By Rick Weaver

For the Mirror

PATTON — Gracey Vinglish could hardly miss. The Cambria Heights Highlanders, for largely that reason, will play a home game in the Heritage Conference girls’ basketball championships.

The 5-foot-8 senior connected on 5-of-6 3-point field goal attempts and finished the night with 40 points as the Highlanders rolled to a 79-43 victory against Portage in the conference season finale on Friday night at Cambria Heights High School.

“It was confidence, and the atmosphere in the gym. Our teammates had each other’s backs tonight, and we were all really confident in each other. So that really helped,” Vinglish said.

“I told the girls, ‘it’s sports.’ I’ve been around this game a long very time and sometimes you run into a juggernaut,” Mustangs coach Lance Hudak said.

“The game plan coming in was (to play) energy. The girls talked before I even got in the locker room and made a list of goals for tonight. It was all about coming together as a team, working hard. We knew it was in our hands. We knew we had to come out in a fast start. We played very good aggressive defense, and we had a great shooting night overall,” Highlanders coach Eric Thomas said.

The East Division champion Highlanders will play host to Penns Manor in a conference semifinal game on Monday night. The Comets opened the season with a 62-36 victory against Cambria Heights on Dec. 4.

“I know Penns Manor will be ready. (Coach Jason) Miloser does an awesome job with them. We’re just glad to be in the position we’re in,” Thomas said.

“Penns Manor is a really strong team. They’re very good. I think as long as we play like a team as we did tonight and have the confidence, we’ll be OK,” Vinglish said.

Cambria Heights committed 24 turnovers, a by-product of the quick tempo it tried to set.

“I think we were trying to hurry a little too much. Once we calmed down, and we knew what positions we practiced at, we were fine,” Thomas said. “We struggled a little bit at first against the press. But I thought we did a nice job settling down. And then by the second half we were beating the press for layups, which is what I wanted to see.”

The Highlanders overcame a sluggish start and took a 23-11 lead into the second period. Vinglish hit all five of her successful 3-point attempts in a second quarter that ended with Cambria Heights in front, 52-27. Nearly the entire second period was played on running time.

“We were competing in the first quarter, maybe we got the difference to 10. And then Vinglish (and the Highlanders) weren’t making layups. They were 3s. They were knocking them down and I was like, ‘Wow!’ There are some nights you run into that,” Hudak said.

Sienna Kirsch scored 21 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, made six steals, and handed out four assists for Cambria Heights. Eight of her rebounds came on offense.

Sophomore Kendall Bednarski led Portage with 22 points and four steals.

River Valley, the West Division champion, will play host to the Mustangs in a conference semifinal game at Blairsville on Monday. The winners play for the conference championship at the Kovalchick Convocation and Athletic Center at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7.

“They have, I believe the best player in the state (Ava Persichetti),” Hudak said. “But I am so proud of my Lady Mustangs. Nobody picked us to be in this position this year. We lost five senior starters last year, which everybody knows about. We weren’t a media day pick to be in this position.

“I’m proud of our kids. It shows what they are as players. It shows what our program is to be able to be back here and have that shot to get to the KCAC. So even in a loss tonight I am tickled and really proud of our Lady Mustangs program.”

River Valley routed Portage, 71-35, on Jan. 15 at Len Chappell Gymnasium.

“Lance will have them ready to play. They had a couple of injuries. That’s what kind of slowed them down, hampered them. But we’ll take them seriously. (Hudak) is going to try to win, do everything he can to win,” Panthers coach Ricc Brown said.

“We’ll spend all of our time working on (Portage, even) if we need to go Saturday and Sunday. These girls want to practice all weekend. So if we can go six hours on Sunday, we will.”

PORTAGE (43): Bagby 1 0-0 2, Myher 2 0-0 4, Bednarski 8 3-4 22, C.Burkett 3 0-0 7, B.Burkett 0 2-2 2, Burda 0 0-0 0, Irvin 0 0-0 0, Smith 1 0-0 2, Stancovich 0 1-2 1, Noel 1 0-0 2, Smith 0 0-0 0, Offman 0 1-2 1 0. Totals — 16 7-10 43.

CAMBRIA HEIGHTS (79): Kirsch 9 2-5 21, Dutko 2 0-0 6, Vinglish 14 7-8 40, Rogal 1 0-0 2, Bender 3 0-0 6, Karlheim 2 0-0 4, Adams 0 0-0 0, Nelen 0 0-0 0, Bradley 0 0-0 0, Crowell 0 0-0 0, Hite 0 0-0 0, Hoover 0 0 0-0. Totals — 31 9-13 79.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Portage 11 16 10 6 — 43

Cambria Heights 23 29 17 10 — 69

3-point field goals: Portage 4 (Bednarski 3, C.Burkett), Cambria Heights 8 (Vinglish 5, Dutko 2, Kirsch).

Officials: Sam Bernatti, Bob Gongloff, Devin Richardson.

Records: Portage (11-9, 10-6), Cambria Heights (15-5, 12-3).

JV: Cambria Heights, 41-24.