Thomas Jefferson girls take down No. 2 Oakland Catholic, reach 1st title game since ’80
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Wednesday, February 27, 2019 | 9:26 PM
Thomas Jefferson players celebrate as time expires in their WPIAL Class 5A girls semifinal victory over Oakland Catholic Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, at North Allegheny High School.
Thomas Jefferson’s Jenna Clark celebrates with Dalaney Ranallo after scoring against Oakland Catholic during their WPIAL Class 5A girls semifinal Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, at North Allegheny High School.
Thomas Jefferson’s Shaylor Williams battles Oakland Catholic’s Claire Pilewski for a loose ball during their WPIAL Class 5A girls semifinal Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, at North Allegheny High School.
Thomas Jefferson’s Jenna Clark celebrates next to Oakland Catholic’s Jayde Boyd during their WPIAL Class 5A girls semifinal Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, at North Allegheny High School.
Thomas Jefferson’s Jenna Clark drives past Oakland Catholic’s Alexis Sestric during their WPIAL Class 5A girls semifinal Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, at North Allegheny High School.
Thomas Jefferson’s Lydia Shaw battles Oakland Catholic’s Claire Pilewski for a loose ball during their WPIAL Class 5A girls semifinal Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, at North Allegheny High School.
Jenna Clark and her Thomas Jefferson teammates we’re well aware that a Jaguars girls basketball team hadn’t made a WPIAL final since 1980, and they made it their mission to change that this season.
The Jaguars took the court with a determination and self-belief on Wednesday and continued to roll through the playoffs, completing their journey to a long-awaited championship game berth.
Clark had 30 points and the No. 6-seeded Jaguars won their third consecutive playoff game by double-digits with a 68-55 win over No. 2 Oakland Catholic in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals at North Allegheny.
“We’re all really passionate and we wanted this so bad,” said Clark, a Yale recruit. “You could tell every day in practice. You know its grueling going two hours every day, but we just come in and work. We’re really good friends outside the court, too. We love each other, and we wanted to win and our passion led us.”
The Jaguars (19-6) denied Oakland Catholic (20-4) a third consecutive berth in the WPIAL final. They advanced to play top-seeded and Section 1 rival Chartiers Valley in the championship at 3 p.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center.
Thomas Jefferson rolled through the first two rounds with a 79-32 win over Plum and a 79-52 victory over defending champion Gateway in the quarterfinals. They continued their impressive run Wednesday.
“It’s really amazing,” Thomas Jefferson coach Lisa Fairman said. “Words can’t really express the way I’m feeling right now and how proud I am of these girls. They’ve just been relentless in all three games in the playoffs. Every game they’ve come out hungry, worked the boards, and worked together.”
With the score tied 25-25 at halftime, Thomas Jefferson came out of the locker room on fire in the third. The Jaguars sank five 3-pointers and outscored the Eagles, 23-9, in the third quarter to take a 48-34 lead. Oakland Catholic never got within double-digits again.
Alyssa DeAngelo had a pair of 3s in the third and scored 10 of her 18 points in the frame. DeAngelo has never been to Petersen Events Center, and she’s excited for her first visit on Saturday.
“This feels like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” DeAngelo said. “We’ve worked so hard for so long, so this is a really great feeling.”
Thomas Jefferson lost to Oakland Catholic, 58-47, at the Eagles’ holiday tournament Dec. 28, but the Jaguars showed early on they were a confident and loose group.
Wearing bright pink shoes she bought right after Valentine’s Day for the playoffs, Clark paced the Jaguars in the first, scoring 11 points. She had a couple dazzling drives into the lane and finished some tough layups.
When the game was on the line in the fourth quarter, Clark went to the free throw line a half dozen times and made her first 10 free throws, which kept the Jaguars lead comfortable.
“Jenna’s been determined this year,” Fairman said. “It’s her senior year, and she’s wanted to come out and be the best she can be and give her team a chance to go to the Pete and she’s done it. Our team has done it.”
Oakland Catholic got a 3-pointer from Sierra DeAngelo with 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter that capped a 17-8 run and sent the Eagles to the locker room with some momentum, but the Jaguars’ 3-point shooting and foul shooting kept them from making a charge in the fourth.
“They are on a high right now, and we just didn’t knock them off of it fast enough,” Oakland Catholic coach Brianne O’Rourke said.
Alexis Sestric led the Eagles with 22 points, and Sierra DeAngelo scored 18. Oakland Catholic will be in the PIAA tournament starting next week.
“We’ll let this sink in and sulk in for tonight, but you can’t live in this moment longer than what it is, which is just tonight,” O’Rourke said. “We have to refocus, because we have another goal ahead of us, and that’s to win a state championship.”
Tags: Oakland Catholic, Thomas Jefferson
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