Feb 26, 2023 2 min read

Emilee Fedrizzi dropped in six of her eight three-point field goals in the second half to rally top-seeded Shenango to a 54-44 victory over Burgettstown to earn a spot in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals.

The Blue Devils will host Aliquippa Tuesday in the third-place game. Burgettstown led 26-21 at halftime and looked prepared to make its first trip to the finals in program history.

But Shenango, backed by Fedrizzi’s hot hand, led a fourth-quarter charge that saw the Wildcats outscore the Blue Devils, 18-6, in the fourth quarter.

“We went a little bit cold in the fourth quarter,” said Burgettstown head coach Megan Zitner. “There were back-to-back possessions where we didn’t score when we really needed to and they made three-pointers.”

The last minute of the game, the Wildcats (21-4) hit back-to-back three-point field goals off Burgettstown misses The Blue Devils fouled but only had two fouls called against them with a couple minutes to play.

“My kids played hard and we controlled the game for most of the way,” Zitner said. “(Shenango) ended up shooting 70 percent from three in the second half. Overall, they shot 65 percent from three and something like 35 percent from two.”

Janie Natale added nine points on three 3-pointers for the Wildcats.

Kaitlyn Nease scored 19 points and Eden Rush had 10 for No. 5 Burgettstown (19-6).

“We watched many films on them and never saw them shoot that well,” Zitner said. “(Fedrizzi) was shooting one or two a game.

Zitner allowed the team two days to feel sad about the loss. Then, it’s back to work.

“On Monday, we have to regroup and bounce back,” Zitner said. “We’ve got to get ready for states. We could still make a run in the state tournament. You never know.”