Going into the locker room at halftime, Shady Side Academy held a comfortable double-digit cushion against Greensburg Central Catholic in the WPIAL Class 3A title game.
But as the Bulldogs would soon find out, no lead is safe when Erica Gribble is on the court.
A Richmond recruit and PUP second-team all-star who scored 28 points in last year’s WPIAL Class 2A championship victory for the Centurions, Gribble turned things up a notch on Thursday night when her team needed it most. The ultra-talented 5-10 guard erupted for 24 of her game-high 31 points in the second half, powering Greensburg Central (21-5) to a 56-51 comeback victory at Petersen Events Center.
“I kind of zoned out,” Gribble said. “It feels great, especially losing to them twice [this season]. I think we all just had confidence in ourselves, and we didn’t want to lose at all.”
With all of Shady Side’s defensive attention focused on Gribble late in the fourth quarter, Gribble drove into the lane and fired a perfect pass into the corner to Jayla Peterson, who then knocked down a clutch game-tying 3-pointer. After a steal by Gribble, Peterson then converted a go-ahead layup in transition while drawing a foul, putting Greensburg Central on top for good while completing the 3-point play.
Peterson scored 14 of her 16 points after the break, as she and Gribble combined to score all 38 of the Centurions’ points in the second half.
“That’s probably the first time that’s happened,” said Centurions coach Chris Skatell. “Jayla and Erica decided to go to another level in the last eight minutes of that game, and it was really impressive to watch. I can’t wait to watch it on film.”
Even in a losing effort, junior point guard Karis Thomas was spectacular for the Bulldogs (24-1). Thomas shot 8 of 10 from the field while scoring a team-high 24 points in the defeat. Senior guard Cameron Capel tacked on 12 points for Shady Side while knocking down four 3-pointers, all in the first half.
“We won 24 games in a row, so I’m super proud of these guys,” said Bulldogs coach Jonna Burke. “You lose one night because you get out-rebounded, and Erica Gribble is Erica Gribble. She’s a great player, and she took over tonight.”
For Greensburg Central, the win avenges a pair of losses against Shady Side during the regular season, including a 29-point blowout loss on Jan. 9. Of course, the Bulldogs didn’t have standout forward Cassie Sauer this time around, as Sauer is out for the rest of the season with a hip injury after averaging 15 points and 13 rebounds per game.
Sauer’s absence in the frontcourt left a glaring hole for the Centurions to exploit, and the void was only amplified when sophomore forward Leah Buford fouled out in the fourth quarter.
“Losing [Sauer] and then losing [Buford] — it just changed the way we played. It changed us a lot,” Burke said. “There were just some things that didn’t bounce our way at times. The rebounding, I think, was definitely a killer.”
With the teams tied at 5-5 midway through the first quarter, Thomas converted a pair of acrobatic layups to give Shady Side an early four-point cushion. The Bulldogs took a 14-10 advantage into the second quarter, but their lead quickly evaporated after back-to-back baskets by the Centurions.
A nifty layup by Thomas put Shady Side back on top, 18-16, midway through the second quarter, then a 3-pointer by Capel stretched the lead to five. Another 3 by Capel in the final minute of the first half gave the Bulldogs a 28-18 lead going into the break.
“If we get to the fourth quarter inside of 10 [points], we feel like we can win that game,” Skatell said. “That’s kind of been our philosophy — stay in the game.”
Greensburg Central refused to go away quietly, as Gribble came out firing with 8 points in the first three minutes of the third quarter. With the lead trimmed back down to five, Laila Banner put an end to the Centurions’ run with a layup coming out of a timeout, but Peterson answered with a 3-pointer followed by a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to two.
Leading by four entering the final quarter, Thomas opened up the fourth with a quick bucket to make it a 39-33 lead for Shady Side. Gribble then followed with an and-one layup, and the two star juniors took turns trading blows throughout a frantic fourth quarter.
“It was just such a great game. Back and forth, back and forth,” Skatell said. “Late in the game, we took control of the game. I’m so proud of these kids, I can’t even begin to tell you.”
A steal and score by Gribble midway through the fourth brought Greensburg Central back within three, then Gribble knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game at 48-47. Finally, after trailing for virtually the entire game, Peterson knocked down the game-tying corner 3 for the Centurions with just under two minutes to play.
Moments later, Gribble dived onto the floor to corral a loose ball, then Peterson converted a go-ahead 3-point play after a tough layup in transition. Gribble then drained a pair of game-clinching free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining to put the finishing touches on Greensburg Central’s second consecutive WPIAL title and No. 7 overall.
“I just didn’t want to lose to Shady Side again,” Peterson said. “I just shot with more confidence in the second half. … It just feels awesome.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
