That was the case for Cambria Heights in its PIAA Class 3A first-round girls basketball playoff game with visiting Troy Friday night.

After falling behind by seven points in the first quarter, Heights battled back to take a four-point lead late in the third quarter, before Troy put together a 12-point run that extended into the early minutes of the fourth quarter and propelled the Lady Trojans to a 42-31 victory at the Cambria Heights High School gymnasium.

Troy, the third-place finisher in the District 4 tournament, hiked its season record to 24-4 and made its three-hour trip from Bradford County worth all the trouble. Cambria Heights, the District 6 runners-up, dropped the curtains on a 16-11 season.

Troy executed a fine defensive game plan and Heights converted just 11 of its 44 floor shots for a 25 percent clip, which Lady Highlanders coach Eric Thomas pointed to as a crucial factor.

Cambria Heights' Brienna Kirsch pulls in a rebound by Troy's Raelyn Woodward. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“We didn’t hit the shots that we usually hit, and part of the reason for that was that (Troy) implemented and executed a very good defensive strategy tonight,” Thomas said. “To their credit, they played a great game against us.

“We had trouble putting the ball in the hoop tonight, and that was the difference,” Thomas added.

Even so, Cambria Heights managed to take the lead, 25-21, by scoring five straight points midway through the third quarter.

A driving layup by junior Lilly Karlheim, and one of two free throws from freshman Julia Karlheim, followed by Julia’s putback bucket, gave Heights the 25-21 edge with 2:23 left in the third quarter.

Troy, which was led by junior Giana Renzi’s game-high 18 points and sophomore Kyah Renzo’s 13, pulled itself together though, responding with the big 12-point run that turned the game in the Lady Trojans’ favor for good.

It was all a matter of his team regaining its composure, according to first-year Troy head coach Steve Renzi, whose team advances to a PIAA second-round game Tuesday night against District 3 champion Trinity.

“We’re a very young team, and when we fell behind when our players didn’t believe that they should have fallen behind, they were kind of losing their minds,” Coach Renzi said. “I called them over, told them to calm down and play the way that they know how to play, and they listened to me.”

Renzo scored from inside to kick-start the Troy rally, and sophomore guard Haidyn Watson’s 3-pointer from the right corner gave Troy the lead for good, 26-25. Giana Renzi followed with another 3-ball from the right corner after making a steal, staking Troy to a 29-25 lead after three quarters.

Troy scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, on a short jumper by Giana Renzi and Renzo’s scoop shot from inside, giving the Lady Trojans a 33-25 advantage.

Heights, which didn’t have a single player score in double figures, could get no closer than to within five points the rest of the way, as Troy carried the fourth quarter, 13-6 to finish strong.

Lilly Karlheim’s nine points led Heights, which got seven points from Julia Karlheim and six points apiece from senior Kinley Rogal and freshman Brienna Kirsch.

Rogal, a veteran standout for the Heights team who was visibly bothered by a sore shoulder, grabbed nine rebounds to share game-high honors in that category with Renzo.

Heights loses two senior leaders, Rogal and Markie Bender, who provided excellent leadership for the team, which won 11 of its final 16 games this year and earned a spot in the District 6 championship game.

Heights started three underclassmen — Kirsch, Julia Karlheim and Lilly Karlheim — who will front a solid returning nucleus for next season.

“To get to where we got this year, especially with a young team, showed a lot of growth and maturity, and I’m super proud of this entire team,” Thomas said.

TROY (42): Renzo 4 5-8 13, G. Renzi 6 3-6 18, Woodward 0 0-0 0, Mickley 1 1-2 3, I. Renzi 0 2-2 2, Watson 2 1-2 6. Totals – 13 12-20 42.

CAMBRIA HEIGHTS (31): Kirsch 2 0-0 6, J. Karlheim 3 1-3 7, L. Karlheim 3 2-4 9, Rogal 2 1-2 6, Bender 1 0-0 3, Adams 0 0-0 0, Abrams 0 0-0 0, Nelen 0 0-0 0. Totals -11 4-8 31.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Troy 13 6 10 13–42

Cambria Heights 8 8 9 6–31

3-point goals: Troy 4 (G. Renzi 3, Watson); Cambria Heights 5 (Kirsch 2, L. Karlheim, Rogal, Bender).

Records: Troy (24-4); Cambria Heights (16-11).

Officials: Klayton Heffner, Denny Detwiler, Emma Musser.