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Peck hits big shot for Lady Pirates

HOLLIDAYSBURG – It was not the prettiest performance of the season for the Williamsburg High School Lady Pirates – committing 36 turnovers in all – but they were still able to squeak out a close 49-48 win Monday night over Saltsburg in the first round of the District 6 Class A playoffs.

A clutch shot by 5-foot-8 junior Randilyn Peck with just seconds remaining in the game was the big difference at the Hollidaysburg Senior High School Gymnasium.

“We worked all day yesterday in practice focusing on the importance of being patient,” Williamsburg coach Jeremy Ebersole said. “But we came out and weren’t patient at all. We had too many turnovers. We’re usually good at that too. We usually average nine turnovers a game.”

In the first quarter, the Lady Pirates took a 3-2 lead, courtesy of a traditional 3-pointer by Peck. And she was at it again with 2:51 remaining in the quarter, as she converted on a three-point play for a 10-5 advantage.

Although Williamsburg turned the ball over 14 times early on, it was still able to lead the Lady Trojans 12-5.

The Lady Trojans scored the first four points of the second quarter, before Alyssa Detwiler’s basket got Williamsburg on to the scoreboard at the 6:15 mark.

After a layup by Edmunson cut the Lady Trojans’ deficit to just three, Williamsburg went on a 9-2 run that gave it a 23-13 lead with 1:26 left. During the run, Detwiler scored seven of those points.

The Lady Pirates started the third with a run that was similar in nature to the one in the second quarter, this one an 8-2 run. Peck, who finished with a game-high 24 points, scored six of her team’s eight points in the run. Olivia Satler ended that run by dialing up long-distance, making it an 11-point Lady Pirates lead with 3:30 left. The quarter ended with Williamsburg in front, 39-31, in spite of nine more turnovers.

In the fourth quarter, Peck scored on a layup with 6:50 left in regulation, increasing the Lady Pirates’ lead to 11. Saltsburg then went on an 8-2 run over the next four minutes, cutting the Williamsburg lead to 45-40. Following a hook shot by Detwiler, Satler made her second of two treys -making it 47-43.

Melissa Pascoe cut the Lady Pirates advantage to 47-45 on a bucket, and then Abbie Okapal tied the game for the first time since early in the first quarter, after she scored on a fastbreak layup.

Then Peck, with four seconds remaining, made a basket to make it 49-47. Satler, with 1.5 seconds left, had an opportunity to send it into overtime, but was only able to make one-of-two from the stripe.

“I don’t know how many points she finished with but that’s who I want with the ball in her hands in that situation,” Ebersole said of Peck.

Saltsburg coach Janelle Reed could not say enough good things about her team’s fourth-quarter effort.

“It was a rough first half,” Reed said. “But I’m so proud of the way the girls battled in the fourth quarter. It was a tough one to lose like that. It breaks my heart that we weren’t able to get this win.”

The Lady Pirates (12-10) play the second-seeded Bishop Guilfoyle Lady Marauders squad next.

“Obviously we won’t beat BG if we play like we did tonight,” Ebersole said. “We know we’re capable of playing much better. We’ve also scouted them and believe they’re beatable.”

Saltsburg finished 8-13. Abbie Okapal paced Saltsburg with 13 points.

SALTSBURG (48): Battistelli 2 2-2 6, E. Okapal 1 3-5 5, Pascoe 2 1-1 5, Tandaric 3 0-1 6, Peace 0 0-0 0, Satler 2 1-2 7, Edmundson 3 0-0 6, A. Okapal 5 3-6 13. Totals 18 10-17 48.

WILLIAMSBURG (49): Kennedy 2 0-0 4, Rhule 0 0-2 0, Detwiler 6 3-4 15, Peck 11 2-2 24, Plumley 0 0-0 0, Bookhammer 2 2-3 6. Totals 21 7-11 49.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Saltsburg 5 12 14 17 – 48

Williamsburg 12 13 14 10- 49

3- point field goals: Saltsburg 2 (Satler 2).

Records: Saltsburg (8-13). Williamsburg (12-10)

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