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Johnson sisters too much for Scarlet Dragons

By Dave Mackall

For the Mirror

McMURRAY — After watching his team dismantle Central on Friday night, East Allegheny girls basketball coach Mike Osiecki offered the Lady Dragons some encouraging words.

His message was clear: Don’t give up.

“Look at our team. We don’t have much depth at all. We do what we do with what we have,” Osiecki said following East Allegheny’s 54-28 rout of Central in a PIAA Class 3A first-round game at Peters Township High School.

And while the Lady Wildcats are short on bodies, the ones available, led by senior Amani Johnson, a Kennesaw State recruit, have carried them so far to a wildly successful season.

“We had some success last year, but we didn’t meet enough of our goals,” Osiecki said. “We went right back and got after it. We lined up balls on the floor and we worked on our stuff against those balls. We concentrated on what we needed to do.”

Central coach Rob Mock knows all too well that the work put in during the offseason can help to carry a team to success, something of which the Lady Dragons this year enjoyed their share, winning 20 games and reaching the PIAA playoffs for a second consecutive season.

“We had a great season,” Mock said. “We won our (Mountain) league and we’re young. We only lose one senior. We’re hoping to keep things going down the line.”

The sisters tandem of Amani and Amaia Johnson combined for 38 points for WPIAL runner-up East Allegheny (25-1).

Amani Johnson scored 24 points for the Lady Wildcats, who jumped to a 9-0 lead and were never threatened. They led at halftime, 29-10. Sophomore Amaia Johnson contributed 14 points.

“They’ve got a lot of speed and athleticism,” Mock said. “Those are things that you just can’t simulate when you’re trying to prepare for a team like this. We watched East Allegheny on film, and we knew how explosive they can be.”

Central lost in the first round a year ago to Carlynton by just three points, but the opponent this year was at another level.

“Bishop Canevin got to us,” Osiecki said. “They’re the first team to get us out of what we really like to do, and that’s come out and go 100 miles an hour. If you beat us, more power to you. But we’re just going to continue to do what we do.”

Central (20-6), the fourth-place team in District 6, was led by Cassie Mock — the team’s only senior — and Maddi Metzler, with 10 points apiece.

“We played scared, particularly at the start,” Mock said. “I didn’t expect it, but I understand it. When you get to this point in the season, anything can happen. We turned our intensity up a little in the second half, but by then, we had too much to overcome.”

EAST ALLEGHENY (54): Amani Johnson 9 4-5 24, Amaia Johnson 5 4-5 14, Bortoluzzi 1 0-0 3, Henderson 3 0-0 7, Marshall 3 0-0 6, Carter 0 0-2 0, Tarrant 0 0-0 0, Hunter 0 0-0 0, King 0 0-0 0, Ressler 0 0-0 0. Totals — 21 8-10 54.

CENTRAL (28): C. Mock 4 1-1 10, J. Mock 0 0-0 0, Metzler 4 1-2 10, Brumbaugh 3 0-0 6, Metzger 1 0-0 2, Lingenfelter 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Oakes 0 0-0 0, Longenecker 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 0-0 0, Snyder 0 0-0 0, Eicher 0 0-0 0. Totals — 12 2-3 28.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

East Allegheny 12 17 14 11 — 54

Central 5 5 11 7 — 28

3-point goals: East Allegheny 4 (Amani Johnson, Bortoluzzi, Henderson); Central 2 (C. Mock, Metzler).

Records: East Allegheny (25-1); Central (20-6).

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