Union comes alive in 4th quarter, tops Aquinas Academy for 1st WPIAL title

By: Tyler Polk
Saturday, March 4, 2023 | 1:16 PM

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The old adage says it’s tough to beat a team three times in the same season, and coming into the WPIAL Class A girls basketball championship game, No. 1 Union had defeated No. 3 Aquinas Academy twice this year.

Aquinas Academy looked like it was going to prove the saying true, taking a one-point halftime lead and leaving Scotties leading scorer Kelly Cleaver frustrated with only three points in the first half.

But the Scotties came to life with a dominant fourth quarter, winning their first WPIAL championship with a 52-35 victory Saturday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.

With the score knotted at 29, Union scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter as part of a 26-5 run to pull away.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Union coach Rob Nogay said. “The hard work these girls put in the summertime, fall and winter — I couldn’t be more excited for our team.”

Cleaver returned the compliment to her coach, giving him credit for a second-half change in strategy that led to Union’s fourth-quarter surge.

“They played a triangle-and-two and compressed the post,” Cleaver said. “Coach made an adjustment and had me bring the ball up and it freed me up.”

The first quarter had a lot of early stage fright for both offenses as the teams struggled to 6-4 first frame with Union (18-6) in the lead.

Even more frightening for Aquinas Academy (16-9) was the loss of senior guard Bella Hite, who suffered an apparent knee injury when she was bumped with 35 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Hite, who sang the national anthem before the game, was carried off the court.

Most teams would feel down with one of their best players unable to return, but it lit a spark under the Crusaders. Stepping up in her place was freshman guard Ellie Junker, who scored 11 points in the second quarter for Aquinas.

“We were already playing for Bella,” said Junker, who finished with 14 points. “But after that, everything we did on the court on offense and defense had to be for her.”

Aquinas Academy continued an inspired effort with the team’s leading scorer, freshman guard Tess Doer, taking over the slack when the Scotties ran a box-and-one on Junker. She scored 11 of her 15 points in the second half to help keep the score even at 29 points to begin the fourth.

“We were looking to continue to do what we did in the first half and move the ball,” said Crusaders coach Chris Lebakken. “I thought our shots were open. They were decent. They just weren’t falling in that fourth quarter.”

Union’s defense is the second best in the classification at 34.1 points allowed per game, and the Scotties showcased that sparkling number, holding Aquinas to 1-of-12 shooting from the field in the final frame.

“We just needed to calm down, close out and get back to our game,” Nogay said.

With Cleaver firmly entrenched at point forward, it allowed sophomore guard Kylie Fruehstorfer to come alive in a big way in the second half.

“I was feeling hot and we needed to make shots,” said Fruehstorfer, who scored 15 of her 20 points in the second half. “I just kept shooting and they were going in.”

Cleaver, who finished with 14 points, also managed to get fellow senior forward Zoe Lepri involved as she had all 10 of her points in the second half.

“It’s just the way we play basketball and the way we practice,” Nogay said. “We don’t play for ourselves. We’re out there representing Union and we’re representing Lawrence County.”

Union will play Clarion, the fifth-place team in District 9, and Aquinas Academy will face Juniata Valley, which placed third in District 6, in the first round of the PIAA playoffs next Saturday.

Watch an archived video stream broadcast of this game on Trib HSSN.

Tags: Aquinas Academy, Union