A-C Valley Girls; Otto-Eldred Boys Claim D9 1A Consolation Games

KANE, Pa. – The A-C Valley girls and the Otto-Eldred boys won their respective District 9 Class 1A consolation games Friday night at Kane High School.

(Cover photo of Otto-Eldred’s Trey Dalton. Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)

In the girls’ game, A-C Valley, the fifth seed, beat second-seeded Northern Potter, 59-47, while in the boys’ game, third-seeded Otto-Eldred shook off its heartbreaking loss in the semifinals to Johnsonburg when it blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead to topple fourth-seeded North Clarion, 52-51.

OTTO-ELDRED 52, NORTH CLARION 51

Seldom-used sophomore Cameron Grigsby scored on a back screen following a fake lobe with 10 seconds to play to lift Otto-Eldred to the one-point win.

Grigsby, who had appeared in five games all season including just eight seconds in the postseason, scored seven points in the win.

North Clarion had a chance to win the game after Grigsby’s basket, but a runner by Nathan Banner missed the mark.

The Wolves, who face WPIAL champion Monessen in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs March 10 at a WPIAL site and time to be determined, led by six, 49-43, early in the fourth quarter only to watch Otto-Eldred rally to tie the game at 49 with 5:08 left.

North Clarion was able to grab a lead 51-50 lead with under a minute to play but couldn’t hold it.

Banner led the way for the Wolves with 23 points with Sam Minich adding 10.

Otto-Eldred, which faces the tall task of playing defending state champion Kennedy Catholic in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs March 10 at a District 10 site and time to be determined, got 17 points from Trey Dalton. Damen Palmer chipped in 11. Bosco Ramiro Alonzo chipped in six points and 13 rebounds.

OTTO-ELDRED 52, NORTH CLARION 51

Score by Quarters

North Clarion 9 15 18 9 – 51
Otto-Eldred 10 13 18 11 – 52

NORTH CLARION – 51

Chase Schmader 2 0-3 4, Nathan Banner 9 3-5 23, Keeven Weaver 2 0-1 4, Zander Hargenrader 0 1-2 1, Sam Minich 4 0-0 10, Jess Scjmader 1 0-0 2, Logan Minich 1 0-0 3, Noah Myers 1 2-2 4, Matson Higgins 0 0-0 0, Kyle Mills 0 0-0 0, Tyler McCord-Wolbert 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 6-13 51.

OTTO-ELDRED – 52

Sawyer Drummond 0 2-2 2, Dylan Close 2 0-2 4, Damen Palmer 5 0-0 11, Bosco Ramiro Alonzo 2 1-2 6, Jordan Sherwood 1 0-0 2, Seth Drummond 1 1-2 3, Trey Dalton 6 2-2 17, Mark Miller 0 0-0 0, Brett Baldwin 0 0-0 0, Andrew Sheeler 0 0-0 0, Nick York 0 0-0 0, Cameron Grigsby 3 1-2 7. Totals 20 7-12 52.

Three-pointers: North Clarion 5 (Banner 2, S. Minich 2. L. Minich). Otto-Eldred 5 (Dalton 3, Palmer, Alonzo)

A-C VALLEY 59, NORTHERN POTTER 47

Ellie Thompson exploded for 25 points to lift A-C Valley to the 12-point victory.

Olivia Boocks chipped in 11 points for A-C Valley, which led by three, 31-28, at halftime and by four, 41-37, at the end of the third quarter before pulling away in the final eight minutes.

Kalie Cowburn paced Northern Potter with 16 points with Gracie Hamilton adding 12.

A-C Valley faces District 6 champion Bishop Carroll in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs March 11 at a District 6 site and time to be determined.

Northern Potter takes on WPIAL champion Winchester Thurston in the PIAA postseason March 11 at a WPIAL site and time to be determined.

A-C VALLEY 59, NORTHERN POTTER 47

Score by Quarters

A-C Valley 15 16 10 18 – 59
Northern Potter 14 14 9 10 – 47

A-C VALLEY – 59

Cami McNany 2 3-4 8, Emma Fox 0 0-0 0, Ellie Thompson 11 3-4 25, Allison Sherman 1 0-0 2, Madelyn Dittman 0 0-0 0, Annie Viertel 2 0-0 5, Brooke Irwin 0 0-0 0, Olivia Boocks 3 4-6 11, Kylee Eaton 4 0-0 8. Totals 23 10-14 59.

NORTHERN POTTER – 47

Becca Morgan 2 3-6 7, Abbie Anderson 2 0-0 4, Tori McCutcheon 2 0-1 5, Gracie Hamilton 6 0-0 12, Kalie Cowburn 8 0-0 16, Mikayla Lewis 1 1-2 3, Jenna Hyde 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 4-9 47.

Three-pointers: A-C Valley 3 (McNany, Viertel, Boocks). Northern Potter 1 (McCutcheon).