Slow start dooms Beth-Center in loss to Avonworth
MONROEVILLE – Scoring in the playoffs this decade has come at a premium for the Beth-Center High School girls basketball teams.
In the Bulldogs’ last three WPIAL playoff appearances, they failed to reach 30 points in any of them.
Beth-Center eclipsed that Wednesday night but it was much too late to keep up with fifth-seeded Avonworth.
Falling behind by double-digits less than four minutes into the game, No. 12 Beth-Center couldn’t find any rhythm with constant turnovers and fell to Avonworth, 55-34, in a WPIAL Class 3A first-round game at Gateway High School.
“It was just a matter of us making bad decisions,” said Beth-Center coach Stephen Beyer. “It was the first few minutes of the game. Anytime you are playing from behind you can’t play relaxed. You are always worried about making the perfect pass or perfect shot.”
The only aspect that neared perfection through the 32 minutes was the full-court pressure from Avonworth (16-6). The Antelopes forced Beth-Center into 29 turnovers, including nine in the first four minutes of regulation.
They took advantage of those mistakes in the blink of an eye, jumping out to a 14-0 lead before Beth-Center (12-10) could even attempt its second shot.
“Our goal was to get up on them, get some easy buckets and get our offense going,” said Avonworth coach Mark D’Alessandris. “We were trying to work on our pressure defense.”
Beth-Center continued to fold under the pressure as its deficit mounted in the second quarter. Three consecutive baskets to begin the second for Avonworth, including a layup from Alexis Mankey-Sayers with 6:02 left in the quarter, gave the Antelopes a 28-8 lead.
The Antelopes led 32-16 at halftime.
“We worked on it and knew it was coming,” Beyer said of Avonworth’s press. “They live and die by their transition game. We had to keep them in their half-court offense.”
Sisters Harris and Hayden Robinson led Avonworth on offense. Harris scored a game-high 19 points, and Hayden added nine points.
The lone scorer in double figures for Beth-Center was Elizabeth Trump with 14 points and six rebounds. The Bulldogs eclipsed 30 points with a 10-0 run in the middle of the fourth quarter.