| The Orioles will be looking for a bounce back win as they enter the PIAA state tournament as the district 10 second seed when they take on Neshannock on Saturday in Oil City. Rocky Grove moved into the state tournament after falling to Lakeview 72-53 Friday in the district championship game at Slippery Rock University. The Orioles grabbed the tipoff and were looking strong scoring first on a three pointer by Connor Ritchey. The teams traded buckets, turnovers, and missed shots as the first quarter ended with Rocky Grove ahead 15-12. The Sailors' defense kept the Orioles offense caged in the second, allowing Rocky Grove only five points to their 10. Noah Baughman hit a layup right before the buzzer to help his team take a little momentum into the locker room despite falling behind 20-22. In the second half, the Orioles soared after the Sailors, finally tying the game at 28 with a trey by Schiffer Anderson. They took a slim lead on another Ritchey three pointer. Then Lakeview went ahead by one before Landen Carter hit for two and Rocky Grove held the lead until the last second of the quarter. The third quarter was a bit of deja vu for Rocky Grove. They tied it at 41 with a three pointer by Baughman with 6:55 left to play and again at 44-all with a trey by Ritchey at the 6:17 mark. Unfortunately, from there Lakeview sailed away with the game, outscoring the Orioles 28-9 down the stretch. Baughman led Rocky Grove with 19 points. Ritchey had 11, Carter 10, Anderson eight and Aiden Focht had three. Hayden Bevie added two to round out the Orioles offensive effort. With the second-place finish, Rocky Grove moves to 21-4 on the season. |       |
They will meet Neshannock (21-4), the fourth seed out of District 7, at 1 p.m. at Oil City High School.
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