| Titusville’s full court press put the squeeze on Rocky Grove efforts offensive efforts in the Rockets flew passed the Orioles 42-37 in the opening round of the Roy Sanner Tip Off Tournament Friday night. The Rockets were the first on the score board with a fast break bucket by Addie Burleigh. The Orioles answered a minute later with two from Grascen Reyburn and the back and forth battle began. At the end of the first quarter, Rocky Grove held a slight advantage at 9-6. The teams exchanged baskets to open the second quarter. The Orioles increased their lead to 16-14 off a three-pointer from Ainsley Anderson. Then the Rockets went on the defensive attack with a full court press midway through the second stanza. Titusville forced turnovers and steals, converting many of them into quick baskets. With just under two minutes left in the half, Kasey Krepps hit her second bucket in 30 seconds and the Rockets found themselves with a 20-16. Freshman Abigail Mawhinney scored two points despite being fouls and brough the Orioles within two at the halftime. The Orioles returned to the floor on a mission and scored the first seven points of the half, thanks to the work of Anderson and Lydia Kennedy. With 5:19 to go in the third quarter, Nora Lesko ignited a seven-point run by the Rockets. Rocky Grove answered back with six of their own, including a triple by Anderson at the buzzer and the score was 31-27, Rocky Grove in the lead. The fourth quarter, however, belonged to the Rockets. They outscored the Orioles 15-6 in the final eight minutes. The Orioles played tough until the end, pulling within three points with 25 seconds left, on Anderson’s second three-pointer of the night. Krepp sealed the deal for the Rockets when she hit for two at the 17 second mark. Krepps and Burleigh led the Rockets on offense with 12 points apiece. Norah Blakeslee has 8, Ava Matteson had 6; and Lesko and Abbie Colle both had two. Anderson was the night’s leading scorer, with 14 points for the Orioles. Kennedy had 12, Mawhinney had 4, Faith Copley had 3 and Reyburn and Payton Phillips both had 2. With the 42-37 win, the Rockets earned a spot in the championship game versus Cranberry at 4 p.m. Saturday at Rocky Grove High School. The Orioles will kick off Saturday’s contest with a 1 p.m. consolation game against Oil City. |       |
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