BROOKVILLE — Trailing by double digits at one point in the first half and down by seven at halftime, the top-seeded Ridgway Lady Elkers battled all the way back Wednesday night.
Julie Peterson hit a 3-pointer — her team’s first, and only, of the game — and Ridgway tied the score at 41 with 20 seconds to play.
But Keystone’s Natalie Bowser knocked down a jumper in the paint with six seconds to go that would ultimately be the difference as her fourth-seeded Lady Panthers pulled off a 43-41 upset win over Ridgway in the District 9 Class AA semifinals at Brookville High School.
After Bowser’s make, and with just a few seconds left on the clock, Keystone (16-8) stole the ball on the ensuing inbounds pass and went to the free-throw line. They missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, but Ridgway (17-7) couldn’t get one last desperation shot off.
Early on, Emily Lauer and Jozee Weaver controlled the game for Keystone. The duo combined to pour in 18 of Keystone’s 22 first-half points. Lauer finished with a game-high 19, including nine in the fourth quarter, and Weaver had 15.
For the Lady Elkers, which made just 11 field goals in the game, a big chunk of their offense came at the free-throw line. Ridgway knocked down 18 of its attempts at the charity stripe, but it was the nine misses — particularly the four in the fourth quarter — that hurt.
Gabbi Rohr and Lindsey Steis each had 10 points for the Lady Elkers, while Julie Peterson and Christiana Fullem had eight a piece.
Keystone advances to Friday’s title game at 6:30 p.m. at Clarion University against second-seeded Redbank Valley. The two teams split their season series. Ridgway, meanwhile, gets Clarion in the consolation game Friday at a site and time to be determined.
AT BROOKVILLE
Keystone (43)
Emily Lauer 6 5-6 19, Jozee Weaver 7 0-0 15, Hurrelbrink 2 0-0 5, Bowser 2 0-0 4, M. Dunlap 0 0-1 0. Totals: 17 5-7 43
Ridgway (41)
Gabbi Rohr 2 6-12 10, Lindsey Steis 3 4-4 10, Fullem 3 2-2 8, Peterson 2 3-5 8, Delhunty 0 3-4 3, Cobaugh 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 18-27 41
Keystone 11 22 28 43
Ridgway 5 15 25 41
Three-point goals: Keystone 4 (Lauer 2, Weaver, Hurrelbrink), Ridgway 1 (Peterson); Total fouls: Keystone 19, Ridgway 9; fouled out: A. Dunlap (Keystone)
