Ironically, that game was also played in Mechanicsburg, but it was held at Cumberland Valley High School. Tuesday’s game was at the site where the Lady Lions’ season ended in the second round last year in a loss to Garnet Valley.

“It feels good,” Altoona senior Zaelinh Nguyen-Moore said. “We said in the locker room this game was about revenge for us, because we have put in the work to get past this round, and we deserve this. Everyone on this team, one through 21, works hard.”

Nguyen-Moore set the tone early.

She drove to the basket and scored on Altoona’s first possession, and then dished out to fellow senior Samantha Harpster for a pair of 3-pointers before she made one herself to give the Lady Lions a 13-3 lead after one quarter.

“We knew (Harpster) and (Raylin Eyer) could shoot the ball,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said. “We worked for two days at keeping (Nguyen-Moore) cut off. Whether it was the excitement or the long bus ride, we were over-pursuing her. She was able to drive the ball, and she was kicking it out for open shots. That was the game. You can look at 1,000 different plot lines, but that was the game and the big 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter that spun the momentum back toward them.”

That 3-pointer was by Eyer, who hit the shot just seconds after Keira Socha’s 3-pointer had cut Altoona’s lead to just two — the smallest it had been since the early minutes of the game — with about 10 seconds to play in the quarter.

Socha’s 3-pointer sent Altoona coach Chris Fleegle into a rage as he stomped his feet in frustration. But the Lady Lions were unfazed, flipped the ball down the court to Eyer, who swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the bench — and Fleegle — into a massive celebration on the court between quarters.

“I was definitely agitated that we gave up a wide open 3-pointer,” Fleegle said. “Especially with the scouting we did, but at the same time, they normally don’t pay attention to me. They know I’m involved and animated. They don’t look over at me and wonder if I am going to be mad. They turned the page, got the ball up the court, and Raylin knocked down a 3-pointer to give us a five-point lead going into the fourth.”

Eyer, who made two of Altoona’s six 3-pointers, felt the shot changed the game.

“It gave us the momentum back going into the fourth,” Eyer said. “After they hit that shot, they were feeling good. But when I hit that shot, it shifted that feeling right back to us.”

Nguyen-Moore got to the basket for a layup to start the fourth quarter and extended Altoona’s lead to 34-27, but the Lady Lions managed just three points the rest of the game.

“There were a couple times we were a play or two away from stretching that lead,” Fleegle said. “I think we were up five, and the ball was rolling around in the paint. It should have been a jump ball four or five times, but they didn’t call it.”

Pennsbury got within two points on a 3-pointer with less than two minutes to play before Nguyen-Moore upped the lead to three by going 1-of-2 from the foul line with 1:28 remaining.

Altoona got a defensive stop and got the ball back with less than a minute to play and ran it down to 23 seconds before a turnover. Pennsbury called a timeout with 8.5 seconds left, and Shea Quenzer — who did not score in the game — missed a 3-pointer and time ran out as the teams scrambled for the loose ball.

“This felt like a redemption game,” Eyer said. “Like we made up for last year. It feels good to get Altoona back to somewhere we haven’t been in 20 years.”

Before starting Mid-Penn Conference play, Altoona traveled to play some tough nonconference games in December, including a game against District 1 champion Upper Dublin, which beat Pennsbury in the final a couple weeks ago.

The Lady Lions did not win that game, but Fleegle said it helped them on Tuesday.

“We’re not afraid to play anybody. (Altoona athletic director) Phil (Riccio) does a good job with that,” Fleegle said. “Last year, we played South Fayette to open the season, and they won the 5A championship. This year, we played Upper Dublin. It helps. I said before we came out that we had already played two Philadelphia teams. We deserved to be there. We went there to prepare for this game, worked hard to get to this game and we played to win.”

Alyssa Thomas led Pennsbury with 11 points. Nguyen-Moore led Altoona, also scoring 11 points.

“We normally press full court, but our best defender (Milan Reeves) got hurt and is out for the season,” Sciolla said. “Without her, it was hard to guard (Nguyen-Moore). Shea Quenzer came in and defended her well in the second half. We did as well as we could and had a chance to tie it, but they are a good team. Their point guard is tremendous. She was always under control and shot the ball really well and distributed it when she didn’t have an open shot.”

Altoona will play District 12 third-place finisher Cardinal O’Hara in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals on Friday. O’Hara defeated Wilson West Lawn, 36-26, behind 12 points from Drexel commit Megan Rullo.

“It means so much to our program to get back to the Elite 8,” Fleegle said. “It has been a long time — 20 years. We’re going to get back to work Wednesday and Thursday and see if we can keep this thing going.”

ALTOONA (37): Nguyen-Moore 4 1-2 11, Hudson 4 1-1 9, Eyer 3 0-0 8, Cogan 1 1-2 3, Harpster 2 0-0 6, Cuspert 0 0-0 0. Totals — 14 3-5 37.

PENNSBURY (34): Schauffler 0 0-0 0, Haws 3 1-2 9, Thomas 5 0-0 11, Hohman 3 0-0 8, Socha 2 0-0 6, Quenzer 0 0-2 0, Panero 0 0-0 0, Stewart 0 0-0 0. Totals — 13 1-3 34.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Altoona 13 9 10 5 — 37

Pennsbury 3 13 11 7 — 34

3-point goals: Altoona 6 (Nguyen-Moore 2, Eyer 2, Harpster 2); Pennsbury 7 (Socha 2, Hohman 2, Haws 2, Thomas).

Records: Altoona (22-4); Pennsbury (22-8).

Officials: Toyah Houck-Nastonovich, Shane Petry, Greg Landi.