BEAVER — After every practice and every game, coach Greg Huston reminds his Beaver girls basketball team that everything they do on the basketball court is a learning experience.
On Thursday night, the young and inexperienced Bobcats learned again that they can compete with any team in their section.
But to consistently win games against the better teams in the section, they have to play a little bit better than they did in a 63-61 loss to Avonworth.
The bright spot for Beaver, 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the section, was how it battled back after trailing by 11 points, 53-42, midway in the fourth quarter.
From that point, the Bobcats went on a 19-8 run and tied the game, thanks to some clutch outside shooting. In the last 3 minutes, they knocked down five three-pointers.
Sophomore guards Anna Blum and Natalie Priest each made two 3s down the stretch. Freshman forward Payton List added one.
With 3 seconds left, Priest’s bomb from long distance tied the game, 61-61.
But just when it seemed like the game was headed to overtime, Avonworth guard Harris Robinson was fouled just past the midcourt line with less than a second on the clock … 0.2 seconds to be exact.
She calmly sank both free throws for a win that put Avonworth (6-3, 4-0) in sole possession of first place.
Hayden Robinson, a 5-foot-10 senior forward who’s going to Quinnipiac University on a track scholarship, led Avonworth with a game-high 22 points. Kathryn Goetz, a 5-9 junior forward, added 16 for the Antelopes.
Sophomore guard Emma Pavelek led Beaver with 20 points. Sophomore forward Maddi Weiland and Payton List scored 11 and 10, respectively.
“Huge win,” said Avonworth coach Mark D’Alessandris, an Aliquippa native who used to coach the Quips’ girls team. “We’re both competing for first place, and now we’re in sole possession. We got a big game Monday when Neshannock comes to our gym.
It was Beaver who handed Neshannock its only section loss, 47-46, on the Lancers’ home court on Dec. 13.
“Avonworth is really good,” Huston said. “I had them and Neshannock as the top two teams in the section. So I feel pretty good that we’re playing right with them for as young as we are.