This time, Neshannock girls hold off Beaver comeback

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, January 17, 2019 | 10:39 PM

Neshannock made sure there was no slipping Thursday night.

After watching a late lead evaporate in 47-46 loss to Beaver in the WPIAL Section 1-3A girls basketball opener on Dec. 13, the Lancers were determined to avoid that. The game came down to the final possession again, but Neshannock held on for a 42-39 victory in front of a large crowd.

“It’s awesome to come into someone else’s gym and get a win. It was a good team win for us,” Neshannock senor Brie Dean said. “I think the first game, we didn’t really play the way we should have. Tonight, we played better, and that’s why we ended up winning.”

Neshannock (12-2 overall, 7-1 section) got off to a slow start against the Bobcats (11-3, 6-2). Beaver posted a 14-7 lead after the first, but the Lancers chipped away at the deficit and tied the game at 25 heading into halftime.

“We went down big early, but we tied it up at halftime and I told the girls it was a new game,” Neshannock coach Luann Grybowski said. “It was a solid win. I can’t say enough about the effort. I thought we hit some big shots and got some big rebounds. These kinds of games are fun.”

After falling behind 30-28 with 4:04 left in the third quarter, Neshannock had some fun. The Lancers closed the frame with a 9-0 run to post a 37-30 advantage. Kaylee George and Dean capped the spree with a pair of 3-pointers to give the guests some cushion.

“It’s exciting when people make big plays like that. It gets everyone’s energy up,” Dean said. “We just had to play our game and execute and get ahead.”

The Lancers built their lead to nine points, 41-32, with 5:34 to play, but Beaver made a late charge with a 7-0 spurt. Maddi Weiland started it with a 3-pointer and Emma Pavelek added a bucket. Anna Blum swished a long jumper to trim the deficit to 41-39 with 1:43 left.

Neshannock’s Ellina DeLillo pushed the advantage to 42-39 when she split a pair of free throws with 11.1 seconds remaining. Beaver drove for a basket, but the shot did not fall and the Lancers rebounded the ball and held on for the victory.

“I am upset we lost, but not upset with their effort or hustle. I thought they did a great job of fighting back. We just didn’t shoot well in the third quarter and that, to me, was the difference in the game. We battled and that’s all you can ask for as a coach,” Beaver coach Greg Huston said. “We’ve been like that all year — we’ve been down and battled back. A couple times, we’ve been able to re-take the lead. We weren’t able to get this one, but I was proud of the way they played.

“We think (Neshannock) is probably the best team in triple-A. We feel real good about where we are. We feel we’re close, but we also know there’s a lot of basketball to go, too, and we have to get better.”

The victory was the eighth in a row for Neshannock, which sits atop the section standings with Avonworth (9-4, 7-1).

“They played hard tonight. It was fun to watch. I was happy for Brie. She hit some big shots. Kaylee hit some big shots. The last time we played them, they both had two points,” Grybowski said. “We can’t afford to go backward from this. A lot of times after a big win, you come out flat. We can’t afford to do that. Nobody is going to back down for us. We have to come out every night like it’s this kind of a game.”

Pavelek led all scorers with 23 points for the Bobcats. Dean paced the Lancers with 14 and Bella Burrelli added 13.

Joe Sager is a freelance writer.

Tags: Beaver, Neshannock