McKeesport in PIAA semifinals for 1st time since ’98 after defeating Moon

By: Adam Brewer
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | 10:51 PM

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The McKeesport and Moon girls basketball teams had a lot of similarities ahead of their PIAA Class 5A quarterfinal matchup Wednesday night.

The schools shared the same nickname, Tigers. They also had strong regular seasons and after both lost in the WPIAL semifinals they rebounded with solid runs in the state postseason.

But at the end of the night, there was one main difference between the two squads. McKeesport advanced to the semifinals and Moon’s season is over.

McKeesport was clutch at the free throw line late and was stingy on defense in the final eight minutes to prevail 58-52 in the PIAA’s round of eight matchup at Peters Township High School.

“When you are this late in the tournament, you have to play defense,” McKeesport coach Amy Gumbert said. “Moon has two D-I kids that can take over the game. We were really focused on slowing them down and making sure nobody else hurt us. It’s hard to stop them, but I thought our team defense was excellent. We also out-rebounded them which was huge.”

McKeesport (23-5) advanced to the PIAA semifinals for the first time since 1998. McKeesport defeated Oakland Catholic in the quarterfinals in 1998, but fell to Altoona in the semifinals.

McKeesport will play Chartiers Valley, a 39-35 winner over District 3 champion Gettysburg, in the semifinals on Saturday with a time and site to be determined.

Moon (21-6) was trying to qualify for its first PIAA semifinal appearance since 2007. In the second round, Moon upset WPIAL champion and section rival South Fayette.

“Both teams are so evenly matched,” Moon coach Megan Abbenante said. “I think McKeesport just wanted it more tonight and hats off to their coaching staff. We were trailing the whole second half and couldn’t get over the hump. They are a tough, physical group. We didn’t get that balance on offense and couldn’t put together a big run in the fourth.”

Madison Hertzler led McKeesport with 17 points, while Rachael Manfredo added 16. Brooke Evans was also in double-figures with 12 points.

“Our defense was great tonight,” Hertzler said. “The key thing was getting a hand in their shooters’ face and contest every shot. We had to identify their scorers and box out as a team. We communicated well on defense with our double teams and hit our foul shots.”

Moon only had three players reach the scoresheet, and Emma Theodorsson led all scorers with 25 points. Reilly Sunday (15) and Sarah Santicola (12) rounded out the scoring for Moon.

After Manfredo opened the scoring with a bucket in the fourth, Santicola grabbed back-to-back hoops to make it 44-43. McKeesport pushed its lead to 50-45 after a 6-2 spree, but Theodorsson netted a bucket to make it a one-possession game, 50-47.

McKeesport was able to secure the victory at the charity stripe, going 8 for 10 at the foul line in the final 1:09. Manfredo started the free throw blitz with a pair, and then Hertzler finished off the game with a 3-for-4 mark at the line.

“We shoot so many foul shots in practice,” Manfredo said. “That definitely helped us tonight and for me, I just clear my head and there was no pressure on me. I just make sure I have the right shooting mechanics and make sure I follow through. We were clutch at the line as a team.”

The contest started with both teams on hot streaks from the floor, as there were three lead changes in the opening two minutes. Moon tallied seven straight points to extend its lead to 10-4 halfway through the opening quarter.

Trailing by six, McKeesport ended the first quarter with an 8-0 run and grabbed a 12-10 lead at the end of one. For McKeesport, six different players compiled a bucket in the opening frame.

The teams once again exchanged hoops to start the second stanza. Hertzler nailed a 3-pointer to give McKeesport a 19-14 lead and then two minutes later the sophomore guard connected on both of her free throws to make it 22-18 with 3:56 left in the first half.

Theodorsson tallied 10 of her team’s 14 points in the second quarter, but McKeesport was able to grab late momentum in the second with an 8-2 spree. Avionna Menifee and Hertzler scored treys in the run, as McKeesport held a 30-24 lead at halftime.

After scoring just two points in the first half, Manfredo scored eight of the 12 points for McKeesport in the third quarter. McKeesport stretched its lead to 36-29 after a 3-pointer by Evans, but Moon rallied with a 10-6 spree to cut the deficit to 42-39 at the end of three periods.

“I just had to forget my first half,” Manfredo said. “I give all the credit to my teammates for picking me up and making sure my head wasn’t down on the bench. I was ready for that second half and I got some good looks off of some good passes. We were so focused on winning.”

Gumbert credits the clutch foul shooting late to a practice regime McKeesport been doing lately.

“Every kid had to make 20 free throws before we could end practice today,” Gumbert said. “We knew foul shooting was going to be key. This team has so much heart and guts. We start four sophomores and a junior, but these kids don’t back down from the big gyms or the bright lights.”

Tags: McKeesport, Moon