Groetsch’s free throws help North Allegheny edge Altoona for 3rd time this season

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, March 13, 2018 | 10:19 PM

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There was no time for Lizzy Groetsch to take a morning off, even if it was the day of a big game. Perhaps it's one reason why the North Allegheny girls basketball team has yet to lose this late in the season.

Roughly 12 hours after putting in the usual time on her shooting, Groetsch came through in a big way Tuesday night.

She scored all eight of her points on free throws in the fourth quarter, including six in the final minute, as North Allegheny, playing its second consecutive game without leading scorer Rachel Martindale, held off Altoona, 55-50, in a PIAA Class 6A second-round game at Hempfield.

Martindale, a junior, sustained a torn ACL in her right knee in the WPIAL championship game against Peters Township.

“There's a secret to it,” North Allegheny coach Spencer Stefko said. “At 6 o'clock (Tuesday) morning, I didn't get to sleep in. I had to open the gym for Lizzy because she shoots a lot of shots, a lot of free throws 3-4 days a week. Not every day, but she puts in the work when nobody is watching, and to watch that be rewarded makes me happy.”

Piper Morningstar's 21 points paced WPIAL champion North Allegheny (27-0), which is ranked No. 1 in the state in the latest pennlive.com poll. Madelyn Fischer added 17 for the Tigers, who beat Altoona (21-5) for the third time in as many games this season.

North Allegheny advances to Friday's quarterfinals against Bethel Park (19-6) at a time and site to be determined.

Morningstar, the daughter of former Pitt star Darren Morningstar, said playing at an early age has been a big factor in her high school success. She is committed to play at Radford.

“My dad started me off at a very early age. I've always been around basketball,” she said. “He's always at the games for me, and I always get a critique. He was here tonight. I heard him.”

Groetsch started her flurry of makes from the free-throw line at the 1-minute mark of the fourth and with North Allegheny clinging to a 49-48 lead. The Tigers outscored the Mountain Lions, 6-2, down the stretch with all points coming on foul shots.

“I like to get in the gym as much as I can and get as many reps up as I can,” Groetsch said. “If you want to be good at something, you've got to practice it a lot. The more I can practice, the more confident I can get. That's true with foul shots. I just go out and make 100 every day.

“When I got fouled, I was kind of like happy to be fouled. It feels really good to see the hard work pay off.”

Olivia Hudson led Altoona with 21 points. Bridgid Fox added 11 for the Mountain Lions, the District 6 runner-up.

The game was tightly contest from the start. After the teams played to a 19-19 standoff in the first quarter, North Allegheny emerged at halftime with a slim 32-30 lead.

Altoona trailed by just a point, 40-39, heading to the fourth.

“Two elite teams out there battling,” Altoona coach Miriam Colledge said. “We just came up short again tonight.”

North Allegheny, which lost to Boyertown in the 2017 PIAA title game, defeated Altoona in the three meetings by an average margin of 5.6 points.

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: North Allegheny