish with a game-high 17 points. Leading the team with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals, Lake was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game for her outstanding all-around display.

North Allegheny’s pressure defense spooked the Colts into 26 turnovers to give the Tigers a wealth of scoring opportunities and fast break points. In all, 10 different Tigers scored in a solid team win. Along with Lake’s big night, sophomore Madelyn Fischer totaled eight points and six rebounds and Courtney Roman scored six points with a pair of treys. For Chartiers Valley, center Nicole Olkosky netted a team-high 13 points.

With the win, the Lady Tigers will face the Penn Hills Indians on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 pm in the championship game of the Wright Automotive Tip-Off Tournament. The game is a rematch of last year’s second round of the PIAA playoffs which saw North Allegheny defeat Penn Hills, 65-48. The contest between NA and Penn Hills will be broadcast live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Girls Basketball vs. Chartiers Valley, 12-4-15

GAME SUMMARY
SCORE BY QUARTERS1234FINAL
Chartiers Valley111310842
North Allegheny1419161261