Taller Hilltoppers top Sharon to earn a return to the final

Gene Sarazen's team ended with two losses and one player scored her 1,000th point.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
WEXFORD, Pa. -- Sharon High girls basketball coach Gene Sarazen suspected his one-loss Tigers would be strongly tested trying to contain Westmont Hilltop, another squad that has tasted defeat once this season.
The Hilltoppers (30-1) more than lived up to their reputation as defending state runners-up in Friday's Western Pennsylvania Class AA semifinal game at North Allegheny High.
The Tigers (28-2) did their best to keep pace with the taller, speedy Hilltoppers and for 12 minutes of action, the game remained tight.
Devastating spurt
But the Hilltoppers finished the second quarter with a 13-2 run for a 13-point halftime edge and went on to cruise to a 68-43 victory.
"They are a good team -- I knew we would have our hands full," Sarazen said. "It was going to take a lot of heart and desire, and we tried. I think we got worn down a little bit."
Forward Kelly Britcher led Westmont with 19 points while guards Karlee McQuillen and Katie Linter each had 13.
"We've been a balanced team all year," Hilltoppers coach Jodi Hillegass said, adding that her biggest concern during the game came when her tallest player, Alison Buchan, picked up her third personal foul a minute into the second half.
"When Ali got her fouls early, I was a little worried about whether Karlee and Natalie [Sheehan] and Kirsten [Meenan] were going to be able to make up for that lack of size. I think they did an excellent job."
While little went according to plan for the Tigers for most of the night, the game ended with a sweet moment in the final minute when senior Janine McDonald hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give her 13 points on the night and 1,000 for her career.
Milestone
"We wanted to send Janine out as a winner," junior guard Cara Dolci said. "It was most important for us for her to get that thousandth point."
McDonald downplayed the milestone in lieu of the season-ending game.
"I tried my hardest to get it, but it doesn't mean anything now [compared to not playing for a berth to] Hershey," McDonald said. "Hilltop is very good. They have a lot of big people and we gave it our best."
McDonald's 13 points led the Tigers. Guard Brittany Csatlos scored 10 while Dolci and Katie Kelly had eight each.
"They were good," Dolci said of the Hilltoppers, adding that she won't be surprised if they win on Tuesday against Greensburg Central Catholic to earn a second straight trip to Hershey. "Not at all.
"We were prepared as much as we could be," said Dolci, referring to practices against boys. "We gave it our all."
Hillegass said it took awhile for the Hilltoppers to get a feel for how the Tigers play.
Strong points
"They attack the boards real well, they're quick on defense and they are athletic," Hillegass said. "They attacked the basket real well and that's something we haven't seen a whole lot since the beginning of the season.
Greensburg Central Catholic won its semifinal against Lakeview, 69-48. In 2005, Westmont defeated Greensburg Central Catholic in the Western final.
Last year at Hershey, Westmont lost by four points to Delone Catholic in the championship game. Friday, Delone Catholic (22-10) and York Catholic (32-1) won in the Eastern semifinals.
Four of Sharon's starters will return next year when Sharon moves up to Class AAA.
"We'll suit up and do the best we can," Sarazen said of the jump. "We have some [good] kids coming back, we've got a good program. We've just got to work harder."