By Chris Rossetti
CLARION, Pa. – For all intent and purpose, the District 9 Class A girls’ championship game was over almost before it started.
Keystone had 12 points before Elk County Catholic got a shot off, and the Lady Panthers cruised to their first D9 title since 2012 with a 53-35 win over Elk County Catholic Saturday night at Clarion University’s Tippin Gym.
The Lady Panthers forced five turnovers in the game’s first 2:08 seconds and turned them into easy baskets at the other end to jump out to the 12-0 lead that quickly grew to 17-3 with 3:26 left in the first quarter.
Keystone head coach Barry Foust gives his thoughts on the opening of the game, the win and the season in general.
Senior Amber Hess played a huge role in the first quarter for Keystone scoring nine of her 12 points in the quarter.
She was excited to win a team championship for the Lady Panthers.
Up 22-6 at the end of the first eight minutes, Keystone pretty much put the game on cruise control from there.
The Lady Panthers extended the lead to 18 points, 31-13, at halftime.
Then, early in the third quarter, the lead got to 19 points, 33-14, on a Tessa Weaver layup before Keystone led 40-23 going to the fourth quarter.
The lead then never got under 15 in the fourth quarter.
Josselin Geer led a balanced effort for the Lady Panthers with 14 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Hess added six rebounds to her 12 points, while McKenzie Hovis chipped in 11 points and Taylor Geer eight points and six rebounds despite being in foul trouble and eventually fouling out.
Mackenzie Cashmer and Reilly Herzing led ECC with nine points each with Herzing adding a game-high 10 rebounds.
But poor shooting did the Lady Crusaders in, as they went 12 of 51 (23.5 percent) from the field while turning the ball over 23 times leading to 22 Keystone points.
NOTES – Both teams are in the PIAA playoffs. Keystone will take on WPIAL’s fifth-place team Winchester Thurston, while ECC faces District 6 third-place finishers Bishop Guilfoyle.
KEYSTONE 53, ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 35
Score by Quarters
Elk CC 6 7 10 12 – 35
Keystone 22 9 9 13 – 53
ECC – 35
Mackenzie Cashmer 3-7 1-2 9, Josie Smith 1-7 2-4 4, Cassidy Cunningham 1-12 0-2 2, Mackenzie Gahr 1-4 4-6 6, Reilly Herzing 4-14 1-2 9, Sady VanAlstine 0-1 0-0 0, McKayla Wilson 1-1 0-0 2, Maddie Kear 1-5 0-2 3, Sammi Fields 0-0 0-0 0, Maggie Dinsmore 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-51 8-18 49.
KEYSTONE – 53
McKenzie Byerly 0-3 0-2 0, Kaci Weaver 2-6 0-0 4, Taylor Geer 1-6 6-6 8, Josselin Geer 5-13 3-5 14, Amber Hess 4-6 2-3 12, McKenzie Hovis 4-9 1-6 11, Claire Warner 0-0 0-0 0, Tessa Weaver 1-3 2-2 4, Jelly Seigworth 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-46 14-24 53.
THREE-POINTERS – ECC 3-17 (Cashmer 2-4, Smith 0-2, Cunningham 0-7, Kear 1-4). Keyston 5-18 (Byerly 0-3, K. Weaver 0-1, T. Geer 0-1, J. Geer 1-7, Hess 2-3, Hovis 2-3).
