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Lady Rangers reign again in 4A

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Huntingdon’s Kynnedy Miller takes the ball up against Forest Hills’ Haley Croyle.

CRESSON — Forest Hills won its sixth consecutive District 6 title Saturday at Mount Aloysius, overwhelming Huntingdon, 83-44, in the Class 4A girls championship.

Jordyn Smith led the way with 25 points, and the Lady Rangers forced 15 first-half turnovers to beat the Lady Bearcats in the final for the second straight year.

“The pressure got to us early,” Huntingdon coach Jeremy Uhrich said. “We got down early, and it just was over early. We weren’t expecting that type of pressure. I knew they were a great shooting team, and they shot the ball well too, but the pressure got to us, and it’s tough digging out of a hole like that.”

Nine different Forest Hills players scored in a game that the Lady Rangers were never challenged. They led 26-10 after one quarter and 47-27 at halftime.

Lexi Troup led Huntingdon (13-11) with 12 points.

“We were playing well,” Uhrich said. “We were playing our best basketball at the end of the season. Forest Hills doesn’t go 23-1 for no reason. They shoot well, play great defense and they’re just a solid, disciplined team.”

The end for Forest Hills’ dynasty doesn’t seem to be in sight. The team has just one senior, and all of its starters will return next year.

“When we left our gym, there were little Rangers playing elementary basketball,” Forest Hills coach Carol Cecere said. “We do some little things with those girls, and they grow into it. What we ask from our team is to be the standard, whether you win or not, in the school. We tell the girls to be role model student athletes. They do a good job at that.

“They are visible in the school and community. They do a lot of other things in churches, in honor society and that’s who the next group of little girls strive to be.”

Cecere actually coached the current group of juniors in elementary basketball.

Taylor Burda and Lexi Koeck each added 13 points for Forest Hills, which will play the fifth-place finisher from the WPIAL in the first round of the state playoffs.

Huntingdon also advances to the state playoffs despite the loss.

The Lady Bearcats will get the chance to extend their season with a game against the WPIAL runner-up.

“Wipe (this game) out, don’t even worry about it,” Uhrich said. “We have two weeks until we play again, so we’re just going to get fresh and come right back at it. We have six seniors who have dedicated a lot of years to playing basketball. They don’t want their season to end, and the great thing about today is that it doesn’t end here. We’re proud to get here. It didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but we’re going to get back to work. There’s still more we can accomplish.”

HUNTINGDON (44): Miller 1 2-4 4, R. Kyle 2 0-0 4, Reamer 2 0-0 5, McElroy 3 3-4 9, A. Troup 1 5-6 8, L. Troup 4 2-4 12, E. Kyle 0 0-0 0, Burkey 1 0-0 2, Patrick 0 0-0 0, Bilich 0 0-0 0, Brindle 0 0-0 0. Totals — 14 12-18 44.

FOREST HILLS (83): Cecere 3 0-0 8, Burda 6 0-0 13, Croyle 2 1-2 5, J. Smith 10 0-0 25, R. Smith 4 1-2 9, Zajdel 2 0-0 4, Koeck 6 0-0 13, Vitez 2 0-0 4, Hoover 1 0-0 2, McGough 0 0-0 0, Myers 0 0-0 0. Totals — 36 2-4 83.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Huntingdon 10 17 7 10 — 44

Forest Hills 26 21 19 17 — 83

3-point goals: Huntingdon 4 (L. Troup 2, A. Troup, Reamer); Forest Hills 8 (J. Smith 5, Cecere 2, Burda).

Records: Huntingdon (13-11); Forest Hills (24-1).

Officials: Chuck Glasser, Tony Sottile, Keith Fry.

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