POTTSVILLE – Notre Dame and Pine Grove have a long playoff history together, mostly a losing one on the Lady Crusaders end.
Pine Grove had beaten nine of 11 times in District 11 playoff action going into Tuesday’s Class AA girls semifinal at Martz Hall.
But the Lady Crusaders won the last meeting in the 2009 semifinals and some of coach Josh Kopp's players remember that game.
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Hey, history could repeat itself so the coach thought it was worth a shot.
But the Cardinal held the Lady Crusaders to a poor shooting night and advanced to the District 11 Class AA championship game with a 47-32 victory.
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Pine Grove (20-4) advances to the Disitrict 11 championhip game Friday against the Northern Lehigh, a 40-32 winner over Penn Argyl.
Kopp spent a long time in the post-game lockeroom consoling his team, but there was no getting around the fact that his team had a six for 27 shooting night, including a four-for 10 from 3-point range.
Pine Grove used a 12-2 second quarter run to take control with a 24-12 lead at halftime.
"We were held to two points, two foul shots in the last minute," Kopp said. “They really locked us down with the man to man defense.”
Notre Dame fought its way back to six points of the lead at 30-24 late in the third quarter. Lexi McGivern led the Lady Crusaders with 11 points followed by Leigh Ann Lively with eight an d Shannon Moran with seven.
But Pine Grove answered with a 17-8 fourth quarter run to put the game away. Alicia Kimmel led Pine Grove with 13 points.
NOTRE DAME (32) – Spirk 0 0-00 0, McGivern 3 3-4 11, Allzalinz 0 0-0 0, Lively 2 3-4 8, Shupp 0 0-0 0, Pierzga 1 0-5 2., Moran 2 2-2 7, Gorman 1 0-2 2, A. Busalacchi 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 8-17 32
PINE GROVE (47) – Smith 0 0-0 0, Nagle 1 0-0 2, Thompson 0 0-2 0, Evans 4 0-6 8, S. S. Zimmerman 4 0-0 8, R. Zimmerman 0 0-00 0, Kimmel 5 3-3 13, Ryan 3 2-2 6. Anderson 3 2-2 6. Totals 17 13-15 47.
Notre Dame-GP 10 3 12 8 – 32
Pine Grove 12 12 10 17 – 47
3-point FGs: Notre Dame 4 (McGivern, Lively, Moran).
Officials; Hauck, Sheeler, Meck