Girls Game of the Week: Beth-Center beats Avonworth, 59-45
Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard
The Beth-Center girls basketball team celebrates after defeating Avonworth, 59-45, in Friday’s WPIAL Class AA preliminary round playoff game at Peters Twp.
The Lady Bulldogs' Kinlee Whited (33) pushes past Avonworth’s Erin Welsh (11) during Beth-Center’s 59-45 win over Avonworth on Friday night in their WPIAL Class AA preliminary round playoff game at Peters Twp.
Beth-Center guard Kinlee Whited (33) makes a shot during the Lady Bulldogs' 59-45 win over Avonworth on Friday night in their WPIAL Class AA preliminary round game at Peters Twp.
The Lady Bulldogs' Destini Irey (12) leaps to shoot during Beth-Center’s 59-45 win over Avonworth in Friday's WPIAL Class AA preliminary round playoff game at Peters Twp.
Beth-Center guard Kinlee Whited (33) dribbles past Avonworth defenders on her way to the basket in Friday's WPIAL Class AA preliminary round playoff game at Peters Twp. The Lady Bulldogs won, 59-45.
Beth-Center forward Madison Darney (23) dodges a block by Avonworth guard Nicole Costa (31) during Friday's WPIAL Class AA preliminary round playoff game at Peters Twp.
McMURRAY — Anna Bartman was certain the Beth-Center girls basketball team had never won a WPIAL playoff game until Friday night’s 59-45 win over Avonworth at Peters Township High School.
Then coach Steve Beyer came walking by and confirmed that it was in the 1980s when the Lady Bulldogs last won a playoff game.
That was a decade before Bartman and the current Lady Bulldogs were born, so we’ll have to give her a pass.
“This means so much to us,” Bartman said after scoring 24 to lead Beth-Center. “After winning only three games last year, this was a long time coming.”
Beth-Center improved to 13-5 with the win and advances to a first-round game against No. 3 seed Greensburg Central Catholic Tuesday back at Peters Township at 6:30 p.m. Avonworth finished its season at 8-14.
Beth-Center also got 18 points from Kinlee Whited. Anna Joyce paced Avonworth with 18, all coming on 3-pointers. Kathryn Gould added 11.
It looked at the beginning like B-C might have to wait longer to taste playoff success. The Lady Bulldogs trailed 14-8 late in the first and Bartman hadn’t scored. But, she hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer and opened the second quarter with another to tie the score, 14-14.
“As long as I can get the first one to fall, I tend to take off,” Bartman said. “Kinlee had her gamer going and she helped keep us in the game. Her driving game is awesome.”
“I think it was playoff nerves in the early going,” Beyer said. “It’s been a while since we’ve been here and Kinlee is only a freshman, so we didn’t know how she would play. We had seen film of Avonworth and felt we’d be OK once we settled down and started playing our game.”
Beth-Center never trailed after Whited scored to make it 16-14 and opened a 27-18 lead 2:30 before halftime. But, Avonworth went on a run of its own, with back-to-back-to-back threes to close the gap to 29-27 at the break.
Joyce had five of her 3-pointers to that point and hit another early in the third quarter to cut BC’s lead to 34-32, but didn’t score again, thanks to Whited and the B-C defense.
“Their girl hit two threes right before the half that kind of woke us up,” Beyer said. “Kinlee is probably our best defensive player. After 19 games this year, she isn’t a freshman anymore. She did a very good job of stopping her.”
Not only didn’t Joyce score anymore, she didn’t really get another clean look at the basket.
“I think their guards were getting a little bit tired from our defense,” Beyer said.
The Lady Bulldogs kind of ran away in the fourth quarter after Bartman’s last of four 3-pointers ended the third quarter with Beth-Center ahead, 39-36. And the Lady Bulldogs did it at the free throw line, where B-C hit 10-of-13 down the stretch. Whited was good on 7-of-9.
So, now it’s on to meet the Lady Centurions.
“I know they start five seniors,” Beyer said. “But we’re going to enjoy this win for 24 hours.”
After such a long wait, they should enjoy it.
WPIAL Playoff Sum
Class AA
Preliminary Round
at Peters Twp.
Avonworth 14-13-9-9 — 45
Beth-Center 11-18-10-20 — 59
Avonworth: Anna Joyce 18, Kathryn Gould 11. Beth-Center: Anna Bartman 24, Kinlee Whited 18. Records: Avonworth (8-14), Beth-Center 13-5).