DUBOIS — A strong defensive output powered top-seeded Ridgway to its first playoff win since 1999, a 39-22 victory over Brockway in the Class AA quarterfinals Friday at DuBois Area Senior High School.
The Lady Elkers showed off their D9-best scoring defense by holding the No. 8 Lady Rovers (12-11) to only six points in the first half and 13 points after three quarters. Ridgway (17-6) entered the contest by only allowing 24.7 points per game all season.
Christian Fullem paced Ridgway with a team-high 13 points. Gabby Rohr chipped in with 10 points and Eve Cobaugh finished with nine. Free throws was a factor in the win for the Lady Elkers as they went 15-for-26 from the line.
Daniella Wood led Brockway with nine points and Macie Smith had eight. Wood hit the only 3-pointer in the game.
Friday’s game was the third meeting between Ridway and Brockway. The two teams split the regular season series.
Ridgway advances to the semifinals and will play No. 4 seed Keystone on Wednesday.
AT DUBOIS
Brockway (22)
Smith 3 2-2 8, Morelli 1 0-1 2, Wood 3 2-4 9, Buttery 1 1-2 3. Totals: 8 5-9 22
Ridgway (39)
Christina Fullem 5 3-6 13, Gabby Rohr 2 6-10 10, Steis 1 2-2 4, Dulhunty 1 1-2 3, Cobaugh 3 3-6 9. Totals: 12 15-26 39
Brockway 2 6 13 22
Ridgway 6 12 20 39
Three-point goals: Brockway 1 (Wood), Ridgway 0; Total fouls: Brockway 15, Ridgway 12; fouled out: Buttery (B).
BROCKWAY — It had been five years since the Redbank Valley Lady Bulldogs won a playoff game.
Friday night’s 37-25 win over AML champion Kane ended that drought, as the Lady Bulldogs advanced to the District 9 Class AA semifinals with their first postseason win since 2015. They’ll get KSAC arch-rival Clarion on Wednesday at a site and time to be announced.
The way things went at Brockway Area High School, it looked like lids were certainly on the basket.
The Lady Bulldogs (17-7) led 17-11 at halftime with neither team shooting well — the Lady Bulldogs 6-for-28 after a 1-for-11 start and Kane 4-for-30. It didn’t get much better for the Lady Bulldogs and it actually got worse for Kane as it missed its first 20 shots of the second half.
Certainly credit Redbank Valley’s physical and aggressive defense for carrying the win while shooting just 13-for-60 (22 percent) from the field for the game. Kane wound up with a miserable 6-for-55 (11 percent). The Lady Wolves were 2-for-24 from the 3-point line.
Despite its poor shooting, Kane had a chance to get it to single digits at 33-23 with under a minute left in the game, but missed a free throw.
Tara Hinderliter scored 18 points to lead the Lady Bulldogs, going 5-for-12 from the field and 7-for-11 from the foul line. No other player reached double figures in scoring, but Foringer scored six points and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds.
Emily Bucheit, who was 1-for-18 from the floor, led Kane with nine points. She was 6-for-13 from the foul line. Ainsley Saf scored seven points with nine rebounds and Sarri Swanson had a team-high 12 rebounds to go with four points.
AT BROCKWAY
Kane (25)
Hillman 0 1-4 1, Koza 1 2-2 4, Saf 3 0-1 7, Bucheit 1 6-13 9, Swanson 1 2-4 4, Brown 0 0-4 0. Totals: 6 11-28 25
Redbank (37)
Tara Hinderliter 5 7-11 18, Smith 1 0-0 2, E. Huffman 1 0-0 3, Foringer 3 0-0 6, Clouse 1 0-0 2, A. Huffman 1 0-0 3, Rearick 1 0-0 3. Totals: 13 7-11 37.
Kane 6 11 12 25
RBV 11 17 24 37
Three-point goals: Kane 2 (Saf, Bucheit), RBV 4 (Hinderliter, E. Huffman, A. Huffman, Rearick)
