Shenango jumps on B-C early for playoff win
PITTSBURGH – Despite losing six of its first eight games in the regular season, Beth-Center had a strong second half to qualify for the WPIAL Class AA playoffs for the second straight year.
It was a run that many didn’t expect since the Bulldogs no longer had the scoring and leadership of Anna Bartman. But sophomore point guard Kinlee Whited’s 19 points per game and Beth-Center’s relentless defense proved to be a winning formula.
What the Bulldogs were lacking in made their stay in the postseason a short one: experience.
Playing with five sophomores and two freshmen, Beth-Center’s offense faltered in the first half, and Shenango used a hot start to run away with a 69-30 win in a Class AA preliminary round game Friday night at Baldwin High School.
The Wildcats (13-9), the fourth-place team from Section 1-AA advanced to the first round, where they will play second-seeded Burrell (18-4) Tuesday at North Catholic. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, saw their season end with an 8-11 overall record.
Though Beth-Center committed 14 first-half turnovers, their real trouble began a week ago when Destinee Irey, a 5-11 senior forward and the Bulldogs’ lone post presence, suffered a concussion that made her unavailable against Shenango. Two other players also were out.
Shenango took advantage of the open lane, driving to the basket and either attempting a layup or passing to an open player on the perimeter. The Wildcats, who were led by senior guard Angelina Sibeto’s 15 points, shot 58 percent from the field in the first half, leading to a 44-11 lead though two quarters.
Shenango’s press made Beth-Center uncomfortable and led to a 16-0 start to the game.
“Offensively, we got good looks, but we didn’t make anything and they were lights out,” Beth-Center head coach Stephen Beyer said. “When you’re down 16-0, it’s an uphill battle to begin with and it made things worse when they shot lights out.”
The Wildcats’ goal from the opening tip was to limit Whited’s chances. They used athletic sophomore guard Carolyn Peterson to shadow Whited and force her left when driving. They also forced her to give the ball up.
The Bulldogs did not have a field goal for nearly seven minutes to start the game and shot just 3 of 14 from the field in the first half.
“We thought their other guards were skittish with the ball. It’s tough for a point guard to bring it up and score,” Shenango head coach Jason Rankin said. “It’s like saying, ‘I’m going to set the offense up and the offense is for me.’ Without a point guard to handle the pressure, we were able to get up and defend. That was the game changer. That really got us out and got us running.”
The Wildcats, meanwhile, couldn’t seem to miss a shot in the first half, despite Beth-Center contesting most attempts and limiting Shenango’s inside looks in half-court sets. But the Bulldogs struggled with turnovers and Shenango took advantage with seven different players scoring in the first half.
Peterson, who made three three-pointers, had 11 points and Shenango’s leading scorer, Samantha Seaburn, finished with 10. Whited finished with a game-high 18 points, including 13 in the second half, and sophomore guard Mary Gustovich had seven points.
The Bulldogs’ defense improved in the third quarter and Shenango began to miss shots, but they were held to only seven third-quarter points and the early deficit proved to be too much to overcome.
“We’ve been in some games for a few minutes and then things got away from us, then we find ourselves down 15 or 20 points,” Beyer said. “The thing I love about this team is they always play the entire game, they never quit. They were like, ‘OK, what do we have to lose and let’s go from here.'”