NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Games don’t get much bigger in the regular season than the one between the Redbank Valley and Keystone girls in New Bethlehem Tuesday night, and EYT Media/D9Sports.com has all the action covered on Laurel Eye Clinic High School Basketball.
(Photo: Redbank Valley’s Tara Hinderliter (left) and Keystone’s Emily Lauer (right) square off Tuesday night on Laurel Eye Clinic High School Basketball on exploreClarion.com and D9Sports.com. Photos by Kim Constantino)
Tip-off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. or 15 to 20 minutes after the junior varsity game. The Kerle Tire Pregame Show from Redbank Valley School will start at 7 p.m.
Dustin Kifer and Bob “The Governor” Dunkle will have the call of the game with Chris Rossetti also handling the pre- and post-game interviews.
Rossetti will then be joined by Jess Quinn for another edition of The Coach and The Scribe powered by the Rehab Centre with six locations serving you including in Clarion, Brookville and Kittanning. The Rehab Centre, chiropractors caring for health.
At the very least, a share of first place in the KSAC South is on the line in the contest, as Keystone and Redbank Valley are currently in a three-way tie for first in the South with Cranberry, which hosts Clarion Tuesday night.
A win by Keystone means the Lady Panthers (13-6 overall) would control their own destiny in the South with a home game against Cranberry Friday. Two wins and Keystone wins the KSAC South.
A win by Redbank Valley means the Lady Bulldogs (15-4 overall) would need to beat Moniteau Friday and have Cranberry lose to Clarion, Keystone or North Clarion to win the title. A clean sweep in those three games by the Berries would give the championship to Cranberry even if Redbank Valley wins out.
There are other scenarios involving a three-way tie if Redbank Valley beats Keystone but loses to Moniteau and Cranberry beats Clarion but loses to Keystone that could wind up with one of the three teams taking the title. But those scenarios are too complicated to get into right now.
Keystone won the first meeting between the squads, 54-46, Dec. 19 at Keystone thanks to 23 points from Emily Lauer. Emma Huffman led Redbank Valley with 19 points, but the Lady Panthers held the Lady Bulldog’s leading scorer, Tara Hinderliter, to a season-low three points.
That is the only game this season Hinderliter has failed to score in double digits and just one of two in which she hasn’t scored at least 15 points. The senior is averaging 23.7 ppg and is coming off a career-high 40-point performance in an overtime win over Clarion Friday. It marked the third time this season Hinderliter has broken the 30-point mark and the ninth time she has scored at least 25 points in a game.
Freshman Alivia Huffman is adding 9.4 ppg for the Lady Bulldogs with senior Lauren Smith chipping in 7.2 ppg. They help Redbank Valley rank second in District 9 in scoring at 60.1 ppg.
Keystone relies more on its defense to win games, as the Lady Panthers are allowing the eighth-fewest points in District 9 this season at 35.3.
The Lady Panthers are 12th in scoring at 45.6 ppg with Lauer leading the way at 15.1 ppg.
Jozee Weaver chips in 8.1 ppg with Natalie Bowser adding 6.9 ppg.
The 54 points the Lady Panthers put up against Redbank Valley, which ranks 20th in D9 in scoring defense at 41.5 ppg allowed, ties for the third-most in a game this season by Keystone.
The following local sponsors have signed on to make this year’s Laurel Eye Clinic Games of the Week possible all season long:
