Avonworth star center Tara Gallupe goes up for a layup during the ‘Lopes’ 41-30 loss to Seton LaSalle on Tuesday. Gallupe got into early foul trouble and finished with only 7 points. Photo by Tom Steiner for The Citizen

By JIM RUMBLE

It seemed as though neither team wanted to win when the Avonworth girls’ basketball team met Seton LaSalle in a WPIAL semifinal game played at North Allegheny on Tuesday.

The top-seeded 'Lopes picked a bad time to turn in what was their most defective performance of the year, as they were knocked off by the fourth-seeded Rebels 41-30.

"I think we played great defensively," said coach Bob Schulz after the game. "Offensively, shots weren't dropping and we couldn't get our two top scorers going."

Although some believe that the loss was the result of Seton LaSalle's defensive play, most of the damage was self-inflicted by the 'Lopes, who seemed out of sync and unsettled at times.

Avonworth turned over the ball 24 times while shooting 10-of-41 from the field. Seton Lasalle wasn't much better, turning over the ball 20 times and playing sub par offensively, especially from the perimeter.

Avonworth's only lead came two-and-a-half minutes into the first quarter as Lauren Mayernik scored on two consecutive possessions to put the 'Lopes up 4-0.

You may have thought that the 'Lopes were up and running, but that would not be the case. Four minutes went by without a point being scored before Seton LaSalle decided to accelerate offensively. They took advantage of three consecutive turnovers by Avonworth to form a 10-0 run and lead 10-4 when the first quarter ended.

The Rebels were able to extend their lead in the second quarter, taking advantage of Avonworth's ineffectiveness offensively as center Tara Gallupe picked up her third foul and took to the bench with 4:18 remaining.

A basket by Mayernik and three free throws by Molly Frew were Avonworth's points as Seton LaSalle outscored the 'Lopes 12-5 on their way to a 22-9 halftime lead.

Avonworth continued to struggle in the third, where a basket by Marissa Milbert and a free throw by Frew came in an 8-3 run by the Rebels that had the Lady ‘Lopes trailing by 18 points with less than two minutes left in the quarter.

Gallupe finally got on the scoreboard, converting a followed miss and free throw after being fouled on the play that had the 'Lopes behind 30-15 going into the final quarter.

Laura Presutti scored five points in an 11-2 Avonworth run in the fourth quarter to bring the score to 32-26 with 1:33 remaining.

The Lady ‘Lopes were forced to foul, and the Rebels capitalized with 9-of-12 from the stripe down the stretch to secure the 41-30 win.

"I give our kids a lot of credit for fighting back in the fourth quarter," Schulz said. "They showed a lot of character."

Mayernik led Avonworth scorers with nine points followed by Gallupe with seven, Frew and Presutti with five apiece and Catherine Costa and Milbert with two points apiece.

Avonworth had advanced to the semis after defeating Bishop Canevin in a quarterfinal game, 58-51, on Feb. 26.

The 'Lopes had moved to a 17-point lead late in the third quarter when the Crusaders made a move toward the lead by increasing their defensive pressure.

"They went to a time-out and I told our players that they're going to come with real hard pressure," Schulz said later.

He added, "We played great defense the whole game and I think our kids got their composure back in the fourth quarter."

Gallupe finished with 19 points, followed by Costa with 16 and Mayernik with 14.

The season continues for the ‘Lopes, who will compete in the state playoffs on Friday, March 12.