Upper St. Clair wins cat fight against NA
Eleanor Bailey/the Almanac
Molly James (left) and Mia Brown (right) along with Paige Dellaccarri (back) race to congratulate Rylee Kalocay after she helped Upper St. Clair clinch a 48-44 victory against North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals. Kalocay scored the last nine points in the game that secured a championship berth for the Panthers.
By Eleanor Bailey/Almanac Sports Editor/ebailey@thealmanac.net
Kate Robbins (42) finds herself in a tug of war with Taylor Rawls of North Allegheny. During Upper St. Clair’s 48-44 victory over the Tigers, Robbins pumped in 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
By Eleanor Bailey/Almanac Sports Editor/ebailey@thealmanac.net
Upper St. Clair’s Molly James battles North Allegheny’s Mia Tuman (25) for the rebound during the WPIAL Class 6A semifinal game. USC defeated NA, 48-44.
By Eleanor Bailey/Almanac Sports Editor/ebailey@thealmanac.net
Upper St. Clair’s Molly James battles North Allegheny’s Mia Tuman (25) for the rebound during the WPIAL Class 6A semifinal game. USC defeated NA, 48-44. The Panthers defeated NA, 48-44.
Upper St. Clair clawed its way to victory against North Allegheny, 48-44, and gained a spot in the WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship game.
The Panthers bolted to double-digit leads then let the Tigers overtake them before they regrouped around Rylee Kalocay. The freshman scored the game’s final nine points to seal USC’s victory.
“To do what they did is not easy,” said USC coach Pete Serio, “when you have a double-digit lead and give it away then are able to fight back and win. Well, that doesn’t happen even 50 percent of the time.
“In one of our timeouts, I just looked at them and said that somebody has to make a play. Someone has to step up for us to win this game.”
Before Kalocay provided the big boost, Paige Delliccari stepped up “big-time.” She buried a 3-pointer that gave USC a 34-23 edge with 4:24 to play in the third quarter. After NA went on an 11-0 run, Delliccari struck again. She added another trey with under four minutes to play making it a one-point game, 40-39. Additionally, Delliccari set up Kalocay’s late-game heroics.
“Paige hit the big three and getting that steal at midcourt was huge,” Serio said. “To come back and hit that three when we were down was something I hope she understands was important. That was big-time. Key,” added Serio.
Kalocay erased NA’s 44-41 advantage with a 3-point corner shot with 41 seconds to play. Following Delliccari’s steal, Kalocay took a pass from Mia Brown just beyond the arc and drove to her right before tossing up a shot that floated into the hoop, giving USC a 46-44 lead with five seconds to play.
Kalocay then stole the pass on NA’s ensuing possession and was fouled. She converted both free throws. Kalocay finished with 13 points.
“I was very nervous,” said Kalocay. “Before I hit that three I was 0-for-3, and when I got that last basket I jumped as high as I could and hoped it would go in because their defense is not easy to get around. To win this was a great feeling. It’s fantastic.”
Such a career lay ahead for Kalocay as she is only a ninth grader. Serio assured fans will “enjoy” watching her play in the next few years, not to mention the next few weeks.
“She’s the real deal. She’s that good. Special,” Serio emphasized. “She’s a killer with a killer attitude. She wants that moment and the moment is never going to be too big for that child.”
Kate Robbins, who is just a junior, embraced the opening minutes of action. She scored 10 of her game-high 18 points in the second quarter as the Panthers stretched a 12-7 first-quarter advantage to 29-18 at halftime.
Robbins also grabbed 13 rebounds and helped stake USC to its largest lead, 31-18, at the start of the third quarter.
Additionally, Sam Prunzik handled the NA pressure at the point and Molly James, the lone senior in the lineup, controlled the boards.
“Kate was the key and reason we owned the first half,” Serio said. “Molly came up with the big rebounds. Sam dealt with that pressure for 32 minutes. NA’s reputation has been built on that defense, those traps and double-teams.
“I am really proud of my team. All of the girls really stepped up.”
The win was the first in six encounters with NA over five seasons for the Panthers. One of those losses occurred in last year’s WPIAL title tilt when the Tigers ripped USC, 70-36.
“It was a great win and great to get that monkey off our back,” said Serio. “It was a big monkey.”