Cedar Cliff ends Upper St. Clair’s girls basketball season
Upper St. Clair’s quest for a state championship soured when the Panthers succumbed, 39-22, to Cedar Cliff (29-0) in a quarterfinal PIAA game played March 17 at Altoona.
In the first two minutes of play, leading scorers Rylee Kalocay (20 ppg.) and Kate Robbins (11 ppg.) picked up their second foul and sat out until the second quarter. By then, Cedar Cliff had constructed a 12-1 lead that stretched to 18-10 by intermission.
When Kalocay incurred an injury and Robbins collected her third personal foul, the margin increased to 31-13 by the end of the third quarter.
“It was a very tough game to be involved in,” said USC skipper Pete Serio. “Our girls played extremely hard and never gave up. I was very proud of them.”
In the loss, Meredith Huzjak led the Panthers with five points.
Despite the defeat, Serio was pleased with what the Panthers were able to accomplish this season. USC finished 23-4 overall.
“Although we didn’t get gold, we were undefeated in section, played in the WPIAL Championship, and made it further in states than any USC team since 1999. There is a lot to be proud of this year.”
Serio also acknowledged the careers of his seniors: Robbins, Paige Dellicarri, Mia Brown, Sam Prunzik, Ava Keating, Naomi Richardson and John Madeline.
“This senior class accomplished some great things while over coming some unfortunate injuries,” Serio said. “They have three silver medals and two section championships.”