EASTON — Unlike their previous two state basketball games, the Crestwood Comets put on an impressive display in the third quarter Saturday afternoon.
The fourth quarter, though, was a little bit scarier than expected.
Crestwood saw a double-digit lead built in the third quarter shrink to three with just under two minutes left, but held on to defeat Strath Haven 54-47 in a PIAA Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinal game at Easton Middle School.
“When it got close, we knew what we needed to do and we did it,” Crestwood senior Kendall Petrosky said. “That’s how we won.”
A pair of free throws by Cameron Vieney with 17.2 seconds left pretty much iced the game for District 2 champion Crestwood. The Comets (24-4) will now have a week off before playing District 12 champion Archbishop Wood (21-7) in the semifinals Saturday.
This is the farthest Crestwood has ever advanced in states, but the next hurdle is a huge one. Wood wiped out District 11 champ Bethlehem Catholic 69-35 in its quarterfinal game and has won four consecutive state titles.
Still, Crestwood will keep playing thanks to a team effort in the third quarter where the Comets turned a 26-25 halftime lead into a 48-37 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.
Petrosky had eight of her 10 points in the third. Vieney had five, including a 3-pointer to ignite a 9-0 run. Jackie Gallagher added a 3-pointer to cap that burst.
“We’re always looking for each other,” Petrosky said. “None of us are selfish. We all want each other to do the best we can.”
In Crestwood’s first two state games, it was outscored 26-16 in the third quarter and allowed the game to tighten up dramatically.
District 1 fifth seed Strath Haven (15-14) chipped at Crestwood’s 11-point lead, eventually slicing it to 48-45 on a 3-pointer by Maddie Fanning with 3:35 to play.
“I didn’t want to hold the ball. That’s not what we were trying to do,” Crestwood coach Mary Mushock-Namey said. “We were trying to space it out a little bit more than we were doing, but unfortunately the girls took it as let’s hold it. We’re not a team that can hold the ball.”
Crestwood finally scored on a basket by Jackie Gallagher with 2:40 left, but Strath Haven moved back within 50-47. The Panthers, though, missed two 3-pointers prior to Vieney hitting two free throws.
The Comets’ only other field goal in their six-point fourth quarter came when Jordan Andrews scored with 4.2 seconds left.
Vieney finished with a team-high 11, including five consecutive points in the second quarter to snap a 20-20 tie. Charlie Hiller had 14 rebounds and eight points. Kate Gallagher grabbed seven boards and scored eight point.
The Comets scored 30 points in the paint, often using their size difference to do so.
“They executed the game plan,” Mushock-Namey said. “We wanted to go inside a lot because we knew they didn’t have that.
“We did that and we also wanted to run the floor.”
Fanning, a 5-foot freshman, had 21 for Strath Haven as her quickness and ballhandling skills gave Crestwood trouble throughout.
PIAA 5A Girls Quarterfinals
Crestwood 54, Strath Haven 47
CRESTWOOD (54) — Charlie Hiller 3 1-2 8, Kendall Petrosky 3 4-4 10, Jackie Gallagher 4 0-0 10, Jordan Andrews 3 0-0 7, Kate Gallagher 4 0-0 8, Cameron Vieney 4 2-3 11. Totals 21 7-9 54.
STRATH HAVEN (47) — Olivia Voshell 5 0-0 10, Kate Fox 1 0-0 3, Maryella Gill 4 0-0 9, Maddie Fanning 8 3-4 21, Kenzie Fanning 0 2-3 2, Ellie O’Connor 0 0-0 0, Annika Slootmaker 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 5-7 47.
Crestwood`13`13`22`6 — 54
Strath Haven`14`11`12`10 — 47
Three-point goals: CRE 3 (Hiller, Andrews, Vieney). SH 3 (Gill, M.Fanning 2).
