Highlands girls beat Elizabeth Forward, clinch program’s 1st PIAA spot
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Friday, February 24, 2023 | 9:11 PM
Highlands’ Jocelyn Bielak celebrates with Katelyn Myers after Myers hit a 3-pointer against Elizabeth Forward in the fourth quarter during a WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinal Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Moon Area High School.
Highlands’ Jocelyn Bielak scores past Elizabeth Forward’s Joselyn Dawson during a WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinal Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Moon Area High School.
Highlands’ Ava Nitowski scores over Elizabeth Forward’s Alyssa Terza during a WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinal Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Moon Area High School.
Highlands’ Jocelyn Bielak scores past Elizabeth Forward’s Michelle Jellison for two of her game-high 15 points Friday.
Highlands’ Tyarah Woody grabs a rebound from Elizabeth Forward’s Alyssa Terza during a WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinal Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Moon Area High School.
Highlands’ Kalleigh Nerone scores past Elizabeth Forward’s Joselyn Dawson during a WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinal Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Moon Area High School.
Highlands’ Jocelyn Bielak scores past Elizabeth Forward’s Michelle Jellison during a WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinal Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Moon Area High School.
Highlands’ Katelyn Myers fights for a loose ball with Elizabeth Forward’s Kaelynn Settles during a WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinal Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Moon Area High School.
Highlands’ Jocelyn Bielak fights for a rebound with Elizabeth Forward’s Chloe Zombek during a WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinal Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Moon Area High School.
Highlands’ Ava Nitowski (right) fights for a loose ball with Elizabeth Forward’s Michelle Jellison on Friday.
Highlands’ Shelby Wojcik scores past Elizabeth Forward’s Michelle Jellison during a WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinal Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Moon Area High School.
Highlands players celebrate as they come off the court after making three 3-pointers against Elizabeth Forward to put the game away in the fourth quarter during a WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinal Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at Moon Area High School.
The Elizabeth Forward girls basketball team averaged 60.5 points during the regular season en route to a Section 3 title, 17 victories and the No. 3 seed for the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs.
But No. 6 Highlands limited the potent Warriors offense throughout Friday’s quarterfinal matchup at Gateway’s Furrie Sports Complex.
The Golden Rams limited EF to 27 points and punched their tickets to the WPIAL semifinals for the first time in program history with a 43-27 victory.
“We didn’t give them easy shots, and we limited their shots,” Highlands junior Kate Myers said. “We executed the game plan really well and gave great effort. We helped and packed the paint.
“Being able to keep playing for a WPIAL title is an awesome feeling.”
Highlands (16-7) gets a third crack at North Catholic. The teams will battle Tuesday at a site and time to be determined with a trip to Petersen Events Center on the line.
The No. 2 Trojanettes earned their spot in the semifinals with a 62-22 victory over Beaver on Friday.
“We know how North Catholic plays,” Myers said. “It’s going to take a whole lot of hard work, but I know we will be ready.”
Friday’s win for the Golden Rams also clinched the program’s first trip to the PIAA playoffs.
“I preached defense the past two days, and the girls really bought in and locked in defensively,” Highlands coach Shawn Bennis said.
“I am so proud of them. They started this journey before me as they dedicated themselves to getting better. I give all the credit to how hard they work and the effort they put in on a daily basis. They deserve this success.”
Elizabeth Forward, despite Friday’s loss, still is very much alive in the postseason landscape. The Warriors turn their attention to the PIAA play-in bracket and a consolation semifinal game Monday against Beaver at a site and time to be determined.
EF would clinch a spot in the state playoffs with a win over the Bobcats and would reach Thursday’s fifth-place game.
“They decide from here what they want to do,” said Warriors coach Krystal Gibbs, whose young team with one senior on the roster fell to 17-6.
“They can hang their heads and go through the motions in practice on Sunday and then go play a basketball game, or they can take a day to recover, get themselves back together and keep battling. They can still go and win a state title. That is still out there for them. I know winning the WPIAL is big around here, but being able to go after a state title is pretty special, too.”
Highlands led by 10 at halftime and added to its advantage with back-to-back 3-pointers from Myers and junior Shelby Wojcik.
A Wojcik layup at the 1-minute, 43-second mark of the third gave the Golden Rams their largest lead of the quarter at 32-16.
But EF wouldn’t fold its tent and closed the third on a 7-0 run with a layup and 3-pointer from senior Joselyn Dawson and a layup from sophomore Michelle Jellison.
Dawson fronted the Warriors with 11 points.
EF had momentum on its side heading to the fourth, but Highlands took it right back. Wojcik, Myers and junior Jocelyn Bielak each canned a shot from beyond the arc, and the Golden Rams led 41-23 with 3:46 left.
“Right before their run, we decided to get (junior) Kalleigh (Nerone) a little rest, and with her not in there, other people had to handle the ball,” Bennis said.
“It’s not that we didn’t get shots. We probably didn’t run things the way we normally would and should have. It was in a short span where they made that run. I told the girls at the end of the third that every game there are runs. We knew they were going to come out and double us. We had to make sure we were in our spots and moving the basketball. Shelby hit that first three, and it gave us some of our momentum back. After that third three went down, I felt a sense of relief. I was pleased with the way we responded.”
Bielak led all scorers with 15 points, and Myers added 14. Wojcik finished with eight points. Nerone didn’t score for Highlands, but she grabbed seven rebounds.
EF scored in double figures in a quarter just once with 11 points in the third.
A Bielak 3-pointer with 1:58 left in the first half gave Highlands its first double-digit advantage at 22-12. That was the score as the teams headed into halftime.
“I don’t want to take anything away from what Highlands did,” Gibbs said. “To be honest, there was a little frustration that Highlands practiced on this court (Thursday), and we didn’t. We’re like nomads right now. We’ve had great opportunities at other places, and it’s not an excuse. The mental game of basketball is a big part of it. It’s not just physical, and it’s not just skill. Sometimes, our mental takes over our physical, and I think it might have tonight.”
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
Tags: Elizabeth Forward, Highlands
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