Piccolino sparks Keystone Oaks to Section 3-4A win over Elizabeth Forward

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, February 1, 2018 | 11:12 PM

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Keystone Oaks’ stingy defense normally kick starts the girls basketball team on offense. However, the Golden Eagles’ defense didn’t fully click into gear until the second quarter Thursday night.

Once the Golden Eagles used their athleticism to their advantage, they were able to away from Elizabeth Forward in a 65-50 Section 3-4A victory.

Class 4A No. 3 Keystone Oaks (16-3, 12-0) held only a two-point lead, 19-17, in the second quarter. Then junior Gillian Piccolino put her fingerprint on the game.

Piccolino scored eight points during a 14-6 run to take a 33-23 lead into halftime.

“Our main focus was rebounding,” Piccolino said. “We started slow with that so we knew we had to pick up on the defensive side because most of the time our defense sparks our offense.”

In the second half, Piccolino, who finished with a game-high 25 points, continued to hurt the Warriors (12-6, 8-4), factoring in the Golden Eagles’ first 12 points of the third quarter.

“I put a little challenge to her to come out to be successful. She had a run like that the first time we played them in the first quarter,” Keystone Oaks coach Ron Muszynski said. “She came out and she wanted it. She came through with flying colors, and I’m very proud of her.”

After converting 1 of 2 at the line to start the half, Piccolino, who sat out the fourth quarter, asserted herself on the glass with putbacks on back-to-back trips.

On the next trip down the floor, Piccolino saved an airball 3-point attempt from going out of bounds and found junior Isa Bodgan, who drove for two to extend the Keystone Oaks lead to 40-23.

After a 3-pointer by Elizabeth Forward junior Julia Jenkins, Piccolino showed off her range by hitting a 3 from the corner to make it 43-26.

“We came out really strong in the second half because we knew the stakes, and we knew Elizabeth Forward was a really good team,” Piccolino said. “They were going to come out strong, and we had to come out stronger.”

Piccolino, who only had five points in the first quarter, scored 10 each in the second and third quarters. She also went 5 for 6 from the free throw line.

Elizabeth Forward (12-6, 8-4) was led by the inside-outside tandem of junior Brianna Spirnak, who finished with 19 points, and Jenkins, who finished with 18.

Spirnak, who was 6 of 7 from the line, scored 10 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter. Jenkins, who hit four 3-pointers, scored 12 of her 18 points in the first half.

The Golden Eagles’ trap was giving the smaller-sized Warriors issues as Keystone Oaks expanded its led to 53-35 after three quarters.

“They trap really well, and they trap off the first pass. We got a little frazzled, and we weren’t able to find the open man,” Elizabeth Forward coach Krystal Gibbs said.

“We are tiny so it’s hard to see that pass when they’re trapping us.”

Keystone Oaks will look to finish section play unbeaten in back-to-back seasons at home against Belle Vernon (16-4, 11-1) on Monday and at South Park (11-8, 8-4) on Feb. 8.

“We have three really tough games in a row with Elizabeth Forward, Belle Vernon and South Park. All three are really good teams. They are playoff competition for us as we get ready for the playoffs,” Muszynski said.

“We take no games for granted. Even though we beat all three of them, we aren’t overlooking them. They are all very talented teams.”

Andrew John is a freelance writer.

Tags: Elizabeth Forward, Keystone Oaks