Wobrak enjoys senior night to remember as Belle Vernon rallies past Elizabeth Forward

By: Jeremy Sellew
Thursday, February 6, 2020 | 10:29 PM

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Belle Vernon senior Rachel Wobrak knew she wanted her senior night to be a game to remember.

It ended up being a game she and her teammates and Elizabeth Forward will never forget for different reasons.

Wobrak walked off the Belle Vernon gymnasium floor Thursday after posting 26 points and 10 rebounds as the Leopards squashed the Warriors’ playoff hopes with a come-from-behind 58-48 win in Section 3-4A.

Belle Vernon (16-6, 9-5) rallied to outscore EF, 40-18, in the second half after trailing by 12 at halftime.

“I don’t really think there was any adjustments on the court for us,” Belle Vernon coach Ronnie Drennen said. “The biggest adjustment was in our own heads. The first half was a lack of execution, lack of communication and we had to battle some adversity with all the fouls.

“But I’m really proud of the response we had in the second half.”

The Warriors (9-11, 7-7) led 13-10 after the first quarter and used seven Belle Vernon turnovers to take control in the second quarter.

A Wobrak 3-pointer tied the score at 18 with 4 minutes, 26 seconds to go before halftime, but that was the last Leopards’ basket until the third quarter.

“We had them in the second quarter. We came into this game and we knew what was at stake. We wanted to get to the playoffs. We had to win,” EF coach Krystal Gibbs said. “We really held it together in the second quarter, and we were doing a great job shooting and running our offense.”

A Summer Shelton basket preceded a 3-pointer and a layup from Haven Briggs, who led the Warriors with a team-high 15 points in the game.

Abby Bickerton scored off a feed from Anna Resnik before Brooke Markland buried a 3-pointer from the wing to make it 30-18 heading to the locker room.

“You have to credit EF. They really came in here and took it to us,” Drennen said. “We knew before the game we’d get their best effort. What team doesn’t want to make the playoffs?

“But we knew we were better than what we showed. At the half, it was calm and collected. We knew what we had to do.”

The Leopards had the lead down to eight two minutes into the third.

Jenna Dawson scored on a three-point play before Wobrak went inside for a hoop and hit a 3-pointer the next trip down to make it 34-26.

The senior hit another 3-pointer with 5:10 to go to make it 34-29 before Bickerton scored on a putback for EF.

Bickerton joined Wobrak with a double-double, netting 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Drennen substituted in freshman Farrah Reader, who immediately gave her team a spark, scoring inside just before a Jenna Dawson 3-pointer cut the Belle Vernon deficit to two.

“Farrah Reader, she was the spark for us,” Drennen said. “She’s fearless when she gets in there.”

As the quarter ran down, Resnik nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the circle before Wobrak ended the quarter with a pair of free throws and a putback just before the buzzer to get the lead down to 41-40.

“Rachel really got to us in the third quarter,” Gibbs said. “And I’m not one to make excuses, but the officiating really got in our heads, and it affected the game. The officials just really sucked the life out of us.”

The Belle Vernon comeback was complete as freshman Presleigh Colditz buried a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 43-41. It was her only basket of the game.

“Presleigh was another spark for us. She hit the biggest shot of the game and gave us the lead. The kid’s just fearless offensively. She’s not afraid to shoot her shot,” Drennen said.

Colditz’s shot kicked off an 11-1 run for the Leopards.

“We knew in the second half we had to come out and execute,” Wobrak said. “I think the biggest thing we did was play better defense. I’m just really proud of how the team responded.”

After a Briggs jumper made it 51-44, Reader took a pass about 65 feet from the basket and saw she had a mismatch with Bickerton defending her. She crossed over and went hard to the basket, giving her seven points in the game, all in the second half.

“She’s a smart player, and that was a big basket for us,” Drennen said. “She showed a lot tonight and all of her points were huge.”

Bickerton added a pair of baskets inside, but the Leopards hit their free throws to seal it

“I couldn’t ask for a better senior night,” Wobrak said. “Although we were down in the first half, knowing we fought back, I couldn’t be happier. It’s a game I’ll never forget.”

Dawson finished with 14 points for Belle Vernon.

“I knew coming in that she was going to have a great game,” Drennen said of his senior captain. “Every time she touched the ball, I knew something good was going to happen. She took this one personal, and she’s so passionate about this team and the game. I’m happy for her.”

Gibbs said the disappointment was overwhelming in the Warriors locker room after their playoff dreams were crushed.

“It was really bad in there. To have the game slip away like that after you have a big lead, it’s for a playoff berth. … They knew they had it,” she said. “But, that’s a sign of a young team and they’re only going to get better.”

Tags: Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward