Prosser, Berlin Brothersvalley surge past St. Joseph in PIAA Class 1A second round
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP — Defense travels this time of the year. Berlin Brothersvalley showcased that in its PIAA Class 1A girls' basketball second-round matchup against St. Joseph on Wednesday at Hempfield Area High School.
The Mountaineers erased a two-point halftime deficit to earn a 61-50 victory over the Spartans.
"The girls did an awesome job," said Berlin coach Rachel Prosser. "The first half wasn't perfect, but we kept our heads. Whatever we needed to have done, they did. The lineup we went with worked."
Berlin senior Taylor Hillegass picked up two quick fouls and sat the majority of the first half. Freshman Elena Ritchey stepped in and made contributions at both ends of the floor.
The Mountaineers (23-5) trailed 11-10 after a back-and-forth first quarter.
It was much of the same in the second. Berlin took its third lead of the game on two made free throws by freshman Coral Prosser.
Moving on Berlin Brothersvalley onto 1A quarterfinals with victory over Lancaster County Christian
However, the Spartans (23-5) regained the lead and held a narrow 22-20 advantage into the locker room, despite the Mountaineers scoring the final four points of the frame.
St. Joseph senior and Frostburg State University recruit Julie Spinelli gave the Spartans their biggest lead of the game 25-20, following a three-point play to open the third. Spinelli finished with 19 points.
Sophomore Mercy Sechler has drawn the opposition's top player throughout the season. She made Spinelli work for all of her points.
"It was all of us as a team," Sechler, who finished with eight points, said of the defensive effort. "During practice, we worked on talking and making sure we had someone on (Gia Richter) and (Spinelli). We did not want them to shoot threes. We knew we would be fine. We have great chemistry, and we work well together."
The Mountaineers limited St. Joseph 6-foot-3 senior Anna Kreinbrook, a Catholic University recruit, to just 10 points.
Berlin took control of the game from there.
Senior Regan Lauer drilled a corner three to ignite a 10-2 spurt and a 30-27 lead.
Spinelli tied the game at 33 apiece with 1:55 to go, but the Mountaineers answered. Prosser poured in a three to retake the lead. She notched eight of her game-high 33 points in the latter stages of the third to give Berlin a 41-38 advantage after three.
Hillegass opened the fourth with a bucket. Freshman Lexi Foor put back an offensive board to give the Mountaineers their largest lead of the game, 45-39.
St. Joseph pulled within three, but Prosser was electric down the stretch. She recorded 13 points in the fourth and went 7-of-7 at the charity stripe to ice the game and send the Mountaineers back to the PIAA quarterfinals.
"We just needed to calm down and take care of the ball," Coach Prosser said of what changed in the second half."(St. Joseph) plays good defense and speeds you up. Once we calmed down and were under control, we didn't turn it over. We turned it over a lot in the first half. Taking care of the ball was important."
Conference champs Berlin Brothersvalley avenges loss to Williamsburg, earns Inter-County Conference title
Hillegass finished with seven points before fouling out while Ritchey and Foor combined for eight points off the bench.
Berlin will meet District 6 runner-up Williamsburg, a 54-30 victor over Elk County Catholic, in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Richland High School. Berlin fell to Williamsburg during the regular season but bounced back to knock off the Blue Pirates in the Inter-County Conference championship game. Coach Prosser is eager for the rubber match.
"They are an awesome team. They've made us better both times we've played them." Coach Prosser said. "We are looking forward to the matchup.
Conemaugh Township boys fall
Conemaugh Township dropped a 70-54 setback to defending PIAA Class 2A champion, Lancaster Mennonite in the second round on Wednesday at McConnellsburg.
Conemaugh Township (22-6) claimed its fourth straight District 5 crown this season.
The team loses talented senior Jon Updyke, who scored a game-high 20 points, to graduation. Sophomore Colin Dinyar added 16 points.
Adam Ripple is the Daily American sports editor. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on X (Twitter) @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Berlin outplays St. Joseph in 2nd half, earns PIAA quarterfinal berth
