mkovak@observer-reporter.com

BALDWIN - South Fayette matched Jeannette's energy. The Lions matched the Jayhawks' skill level. In terms of defensive intensity, the two WPIAL Class AA boys basketball powers were equals.

One area where Jeannette held a distinct advantage was athleticism, namely in the form of heralded senior Terrelle Pryor. And when Jeannette needed Pryor most, the nation's top football recruit delivered.

Pryor scored seven of his game-high 24 points in overtime as he led the Jayhawks past South Fayette, 64-54, Saturday in a tightly contested quarterfinal contest at Baldwin High School.

"They're not the toughest team to defend Xs and Os wise," South Fayette coach Rich Bonnaure said. "It's just the athleticism. We played hard but they played just as hard. (Pryor) is a big factor for them."

Pryor proved so vital, he nearly finished with a quadruple-double. In addition to the points, Pryor grabbed 21 rebounds to go with seven blocks and six assists.

The second-seeded Jayhawks (18-4) needed everything they got from Pryor. Other than 22 points from guard Jordan Hall, Pryor did not get a lot of help from his teammates.

"He hasn't had to do what he did (Saturday)," Jeannette coach Jim Nesser said. "But that's a basketball team. That's a team."

Jeannette's top-heavy numbers were in stark contrast to the balanced effort of South Fayette (20-6).

Only one South Fayette player reached double figures as center Zack Patterson, who held his own inside against Pryor, finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lions' ball movement and the inside work of Patterson and Mike Burroughs (12 rebounds) forged an early lead.

South Fayette jumped to first quarter leads of 10-4, 15-9 and 19-11 thanks to an aggressive offense and the ability to keep Pryor off the boards. He did not have a rebound during the first quarter.

"There are ways of stopping him even though he's a great athlete," Bonnaure said. "We kept him off the boards for the first quarter-and-a-half and our idea was to have him see three different defenders. It's hard for a small guy to guard him and it's hard for a big guy to guard him."

The Lions executed well but Jeannette's athletic ability began to show during the second quarter. After three free throws by Patterson put the Lions ahead, 27-20, Jeannette closed the half with an 11-2 run and took its first lead at 31-29 when Hall scored inside with an assist from Pryor just before the buzzer.

South Fayette refused to let Jeannette capitalize on its momentum though the Jayhawks opened a 49-44 lead with 3:30 left in regulation.

Jeannette did not score the rest of the quarter and freshman Pat Zedreck calmly drained two free throws with 23.8 seconds that helped force the overtime. Pryor, making a rare bad decision, took a three-pointer with four seconds remaining that clanked off the rim.

"I think our kids might have felt they had something to prove," Bonnaure said. "We're a good team but we're just a little under the radar."

Which makes the overtime so hard to digest.

The final five minutes were too much for the Lions, who were without Mike Lamberti and Burroughs. Each fouled out.

"If we had Lamberti at the end, maybe it would have been different," Bonnaure said. "Who knows? But if that team is one of the teams expected to win a state title, we should be ready to make a playoff run."

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