The Cambridge Springs girls basketball team was coming off a lopsided loss, five starting seniors were facing the end of their high school careers and a berth in the state playoffs was on the line.
Frankly, the Lady Blue Devils had every reason to be fired up when they faced Reynolds in the District 10 consolation game Saturday at Meadville High School. And thanks to a highly-motivated first quarter performance; the squad got some of its pride back, the seniors are still playing, and it’s on to the PIAA playoffs after the Spa beat the Raiders, 60-44.
“These girls have been playing together for a long time,” said Cambridge Springs head coach Clint Rauscher. “They didn’t want it to just end. So they came out and they out-worked (Reynolds) and they out-hustled (Reynolds). They wanted to keep playing.”
The Blue Devils — now 22-3 — will start inter-district play on Friday, squaring off against WPIAL runner-up Our Lady of Sacred Heart. The time and location of the game is yet to be announced. It will be the Spa’s first state appearance since the 2002-03 season.
“When we were in eighth grade we traveled with the team when they went to states,” said Cambridge senior Aria Johnston. “It’s really exciting to be going this year.”
Johnston played a major role getting the Devils to states.
The 6-foot forward scored a towering 27 points while grabbing 12 rebounds.
“She played very hard,” Rauscher said. “She worked hard on defense. She worked hard on offense. The first time we played Reynolds we struggled to get her the ball. This time they found her and she did well.”
Johnston scored 10 points in the first quarter as the Devils rolled to a healthy 25-7 lead. She had three buckets and was 4-for-4 from the line.
In the same period, Annie Wilson scored seven points and Stephanie Baer bagged a pair of treys to score six.
The Blue Devils also dominated the boards in the first. Led by four rebounds a piece from Johnston and Sauers, Cambridge out-rebounded the Raiders 11-4.
Yet, up by 18, Cambridge might have gotten a little too comfortable. And Reynolds — thanks to Chelsea D’Urso’s eight points in the second quarter — made some headway before the half, cutting the Devils’ lead to 14 points at 36-22. That would set up the Raiders for a big push in the third.
Trailing by 14, Reynolds sunk back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute of the third quarter to pull within five. Brittany Nelson had two of those threes and D’Urso sunk one at the buzzer.
“Reynolds is a very good team and they didn’t want it to end either,” said Johnston. “We were trying to get after it, but they kept clawing.”
“These girls do not quit,” added Reynolds coach Bob Chamberlain.
To start the fourth quarter, Nelson dropped in a floater and Reynolds had climbed all the way back to make it a one possession game. The temperature on the court was rising.
However, Reynolds, having pushed with all their might, started to lose some steam. And then came the turnovers. And Cambridge started making shots again.
“I think we had three straight turnovers at one point,” Chamberlain said. “That put it right back to seven or nine points.”
Johnston pushed it back to five points (45-40) with a layup at the Devils’ end. Jolene Parker cut it to four, making one of two freebies. But again the Devils found Johnston for another. And Baer followed that up with her third trey of the game to make it a nine-point affair at 50-41.
The Raiders got desperate and left some holes open. And Cambridge took advantage, ending the game with a 10-2 run.
“We were a little too eager (in the third),” said Rauscher. “We started to over-play. We were taking too many chances. But we were able to settle down and make some plays. And I think Reynolds got tired by the fourth quarter. They had made their run.”
After Johnston’s 27 points, Baer tallied nine. Sauers added eight points and Wilson finished with seven points and five steals.
For Reynolds (17-10), D’Urso scored 19 points and Nelson knocked down 13.
“We had our ups and downs this season,” said Chamberlain. “And this game was kind of like a microcosm of the year that we had. It was the little inconsistencies that hurt us.”
Pete Chiodo can be reached at 724-6370 ext. 275 or by e-mail at pchiodo@meadvilletribune.com.
Local Sports
Blue Devils reach state playoffs
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