Gorsuch

WILLIAMSBURG — Coming off a close loss to Berlin Brothersvalley in the Inter-County Conference title game this past weekend, the Williamsburg Lady Pirates looked to bounce back to earn a berth in the District 6 Class 1A semifinals.

They did just that on Monday night.

Led by a 22-point performance from junior Levada Gorsuch, the Lady Pirates cruised to a 74-36 victory over the Blacklick Valley Lady Vikings.

The win not only gets Williamsburg into the semifinals, but also a berth in the PIAA state playoffs, too.

“After the Berlin game we went and watched some film, and we talked about our boxing out, and our rotations on defense,” Williamsburg coach Angela Detwiler said. “That was something we really focused on.”

In the first frame, Williamsburg held Blacklick Valley to only eight points while scoring 24 points of its own..

“Levada has been bringing that every night on the offensive and defensive end,” Detwiler said of her star junior’s offensive output. “She’s pulling down rebounds and scoring.”

Senior LeeAnna Royer also tallied 19 points on the night, including an 8-of-10 showing from the charity stripe.

“It doesn’t always show up in the stat box what she (Royer) brings to the floor,” Detwiler said. “She’s a four-year starter and she has so much poise and confidence out there that it transcends to our entire team.”

Despite the losing effort, Blacklick Valley hung its hat on a solid effort on both ends of the floor according to its coach.

“That’s a good basketball team we played,” Blacklick Valley coach Rich Price said. “Our girls never quit; they played hard and I’m so proud of the effort.”

With the win, Williamsburg (22-3) gets its first matchup this season against the Bishop Guilfoyle Lady Marauders Thursday at 6 p.m. at BG.

“No matter how the district and state playoffs go, I’m really proud of this group of girls,” Detwiler said. “All of them have been Lady Pirates since they were 5 years old.”

Blacklick Valley’s season ended at 20-4.

BLACKLICK VALLEY (36): Neprich 1 3-8 5, Mourey, 2 1-2 5, Yewcic 3 4-6 10, Kinter 5 0-0 13, Vasilkok 1 1-3 3. Totals: 12 9-19 36

WILLIAMSBURG (74): Prough 4 0-0 8, L. Royer 5 8-10 19, Gorsuch 9 4-6 22, B. Royer 4 0-0 8, Lower 2 2-2 6, Detwiler 1 3-6 5, Colbert 1 0-0 3, Alexander 1 0-0 2. Totals: 27 17-24 74

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Blacklick Valley 8 14 7 7 – 36

Williamsburg 24 19 19 12 – 74

3-point field goals: Blacklick Valley 3 (M. Kinter 3), Williamsburg 2 (L. Royer, Colbert)

Records: Blacklick Valley (20-4), Williamsburg (22-3).

Officials: Lynn Smith, Jordan Forster, Jack McDougal.