Mar 7, 2020 4 min read

McDONALD – If there was a championship game loss hangover permeating through the Trinity girls basketball program, it was quickly overcome by the time the Hillers tipped off PIAA tourney play Saturday afternoon at South Fayette High School.

Using a strong effort defensively and a balanced offensive attack that started in the paint, the Hillers took care of Penn Hills 54-29 in the opening round of the PIAA Class 5A tournament. It was a business-like performance for Trinity as they never trailed and were in control over the course of the contest.

Trinity (20-5) will face Great Valley Wednesday at a site and time yet to be determined. Great Valley, out of District 1, located in the Philadelphia area, defeated West York in their first-round game on Saturday.

The Hillers won a PIAA opening round game for the first time in three years as they fell to Thomas Jefferson last year and Gateway in 2018.

Trinity coach Kathy McConnell-Miller knew dealing with the Indians’ active zone defense would be a challenge as Penn Hills entered the contest permitting only 38.4 points per game.

“We felt we needed more high-post touches and more low-post touches against their zone,” McConnell-Miller noted. “But when we sat on the perimeter and moved it slowly, that’s just not who we are. Getting some high-post touches opened some things up.”

Trinity shook off a shaky start offensively to post a 12-2 lead after the end of the first quarter. They began to put some distance between themselves and Penn Hills thanks to Courtney Dahlquist’s first-half performance as the junior forward scored 11 of her game-high 14 points.

“We felt like we had a big size advantage inside with her, and she definitely got some putbacks and did a real nice job on the boards and really gave us an impact on the inside against their zone, especially when we weren’t hitting our threes,” McConnell-Miller said. “We got her some more touches and it led to some timely buckets.”

Although Penn Hills (12-13) came into the game with a more touted defensive squad, it was the Hillers who flexed their defensive muscle in the second half that helped turn a competitive contest into a rout midway through the third quarter.

Penn Hills pulled to within eight points following a Jayla Golden layup and a Jasmyn Golden three, trimming the Hillers’ lead to 26-18 in the third. It was here that the Hillers clamped down and began a 21-0 run that stretched from the middle of the third and into the fourth quarter as the Trinity lead ballooned to 47-18.

“I thought when we picked up full-court, we went with some players who we knew were going to defend and that were going to rebound the basketball,” McConnell-Miller said. “It led to more transition and more easy buckets and more of a style that we like to play.”

One of those players who came off the bench to spur the run was Ashley Durig. She scored eight of her 12 points during that stretch. Most of those points came on transition layups and putbacks.

“She’s easily the most consistent player we had all year,” the coach added. “What she brings off the bench, you can’t put into words. She’s tough. She’s strong. She’s a leader. She finishes well. She brings the energy. She’s really a coach’s dream. We consider her a sixth starter and she’s never let us down.”

In all, seven players scored for the Hillers.

Penn Hills was led by Jasmyn Golden’s nine points. Amoni Blackwell, who averaged 16 points per game for Penn Hills was unavailable to play. Indians coaches would not comment on her lack of availability after the game as head coach Robert Cash was also unavailable for comment.