Greensburg Central Catholic girls rely on defense, Avery Jones’ scoring to reach WPIAL final

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, February 22, 2025 | 3:24 PM

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It looks like Greensburg Central Catholic found its third scoring option. And a defensive edge to go along with it.

Sophomore Avery Jones helped carry some of the offensive load by scoring a career-high 14 points, and No. 2 seed GCC clamped down defensively to hold No. 3 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart to one second-half field goal in a 41-18 victory Saturday in the WPIAL 3A girls basketball semifinals at Peters Township’s AHN Arena.

GCC (20-5), which won the 2A title last year, is headed back to Petersen Events Center, where it will play No. 1 Shady Side Academy (24-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday for the championship.

GCC will go for its seventh WPIAL title.

With OLSH (21-4) focusing most of its attention on junior guards Erica Gribble and Jayla Peterson, Jones sprung free for her second straight double-digit game.

She had 10 points in a 56-47 win over Quaker Valley in the quarterfinals.

“I was really excited for this game, to be able to get back to the Pete,” Jones said. “We had to come in and do what we do.”

A lengthy scoring drought sapped the Chargers.

OLSH, a 2A finalist in 2022 and a quarterfinalist last year, went more than 20 minutes without a field goal and had only five field goals in the game, with no 3-pointers.

GCC dealt with multiple defensive looks and labored at times to add to the lead, but advancing was more important than how it was accomplished.

“We had to be ready to play,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said. “When I saw our (2A top-seeded) boys lose the other night, it set me back a little. OLSH pressed us and went triangle-and-2 (on Gribble and Peterson), 2-2-1 (zone). We adjusted well.

“Avery was a pleasant surprise. Our nerves looked good.”

Gribble finished with 16 points on the floor where she scored her 1,000th career point last season, while Peterson had 10, including eight in the second quarter.

GCC led 8-6 after a rugged opening quarter, but found some separation in the second with a 8-0 run to go ahead 19-8.

Peterson finished a three-point play and Davis made two straight baskets, the second on a putback.

Gribble scored five straight points, including a 3, to put GCC up 26-11 at the half.

“We played well defensively,” Skatell said. “I’ll always take that every day, including Sundays.”

The defensive effort continued in the third as GCC limited the Chargers’ shots. Despite only outscoring them 4-2 in the frame, the Centurions took a 17-point lead to the fourth.

“I thought our defensive strategy was good,” OLSH coach Don Eckerle said. “We had the pace of game we liked early on. GCC did a tremendous job with offensive boards and second-chance opportunities. Give them credit for what they did on the defensive side.”

Jones made back-to-back hoops again in the fourth to push the margin to 20, at 34-14, and Peterson’s short jumper, a 3 from Gribble and a steal-and-score by Gribble made it 41-15.

OLSH’s Sara Daeschner made a basket early in the second quarter, but the Chargers didn’t make another field goal until Claudia Ierullo scored with 1:20 to play in the fourth.

GCC beat OLSH earlier in the season, 40-30.

Ierullo led OLSH with seven points.

GCC had one other scorer. Sophomore Nolan Althof made a free throw.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Our Lady of the Sacred Heart