When Kendall Berger let her shot fly, all Jasmine Timmerson said she could do was hold her breath.
With her Norwin team down two points in the final seconds Monday, Berger fired up a 3-pointer from the corner which would have sent the Knights to the WPIAL Class 6A championship.
But instead, the ball was short and clanged off the rim just as time expired.
Timmerson and her teammates could then exhale.
No. 2-seeded North Allegheny used a strong fourth quarter to overcome a double-digit, third-quarter deficit and defeat section-rival No. 3 Norwin, 38-36, in a semifinal at Fox Chapel.
By winning the rubber match between Section 1 co-champions, North Allegheny (19-5) advanced to the WPIAL final for the seventh time in eight seasons. The Tigers will try to win their fifth title in that span when they face No. 1 Upper St. Clair (21-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center. Norwin (20-4) was aiming to reach its first final since 2016.
Norwin used its significant height advantage to take a 10-point lead early in the third quarter. North Allegheny was just 12 of 36 from the field in the first three quarters and trailed, 32-27, going into the fourth. But the Tigers clawed their way back during a frantic fourth quarter that saw North Allegheny take its first lead since the opening quarter on Caroline Henderson’s 3-pointer.
With the score tied, 36-36, North Allegheny’s Lydia Betz scored the game’s final points with 2:46 remaining. Betz converted a layup courtesy a slick feed from Kellie McConnell on an inbounds pass. Norwin had the ball last, though. The Knights inbounded with 19 seconds left and eventually moved the ball to Berger, but McConnell appeared to get a piece of the final shot with her left hand.
“I’m holding my breath a little bit, but when I turned my head, Kellie McConnell had the close-out of the year,” said Timmerson, a senior point guard and Pitt recruit. “I don’t know if she tipped it, but she was as close as she could without tipping it. I could take a deep breath when I saw her hand up there.”
North Allegheny coach Spencer Stefko said of the final play, “I drew it up poorly and the kids executed it greatly.”
It was a great performance from Timmerson, who scored a team-high 12 points and, despite being 5 feet 7, spent a lot of time banging down low with Norwin’s lengthy frontcourt. Norwin started three players who stood at least 6 feet while North Allegheny had just one starter (5-11 Betz) taller than 5-7.
“Norwin is a long team and they definitely do not make it easy,” Timmerson said, “but I think that’s where the energy from the bench and the team, that’s where it shows up on the glass and on the loose balls. And I think that’s how we won the game.”
Timmerson was the only North Allegheny player to score in double figures, but Betz and Cam Phillips each added 8 points.
Berger knocked down two 3-pointers and led Norwin with 16 points, while Lauren Palangio added 10.
Other Class 6A semifinal
• Rylee Kalocay led a quartet of players scoring in double figures for Upper St. Clair, which defeated Mt. Lebanon (17-7) for the third time this season, 58-33, at Bethel Park. It was the 15th win in a row for the Panthers, who lost to Mt. Lebanon in the 2022 championship. The Panthers will again try to win their first WPIAL title since 2008. Paige Dellicari (12), Mia Brown (11) and Kate Robbins (10) also scored in double figures for Upper St. Clair, which held a 23-10 halftime lead after defeating Mt. Lebanon by margins of 18 and eight points in the regular season. Payton Collins paced Mt. Lebanon with eight points. The Blue Devils had rallied from 16 points down in the final minutes to stun Chartiers Valley in the quarterfinals.
Class 1A semifinals
• No. 1-seeded Union (17-6) scored the first 19 points of the game and went on to cruise to a 55-40 win against No. 5 St. Joseph (20-5) at North Allegheny. Kelly Cleaver scored 24 points and Kylie Fruehstorfer added 15 for Union, which will play in the final for the first time. Winners of 11 games in a row, the Scotties will take on Aquinas Academy at 11 a.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center. Julie Spinelli paced St. Joseph with 16 points and Gia Richter pitched in with 11. Spinelli scored her 1,000th career point in the game. St. Joseph committed eight turnovers while being outscored, 21-2, in the first quarter and didn’t score its first points until there was 1:02 left in that quarter.
• Aquinas Academy (16-8) is headed to its first final, this after the No. 3 Crusaders beat section foe and No. 2 Bishop Canevin (11-8) for the first time in three tries this season, 43-37, at Norwin. Aquinas Academy rallied from a 22-17 halftime deficit and got a game-high 16 points from Violet Johnson. Rachel Boehm tallied 14 points for Canevin, which beat Aquinas Academy by scores of 62-50 and 57-46 in the regular season. Canevin also beat Aquinas Academy in the 2022 WPIAL championship.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.