LH girls’ season ends with playoff loss to Steel Valley
NORTH HUNTINGDON – A hot start turned cold very quickly for Laurel Highlands and the girls’ season came to an end in the preliminary round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs. Steel Valley beat Laurel Highlands, 63-43, Friday night at Norwin High School.
Laurel Highlands jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first 2:09 of the game, but couldn’t score another basket from the field for the next 7:03.
The dry spell lasted through the end of the first quarter and into the second. By the time Kayla Ashton put in a lay-up at the 6:48 mark of the second quarter, Steel Valley had taken the lead.
Ashton’s lay-up didn’t break the ice for Laurel Highlands. It was the Fillies’ only field goal of the second quarter, the only field goal in almost 14 minutes of game action.
At the half, Steel Valley held a 31-19 lead as Laurel Highlands relied on free-throw shooting for the bulk of its scoring.
“We did not shoot well tonight,” said Laurel Highlands coach Gerry Slampak. “We had some good looks; it just didn’t fall. Our foul shooting wasn’t tournament level either (last night), but there were times when no matter what we took it wasn’t going to fall. There was a lid on the basket.”
The lid came off early in the second half. Ashton scored five quick points to put the Fillies back in the game. Laurel Highlands crept to within 39-35 in the final minute of the third quarter, but a 12-0 Steel Valley run put the game away. The biggest Steel Valley margin was 23 points late in the fourth quarter.
“The girls didn’t quit,” Slampak said. “They came back and Steel Valley adjusted; Steel Valley stopped us at that point.”
Steel Valley’s adjustment?
“It was their size and aggressiveness that hurt us in the second half,” he said.
Ashton scored 25 points to lead all players. The Laurel Highlands guard also grabbed 10 rebounds to tie forward Amber Sanner for team honors.
Laurel Highlands actually played well inside against its bigger opponent. Steel Valley outrebounded Laurel Highlands by only 51-45.
Steel Valley was led by the one-two inside punch of Kelly Ducar and Natalie Krysinski.
The 5-foot-8 Krysinski scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. She also had 3 blocked shots.
Ducar scored 16 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and also had 5 steals and 4 assists.
“They were big and worked the ball inside well and it caused problems for us,” Slampak said. “They got a lot of points inside.”
Laurel Highlands had finished its season with three consecutive wins to claim a share of third place with two other teams in Section 3-AAA. The Fillies were 8-6 in league play, 10-15 overall.
“It was a good season,” Slampak said. “We had some ups and downs. They finished out the section strong.
“You never say you’re satisfied with a loss but I think on another night we could’ve just as easily been a winner.”