Dec 29, 2018 4 min read

The momentum for the Washington High School girls basketball team throughout the entirety of the first three quarters Saturday afternoon was palpable.

Firing on all cylinders against its biggest test of the season to this point, undefeated Greensburg Central Catholic, nothing could seemingly go wrong.

Washington made the Centurions uncomfortable with its defense, forcing 19 turnovers, and scoring wasn’t a problem with three players already in double figures, which helped build a 19-point lead.

The nervousness from the Prexies in the final four minutes was just as tangible.

As Washington watched its lead slowly slip away, Carley Allen made a free throw with 17 seconds remaining and Washington converted another turnover into points to avoid a substantial collapse and defeat Greensburg Central Catholic, 65-61, in the Prexies’ holiday tournament championship.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Allen said. “We were up by so much then it just hit us. It was crazy.”

What hit back was Greensburg Central Catholic (7-1) finding an offensive rhythm for the first time in the waning minutes.

Trailing 60-41 with 4:04 remaining, Melina Maietta made back-to-back three pointers, Bella Skatell had a pair of layups, including a three-point play on a contested drive to the basket, to spark a 20-2 run that cut the deficit to one point, 62-61, after GCC’s Anna Eisaman made a pair of free throws with 23 seconds remaining.

During the comeback for the Centurions, Washington (8-0) committed seven turnovers.

“Our pressure sped them up and made them make bad decisions,” said Greesnburg Central Catholic coach Samuel Salih. “We had to rely on our defense. We started squeezing them with the 2-2-1 half-court. Once our shots finally started to fall, the confidence came back and (Washington) started panicking.”

After Allen calmly made the free throw to give the Prexies a two-point lead, 63-61, she forced the turnover just beyond their three-point line that led to a fast-break basket for Cassiday Lewis with four seconds remaining.

“I was crying the whole time,” said Wash High’s Torri Finley, who had to watch from the sideline after suffering a knee injury. “I was a little bit nervous but had faith in my team.”

Allen finished tied with Maietta with a game-high 19 points. She also grabbed seven rebounds before a shoving match ensued at the final buzzer as the teams crossed to their respective benches. The altercation resumed in the handshake line and the teams had to be separated.

A quick start never forced the Prexies to trail throughout the game. Back-to-back layups from Randi Thomas, who finished with 14 points, gave them an 8-0 lead three minutes after the opening tip. Washington’s lead grew to 22 points, its largest of the game, when Allen converted on two straight possessions out of halftime to go up 40-18.

“It’s mainly our defense,” said Washington forward Tamia Russell, the other Prexie to reach double-digits with 11 points.

Washington forced the Centurions into 26 turnovers and made them settle for three-point shots early. GCC went 1-for-11 from three-point range in the first quarter

“We have been averaging nearly nine threes per game,” Salih said. “It’s not like we weren’t getting shots, they just weren’t going down. That happens. You are going to have games when your shots are off and have to make up for it with other things.”

Greensburg Central Catholic joined Washington by making a living at the free-throw line. Eisaman scored 12 of her 15 points on free throws. Skatell also reached double figures for the Centurions with 13 points. The teams combined to shoot 80 free throws.

“It feels pretty good (to be undefeated),” Allen said with a smile. “We are pushing each other. We are talking on the court. We are working as a team.”