Beth-Center makes things simple in victory
Beth Center’s Anna Bartman points to the crowd as the Bulldogs leave the court after beating Avonworth for the program’s first WPIAL playoff win since 1984. Beth-Center plays Greensburg Central Catholic Tuesday night at Peters Township.
Beth Center’s Anna Bartman passes to a teammate during the fourth quarter Friday night. Bartman scored a game-high 24 points.
Beth Center’s Ally Trippy passes around Avonworth’s Lily Tedesco in the first quarter Friday.
McMURRAY – Like most basketball coaches, Stephen Beyer has plenty of complex offensive plays and sets in his playbook. He has taught his Beth-Center High School girls basketball team plays designed to get inside shots, perimeter shots and quick shots. The Bulldogs have spent countless hours refining the timing and technique required to successfully execute each of those plays.
None of them came in handy Friday night.
When Beth-Center played Avonworth in the preliminary round of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs, the Bulldogs reduced all those complex plays, sets and movements into four simple words: drive to the basket.
Beth-Center guards Anna Bartman and Kinlee Whited combined for 42 points, the majority resulting from relentless, twisting drives to the basket, and Beth-Center pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 59-45 victory at Peters Township High School.
It is believed to be the first WPIAL playoff victory for Beth-Center since 1984, the year the WPIAL held an open playoff tournament.
“To win a playoff game means so much,” said Bartman, a senior point guard who scored a game-high 24 points. “This is the first time in so long that Beth-Center has won a playoff game, and it came after some rough seasons.”
The Bulldogs, who were 3-15 last year, improved their current record to 13-5 and advanced to play third-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic (18-2) Tuesday night back at Peters Township.
“We’re going to enjoy this one for 24 hours,” Beyer said. “Greensburg Central Catholic is good, but we’re not going to quit playing hard against anyone.”
Avonworth (8-14), a team that does not have a senior on its roster, tested Beth-Center’s resolve in the first half by making six of 10 three-point shots, including four by Anna Joyce. The Bulldogs, however, stuck with a simple game plan of letting Bartman and Whited drive to the basket, working one-on-one against either Joyce or Nicole Costa.
Whited, a freshman, was the primary reason B-C took a 29-27 lead into halftime as she scored 11 first-half points with five coming from the free-throw line. Whited finished the game with 19 points and made 12 of 16 free throws.
“After 18 games, Kinlee’s not a freshman anymore,” Beyer said.
Beth-Center led by as many as nine points in the second quarter before Avonworth closed the first half by making three-pointers on three consecutive possessions – the last two by Joyce – to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to a basket.
“At halftime, we were excited and upbeat. We didn’t play our best but we were leading by two points,” Beyer said. “I told them all we had to do was play defense. We pride ourselves on our defense. We try to hold teams to under 36 points.”
The Bulldogs made it a point to play tighter defense against Joyce and Costa, and force Avonworth to work the ball inside for points. The Antelopes were held to 18 second-half points and made just two three-pointers, one coming in the closing minutes with the outcome already decided.
Joyce and Costa also seemed to wear down in the second half from having to chase and defend Bartman’s and Whited’s drives to the basket.
“Their guards had a hard time chasing us,” Bartman said. “They played up on us in the first half, and we felt we could get around them and get to the basket.”
Bartman admitted she was frustrated with her shooting in the first half, when she scored eight points. Her only field goals were two three-pointers. But she sparked a 19-2 run that covered the end of the third quarter and first five minutes of the fourth quarter, turning a 36-36 game into a 56-38 advantage for the Bulldogs. Bartman scored 10 points during the spurt and had two nifty assists late in the game that led to easy baskets for Destini Irey and Madison Darney.
“Sometimes what works is just letting them play basketball,” Beyer said. “Our girls are athletic and good at getting to the basket. Sometimes they will look at me for a play, and I’ll just let them make the decisions on the court. I have all the confidence in the world in our guards. I thought we could beat their defenders off the dribble.”
Joyce led Avonworth with 15 points but scored only three in the second half. Katie Gould scored 11 points. … Irey had a game-high 13 rebounds.