Tigers Drop Close Section Battle To Rams
By: Jared Barton
The North Allegheny girls’ basketball team hosted Pine-Richland for a section clash Saturday night from UPMC Court. Despite a back-and-forth battle, the Rams prevailed with a 33-30 win.
The first half was a low-scoring affair, as senior Maddie Williams hit a triple for the Tigers, giving NA a brief 3-2 lead. Pine-Richland led 8-5 after one quarter of play. The Tigers added seven points in the second quarter, thanks to strong play from senior Cate Pingpank, who contributed a block and a long two-pointer in the late minutes of the stanza. A Pine-Richland technical foul led to two free throws from senior Vange Balouris, while freshman Macy Sundgren added another foul shot as NA only trailed 13-12 at the half.
The second half started strong for North Allegheny as Pingpank fed fellow senior Rae Shanahan in the post for a layup and the lead. NA led 16-13 before a scoring drought set in, and Pine-Richland junior Mia LeDonne stepped up, scoring 12 of her game-high 17 points to put PR in a comfortable spot. The Tigers outscored the Rams 12-11 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough. NA had a chance late as Balouris was fouled on a three-pointer to bring the score to 32-29, but ultimately ran out of time.
Balouris paced the Tigers with nine points. Shanahan earned Wright Automotive Player of the Game laurels for her eight-point performance and solid work in the post on both offense and defense.
NA falls to 8-10 on the season and 3-5 in section play. The Tigers are back in action Monday night at North Hills for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
GIRLS BASKETBALL SUMMARY VS. PINE-RICHLAND, 1-31-26
| SCORE BY QUARTERS | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine-Richland | 8 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 33 |
| North Allegheny | 5 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 30 |
