By Jesse Cheatle

ST. MARYS – A night after having their Senior Night celebration ruined by Clearfield, the DuBois Lady Beavers took out their frustrations on the Elk County Catholic Lady Crusaders.

Backed by Kaitlyn Fairman’s 20 points and 13 rebounds, DuBois (8-11, 3-8 D9) spoiled the Tuesday night festivities in St. Marys, leaving with a hard-fought 55-46 victory.

For the Lady Crusaders (10-11, 4-7 D9, 5-3 AML), who led 39-37 entering the fourth quarter, it all came down to a lack of execution in the final eight minutes. ECC scored just seven points in the fourth, as they came on three field goals and one foul shot.

"We didn’t do much in the fourth quarter, period," said ECC coach Ken Pistner afterward. "We had way too many turnovers after the six-minute mark. We never really got to the foul line, and we didn’t do much on the boards either."

On the other side, DuBois coach Zac Wilcox was pleased with his squad’s ability to stay with the Lady Crusaders. "The team’s been down in numbers lately," said Wilcox, "We’ve been playing with basically eight girls. It was a picture of endurance, and we came through."

The game was hotly contested throughout the third quarter, with seven lead changes in that period alone, but DuBois stepped up their game and rolled through the fourth quarter.

Molly DeFrain hit a three-pointer, her fourth of the night, as the buzzer sounded to end the third. With her shot, the Lady Crusaders eked out a 39-37 lead and appeared to have the momentum in their favor.

Neither team was able to score through the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, however. Turnovers and missed shots abounded before Kelsey Wilcox finally broke through and scored underneath with 5:49 to go, tying the game.

Less than a minute later, Wilcox stole the ball and cruised toward a layup, but was fouled in the act. She hit 1-of-2 free throws to give DuBois a one-point advantage. Fairman extended the lead by scoring inside a short time later.

Moving to the other end, ECC pulled within one point once again on a turnaround jumper by Emily Pfeufer. Elk never regained the lead, though, and that was the closest the game would be from then out.

Rachel Robitzer took an inbound pass and scored easily inside, and Fairman cleaned up a rebound for two as DuBois built a five-point edge.

The teams traded points as DeFrain scored on a wild shot inside and Fairman easily sank a pair of foul shots. Pfeufer helped ECC back within two as she scored, was fouled, and completed the three point play to make it 48-46.

It was then time for Wilcox to take over, and she knocked down a pair of baskets. The first score saw her working hard on the boards and tipping in a rebound. Wilcox got her second score after creating a steal on the defensive end. Racing back the other way, Wilcox laid the ball in for a six-point lead.

The Beavers played keep away for roughly the final minute and added a few more points on foul shots by Fairman, closing with a 55-46 win.

"Kelsey hit some big shots late for us," said Wilcox, "and defensively, we picked it up in the fourth. We didn’t give them the threes that killed us earlier."

Wilcox closed, "Everyone showed a lot of heart tonight. It seems like each time out we’re in a game like this, and they haven’t gone our way too many times this year. The girls decided tonight, though, that they just weren’t going to be beaten."

Another downfall for the Lady Crusaders may have been their foul shooting, or rather the lack of foul shooting altogether. ECC traveled to the line only three times, making two of them.

"You aren’t going to beat many people shooting only three foul shots," Pistner commented. "Even though Claire did a great job of controlling the game for us, we’ve got to find a way to get to the line more often."

DuBois opened the game strongly, posting a 14-7 lead after the first quarter. The Lady Beavers created a number of turnovers and held ECC in check. Robitzer led the way early, scoring four and feeding Katie Shick on a nice-looking assist.

Elk Catholic rallied in the second behind the play of Claire Posteraro. She hit a three to start off the quarter right, and netted nine in the period. Her final score came on a highlight steal underneath followed by a twisting, falling circus shot for two. Thanks to a strong rally, ECC trailed just 23-21 at the break.

Robitzer scored another eight points for DuBois in the third to keep her team competitive. The lead changed hands seven times, finishing with DeFrain’s buzzer-beating trey, which set up the exciting fourth quarter.

Posteraro finished with 17 points, and DeFrain added 16 to lead the Lady Crusaders. Robitzer was close behind Fairman with 17 total points, while Wilcox barely missed out on a double-double. She finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

The Lady Beavers return to action Thursday night as they travel to Bradford. The game against Bald Eagle Area originally scheduled for Thursday has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

Elk County Catholic will look to get back on the winning track Thursday as well when they travel to Johnsonburg.

DuBOIS 55, ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 46

Score by Quarters

DuBois 14 9 14 18 - 55

Elk Co. Catholic 7 14 18 7 - 46

DuBois – 55

Rachel Robitzer 7 1-1 17, Katie Shick 3 0-2 7, Megan Kosko 1 0-0 2, Kelsey Wilcox 4 1-4 9, Kaitlyn Fairman 7 6-6 20, Beth Mauthe 0 0-2 0, Alyssa Spicher 0 0-0 0, Shawna Zmitravich 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 8-15 55.

Elk County Catholic – 46

Claire Posteraro 7 1-2 17, Vicky Straub 2 0-0 4, Ashley Mulcahy 0 0-0 0, Molly DeFrain 6 0-0 16, Brittney Bosnik 0 0-0 0, Lisa Undercoffer 2 0-0 4, Emily Pfeufer 2 1-1 5, Rebecca Snelick 0 0-0 0, Steph Cleveland 0 0-0 0, Kara O’Dell 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 2-3 46.

Three Pointers: DuBois 3 (Robitzer 2, Shick); Elk County Catholic 6 (Posteraro 2, DeFrain 4).