QV Girls Win Opening Playoff Test

After waiting 14 years for a WPIAL girls basketball playoff victory, Quaker Valley didn’t miss its chance this time.

In fact, the Quakers didn’t miss much of anything, hitting nine 3-point shots during the game.

The girls basketball team won its first WPIAL playoff game since 1997 with a dominating 49-38 opening-round victory over Ford City Friday night at High School.

“Everybody was on their game, and I just thought it was a good team effort,” Quaker Valley coach Jim Dudas said.

Coming off a stunning 44-35 upset over tournament No. 3 seed Deer Lakes (20-2) in an exhibition game last Monday, the Quaker Valley girls took that momentum right into the start of the Class AA championships.

The Quakers (15-8) advanced to the round of 16 where they will meet Riverside (19-3) at North Allegheny High School at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Quaker Valley boys (19-3) will attempt to extend their winning streak to 10 straight when they open the WPIAL tournament Wednesday against either Bishop Canevin (12-10) or Ford City (14-8) at a site and time to be determined.

Quaker Valley sophomore Rachel Smith continued to establish her presence as one of the WPIAL’s top rebounders by pulling down 25 against Ford City.

“Rachel was unbelievable under the boards,” Dudas said.

Quaker Valley junior guard DeAnn Ryan tossed in six 3-point baskets and scored a game-high 27 points, and sophomore guard Sierra Perlik added 13 points.

After watching films of Riverside early Saturday morning, Dudas said it’s not hard to determine why they finished 19-3.

“They’re bigger than us at almost every position, but that’s true with just about everybody we play,” he said. “They’re good on offense. They’re as good as we’ve seen.”

Quaker Valley boys didn’t win the Section 6-AA race with a 10-2 league finish, but led Class AA in team defense, giving up just 41.7 points per game.

The Quakers boys were placed in the same side of the bracket which includes top-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic (20-2).