The Lady Blue Devils traveled to Greensburg Central Catholic last Thursday for the first round of the PIAA 2A girls basketball tournament. B-A lost 59-27 to bow out of the postseason.
Bellwood was faced with a tough task against the No.1 ranked 2A girls basketball team and were unable to contain the Centurions top 2 scorers, Mya Morgan and Erica Gribble, who combined for 36 points.
“Greensburg Central Catholic has a very good basketball program. Their team all plays together in AAU and they have played a lot of basketball together. Their basketball IQ as a whole is through the roof and it is evident when you watch them read the floor, make the extra pass and flow off of each other’s game,” said Bellwood-Antis coach Kyley Longo-McGarvey.
Greensburg Central Catholic set the tone early, going on a 10-0 run to close out the first quarter, and held a 17-5 lead heading into the second.
The Lady Blue Devils didn’t back down and got the game as close as 19-12 in the second period.
Greensburg Central Catholic scored the next five points and headed into halftime up 24-12.
The Centurions came out of the half determined to grow their lead. Greensburg Central Catholic scored 18 points in the 3rd quarter, outscoring B-A by 11.
“We came out to a slow start in the 1st and 3rd which hurt us. We didn’t take care of the basketball when we needed to and we uncharacteristically had moments of panic. It is a learning experience which will help us in the future,” said coach Longo-McGarvey.
The Lady Blue Devils found themselves in a 23-point hole to start the fourth quarter. The Centurions continued to grow their lead and added another 17 points in the period.
The Lady Blue Devils were led in scoring against by Lilly Gerwert, who had 11 points, and senior Chloe Hammond, who added 8 points.
Bellwood loses four seniors, but returns their top two scorers in sophomore Gerwert and junior Leigha Clapper, who average 13.9 and 8.6, respectively. These two will be key in helping the Lady Blue Devils return to the playoffs next year.
Congratulations to The Lady Blue Devils on a great season.
