OTTO-ELDRED 75, UNION 46

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Feb. 27, 2010 - District 9 Class A Girl's Quarterfinals

By Blaise O’Connor

DUKE CENTER – Jordan Beckwith scored a career-high 28 points and Spryce York added 18 to lead Otto-Eldred to a 75-46 win over visiting Union in the District 9 Class A quarterfinals Saturday morning.

“Jordan Beckwith played this game like she was possessed,” Otto-Eldred head coach John Hepfer said. “And the girls picked a great time to play their best game of the season.”

Beckwith, a senior, scored 10 of her 28 in the first quarter, but the Lady Terrors (18-6) led by only one, 13-12, because Union’s Brooke Pollock matched Beckwith point-for-point.

Otto-Eldred, though, started to take control of the game in the second quarter outscoring Union (15-8) 21-14 in the quarter to take a 34-26 halftime lead. The Lady Terrors then caught fire in the third quarter outdistancing Union 24-12 thanks to eight points by Beckwith and 12 by York to lead 58-38 at the end of three. York finished the night with 18 points.

“Once again, Spryce York played very well,” Hepfer said. “Her energy was contagious.”

While Otto’s offense was clicking for a season-high 75 points, the previous high was 59, the Lady Terror defense was limiting Union to its fifth-lowest output of the year. The Golden Damsels had entered the game averaging over 55 points a game and were the third-highest scoring team in District 9.  

“We played a 2-1-2 zone defense for the first time this year, and it worked very well,” Hepfer said.

Fourth-seeded Otto-Eldred, which won for the seventh time in a row, will face top-seeded and defending champion Elk County Catholic in the semifinals Tuesday at a site and time to be announced.

The win clinched a PIAA playoff berth for the Lady Terrors, their first since finishing third in 2002.

“The girls have worked really hard for what they have accomplished this season,” Hepfer said.

Pollock led Union with 14 points with Tina Lipps chipping in 11. The Golden Damsels held Otto’s leading scorer Taylor Thomas to just three points.

NOTES – Otto-Eldred lost to ECC 61-51 in the quarterfinals last season … It marked just the seventh time this season Beckwith has reached double figures. Her previous high was 16 points achieved twice this year. She had scored just 30 points in her previous four games and was averaging 7.8 ppg on the season … Otto came into the game averaging 47.2 ppg and had broken 55 just twice this year while scoring less than 50 12 times in 23 games.

OTTO-ELDRED 75, UNION 46

Score by Quarter

Union 12 14 12 8 – 46

Otto-Eldred 13 21 24 17 – 75

Union – 46

Priester 0 2-2 2, Winchester 0 0-0 0, Mackinley 3 0-2 8, Pollock 4 6-6 14, Stuart 1 0-0 2, Stewart 0 0-0 0, Smith 2 4-6 9, Lipps 5 1-4 11. Totals 15 13-20 46.

Otto-Eldred - 75

Taylor Thomas 1 1-2 3, Brown 4 1-2 9, J. Cochran 2 0-0 5, Beckwith 9 7-8 28, Wilcox 1 0-0 2, Wetherby 0 1-2 1, Palmer 2 3-6 7, Evingham 0 0-0 0, York 6 6-10 18, C. Cochran 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 19-30 75.

Three-pointers – Union 3 (Mackinley 2, Smith). Otto-Eldred 4 (Beckwith 3, J. Cochran).