KITTANNING — The Hollidaysburg Area High School Lady Tigers enjoyed a special 2024-25 basketball season, and the team’s three seniors — guards Bella Vent, Lauren Stevenson and Alissa Heim — led the way as Hollidaysburg won its fourth straight District 6 Class 5A championship with that trio of seniors and the program’s fifth straight district title overall.

Hollidaysburg won 26 of 29 games this season and captured a second-round PIAA state playoff victory for the first time since 1994.

The fact that the Lady Tigers’ season ended Saturday afternoon with a 70-52 loss to WPIAL runner-up South Fayette in a PIAA 5A quarterfinal-round playoff game at the Armstrong Junior-Senior High School gymnasium took none of the shine off the Hollidaysburg team’s landmark accomplishments.

“We knew going into this season that we would have a chance to repeat as the district champions and make a run in the state tournament, and our three seniors led us to reaching those goals,” veteran Hollidaysburg coach Deanna Jubeck said. “When you get to the point where you’re among the last eight teams in the state that are still playing, especially in 5A, you know what you’re up against.

“They’re the full package, and we knew that going into this game,” Jubeck said of the South Fayette team, which improved to 27-2 on the season and will meet WPIAL champion Peters Township, a 35-25 winner over District 10 champion Cathedral Prep, in a PIAA semifinal-round game next Saturday at a site and time to be determined. “They have tons of good outside shooters, and they’re long and lengthy with a very good inside game. They’re going to be a tough out in this tournament.”

Hollidaysburg battled gamely through most of the first three quarters before South Fayette took control with an 11-4 run after Stevenson’s 3-pointer from the left side had pulled the Lady Tigers to within five points, 34-29, early in the third period.

“We had nothing to lose today, and we definitely played our hearts out,” Stevenson, a three-year starter for Holidaysburg who scored seven points Saturday, said of the Lady Tigers, who were led by junior Makenna Weimert’s 15 points and Vent’s 14. “They are a really good team, but we never gave up.”

Ultimately, South Fayette — which placed three players in double figures — just had a little too much firepower. After Stevenson’s 3-ball, South Fayette reeled off the next five points, starting with a field goal by 5-foot-11 junior forward Juliette Leroux, who is the daughter of the National Hockey League Pittsburgh Penguins’ former defenseman and enforcer, Francois Leroux.

Juliette Leroux led all scorers in Saturday’s game with 21 points, while junior forward Haylie Lamonde added 17 points and sophomore guard Lailah Wright chipped in 13 for South Fayette.

One of two free throws by junior guard Ryan Oldaker and two of two free throws by Lamonde gave South Fayette a 39-29 advantage. After Heim’s layup pulled Hollidaysburg to within 39-31, Oldaker followed with a 3-ball from the right corner to stake South Fayette to a 42-31 advantage.

Heim scored an inside bucket for Hollidaysburg, but Leroux responded by scoring a field goal from inside and later adding one of two free throws to put South Fayette ahead by 12 points, 45-33.

South Fayette maintained an 11-point lead (53-42) after three quarters, before pulling away by as many as 18 points on two fourth-quarter free throws by Wright that gave South Fayette a 66-48 cushion.

“I’m very pleased with the way our kids executed today,” South Fayette coach Bryan Bennett said. “They made good decisions in our transition game, and when those shots weren’t there, they pulled the ball back outside.

“In the first quarter, I felt that Hollidaysburg was definitely the most physical team that we’ve played this season, and we spread out our offense a little more later in the game,” Bennett added. “We had three players in double figures today, and we never know who is going to be in double figures for us in any given game. We have a lot of good basketball players — five or six of whom are going to go on and play at the college level.”

Hollidaysburg will graduate its three current senior starting players this spring, but will return a good veteran nucleus next year, led by Weimert, Jillian Sidney, BG transfer Alana Lightner, and post player Clare Padamonsky — who will all be seniors next season.

Stevenson will miss her time on the basketball court with all of her Hollidaysburg teammates.

“I’m really proud of how far that we’ve come as a team,” Stevenson said. “I am going to miss playing basketball with these girls.”

Game notes: Hollidaysburg drew a technical foul at the beginning of the game for a uniform violation and Lamonde converted both technical free throws … South Fayette had a 20-18 edge in rebounds, with Juliette Leroux grabbing a game-high six for South Fayette and Stevenson’s five leading Hollidaysburg in that category … South Fayette converted 24 of its 45 floor shots for a 53.3 percent clip, while Hollidaysburg made 22 of 44 for 50 percent … Peters Township edged South Fayette, 40-36, in the WPIAL tournament’s 5A championship game Feb. 28 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center.

SOUTH FAYETTE (70): Vierra 1 1-1 3, Leroux 9 3-4 21, Lamonde 5 6-6 17, Wright 4 5-8 13, Rexrode 1 0-0 3, R. Oldaker 2 3-4 8, Ankrum 1 0-0 3, Lamendola 1 0-0 2, Welhorsky 0 0-0 0, Rumberger 0 0-0 0. Totals — 24 18-23 70.

HOLLIDAYSBURG (52): Stevenson 2 1-2 7, Vent 6 2-2 14, Padamonsky 2 0-0 4, Weimert 6 3-4 15, Heim 3 0-0 6, Sidney 1 0-0 2, Lightner 2 0-0 4. Totals — 22 6-8 52.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

South Fayette 19 15 19 17–70

Hollidaysburg 8 18 16 10–52

3-point goals: South Fayette 4 (R. Oldaker, Lamonde, Rexrode, Ankrum); Hollidaysburg 2 (Stevenson 2).

Records: South Fayette (27-2); Hollidaysburg (26-3).

Officials: Alex Labruzzo, Scott Walters, Jr., LeAnn Williams.