OLIVESBURG — St. Peter’s barely had enough healthy bodies to field a team, but the Spartans never stopped fighting.
Coach Roy Shoulders wouldn’t have expected anything less.
Fifth-seeded Monroeville scored 16 unanswered points during a 10-minute span bridging the first and second quarters and cruised to a 56-19 win over the 10th-seeded Spartans in the Division IV sectional semifinals Tuesday at Crestview High School.
St. Peter’s lost four starters during the course of the season and started three freshmen and a sophomore Tuesday. Meanwhile, Monroeville started three seniors and two juniors.
“We lost four starters, but they’ve had a resilient group of girls,” Shoulders said. “At no time did they hang their heads. They’re going to battle for each other to the very end and as a coach, what else could you ask for?
“Eli Charette didn’t have a senior season. Sydney Cavanaugh lost the last quarter of the season. Julie Rizzo and Ahmani Mitchell didn’t have a season. Hopefully they learned you can’t take things for granted. You’ve got to give everything you have when you play.”
Monroeville led 13-2 after the first quarter and 30-4 at the half. The Spartans outscored the Eagles 7-4 to start the third, forcing Monroeville coach Brad Dunlap to call a timeout.
“For as much adversity as they have faced, they never quit,” Dunlap said of the Spartans. “I’ve never seen a team like that in my 16 years of coaching.
“To finish the year with all those injuries, it would have been easy for them to pack it in. That is a testament to those girls and the coaching staff.”
Freshman Kiyah Wentz led the Spartans with nine points. Sophie Tridico and Danielle Powell each had three.
Camryn Hedrick scored a game-high 15 points for the Eagles (11-10). Delaney Giles added seven.
The Spartans (5-14) will lose just three seniors. St. Peter’s roster included five freshmen and sophomores.
“We’re optimistic about the future, but we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Shoulders said. “Just because we got experience this year for the younger kids, it doesn’t grant us anything. We’ve got to get into the gym and work.
“Hopefully it inspires us, but we still have to put the effort in.”
