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Cold shooting in 2nd half costs Lady Devils

ARMAGH — Central Cambria appeared to have a comfortable lead for most of the first half Friday night. Leave it to United junior Maizee Fry to make the rest of the night not so comfortable.

Fry scored six of her game-high 16 points in the third quarter, and cold shooting doomed the Lady Red Devils en route to a 41-36 loss in a District 6 Class 3A playoff game before a near-capacity crowd at United High School gymnasium.

“We couldn’t put the ball in the hoop in the second half, and that ended up hurting us,” Central Cambria coach Brittany Sedlock said. “I’m very proud of my girls and what they’ve accomplished. We just needed some more shots to fall tonight and we didn’t get it.”

United will face District 6 power Tyrone on Tuesday. The semifinal winners vie for the district championship on Feb. 28 at Mount Aloysius College.

“I never, ever, thought we would be where we are this year,” United coach Paul Hall said. “It’s all on the girls. We as coaches just prepare them. They have to put the ball in the hoop.”

Central Cambria took a 15-5 lead into the second quarter and maintained a 25-17 lead into the intermission. Cassidy Bezek led the Lady Red Devils with 13 points, followed by Liz Bopp (12). Kiersten Szpala and Maggie Kudlawiec snagged seven rebounds apiece.

“I think it was more on us,” Hall said of United’s first-half struggles. “We weren’t attacking their zone when they were in a zone. But they kept switching defenses.”

United’s game plan to start the second half was rather simple: Let Fry have the ball and see what she could do.

“(In) the first half we missed a couple of times with her,” Hall said. “We weren’t looking at the right time. But Maizee kept working and working, and we finally started getting the ball into her. And she took over. She did a heck of a job in that third quarter.”

“I thought Fry did a really nice job on the inside. She finished well,” Sedlock said. “For the most part I’m happy with our defense.”

Fry, who also ripped down a game-best 14 rebounds, scored three of United’s four third-quarter baskets as the Lady Lions cut the difference to 29-25 entering the final eight minutes.

“I’m not sure why we couldn’t buy a basket in the second half,” Sedlock said. “My girls played hard, they rebounded, they played good defense. We couldn’t get the shots to fall. And it’s hard to win when you can’t make basket.”

United junior Brook Murlin threw in a runner with 1:41 left to give the Lady Lions the lead for good, 36-34. United converted five of nine free throws over the last 53 seconds to seal the victory.

“We felt confident and believed in ourselves the whole game,” Sedlock said. “Credit to them; they made their free throws.”

CENTRAL CAMBRIA (36): Szpala 2 0-2 5, Walwro 1 0-0 3, Kudlawiec 1 1-2 3, Bezek 4 3-4 13, Bopp 5 2-2 12, Stephens 0 0-0 0, Shirk 0 0-0 0, Boyles 0 0-0 0. Totals — 13 6-10 36.

UNITED (41): Susick 1 0-0 3, Fry 7 2-2 16, Travis 0 0-0 0, Duplin 1 0-0 2, Murlin 4 0-2 9, Silk 1 0-0 3, Donelson 2 3-5 8. Totals — 16 5-9 41.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Central Cambria 15 10 4 7 — 36

United 5 12 8 16 — 41

3-point field goals: Central Cambria 4 (Bezek 2, Szpala, Walwro), United 4 (Susick, Murlin, Silk, Donelson).

Officials: Terri Piatek, Vicki Markowicz, Drew Civis.

Records: Central Cambria (16-9), United (20-4).

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