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KitchenSales cruises into championship

By Nate Ritchey

nritchey@altoonamirror.com

HOLLIDAYSBURG — The alumni division of the Blair Regional YMCA League was dominated by KitchenSales.com as it finished the regular season unbeaten.

I&Y Construction was the second-place squad and it wasn’t too bad itself, losing just two games.

On Monday, both teams punched their tickets to the title game in different fashion as I&Y got past third-seeded Steven’s Carpet One, 54-46, in the doubleheader opener. KitchenSales.com throttled Sheetz, 56-30, in the other game. The title game is at 7 p.m. Thursday.

In the opener, I&Y seized control of a back-and-forth beginning as Steven’s led for the final time at 12-11.

“This is a blast I would say (playing in the league),” I&Y’s Kayley Burke said. “How far we’ve come, how well we play together now, and seeing from our first game until now this summer; it’s like we’ve been playing together for so long. It’s sort of sweet to see that happen.”

A layup by Madison Shetrom gave I&Y the lead for good and sparked an 11-0 run that saw the deficit not only erased but the lead extend to 22-12 on a bucket by Taylor Love, who was the lone player to reach double figures in the game with 10.

Steven’s wasn’t about to go away as it reeled off a 10-2 run that ended with Becky Bard knocking down a 3-pointer to cut the I&Y lead to just 24-22.

Clinging to a six-point edge at the break, I&Y had to answer several Steven’s attempts to overtake the lead.

Four straight points, a free throw from Madison Kollar and a trey by Tiara Stossel, had I&Y’s lead down to 37-33.

A triple from Burke swung momentum completely back in I&Y’s favor as it increased the lead to 11 (44-33) on back-to-back hoops by Courtney Cecere and Hannah Johnston.

“I was just in the moment — I didn’t really think anything of it that it would change the momentum or anything,” Burke said.

Shetrom, Cecere and Burke all finished with eight points for I&Y, while Stossel, Taylor Boring and McKenna Hayward had eight for Steven’s.

In the nightcap, KitchenSales.com jumped out to a quick 9-3 lead fueled by five points from Kristi Kaack, and back-to-back baskets by Tamara Thomas and Morgan Griffith.

Sheetz came back to within one (9-8) as Kaley Strittmatter nailed a 3-pointer and Finnley Christine hit for two.

However, Kaack took over from there and put to rest any notion of a close game. She sparked a 13-0 run on the way to a 22-8 lead.

“Honestly, my plan was to try and sit back a little bit because we’re on the bigger floor and I get a bit more tired,” Kaack said. “But I hit my first couple of shots and that gave me a little bit more momentum.”

Kaack scored 21 of her game-high 23 points in the opening half.

Another 3-pointer from Kaack saw the lead balloon to 20 (38-18) before she followed up a 1-for-2 showing by Griffith at the foul line with a hoop to send her team into halftime up 41-20.

Griffith also reached double figures with 10. Meanwhile, Christine and Emily Lehman fronted Sheetz with eight each.

“Just learning how to play without the pieces that we’re missing because we’re without Alli (Williams) and obviously that’s a big piece for us. Just getting that chemistry going early, staying out of foul trouble with limited girls and honestly, just playing our game,” Kaack said.

SEMIFINAL GAME 1

STEVEN’S CARPET ONE (46): Stevens 2, Boring 8, Bard 6, Stossel 8, Hayward 8, Kollar 5, B. Sedlock 7, A. Sedlock 2.

I&Y CONSTRUCTION (54): Donley 4, Mock 4, Johnston 7, Shetrom 8, Cecere 8, Enterline 5, Love 10, Burke 8.

Halftime score: I&Y Construction, 30-24. 3-point field goals: Steven’s Carpet One 5 (Bard 2, Stossel 2, Boring); I&Y Construction 4 (Burke 2, Mock, Johnston).

SEMIFINAL GAME 2

SHEETZ (30): Cannistraci 5, Snyder 2, Engle 1, Christine 8, Strittmatter3, Lehman 8, Stevens 3.

KITCHENSALES.COM (56): Little 23, Moyer 5, Mottern 2, Thomas 4, Griffith 10, Conrad 2, Whitfield 3, Lee 7. .

Halftime score: KitchenSales.com, 41-20. 3-point field goals: Sheetz 4 (Cannistraci, Christine, Strittmatter, Stevens); KitchenSales.com 3 (Little 2, Whitfield).

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