Freeport's Jessica Aulicino found out why teams spend so much time practicing free throws.
Aulicino drained two free throws with four seconds left to not only give Freeport its first lead of the game but also a stunning victory, 39-37, over host Ford City on Thursday night in Section 1-AA girls basketball.
Aulicino, who also hit the game-tying hoop with just under a minute left, finished the game with a double-double, scoring 12 points and snagging 12 rebounds. She went 4 for 4 at the foul line, all coming in the fourth quarter.
"We're always going to have this win against Ford City," Freeport coach Bill Burkart said. "This was a year of a lot of adversity for this team. To have a win like this just punctuates the season for us."
Jessica McFadden led the Yellowjackets (8-11, 5-7) with 16 points, was was 4 for 4 from 3-point range.
Maria Prazenica led Ford City (15-4, 9-3) with 13 points, and Heather Davis had 11.
Apollo-Ridge 43, Elderton 42 — Lexie Orlowski scored at the buzzer to give Apollo-Ridge a thrilling home win over Elderton in Section 1-AA play. Orlowski ended the game with 13 points, and Ashley Emminger led the Vikings (6-14, 4-8) with 15 of her own.
Lauren Schultheis of Elderton (11-8, 7-5) led all scorers with 20 points.
Deer Lakes 74, Leechburg 25 — Class AA No. 5 Deer Lakes (14-4, 11-1) remained atop Section 1-AA by defeating Leechburg (2-17, 2-10). Becca Babincak scored 19 points to lead the Lancers, and Emily Casello chipped in 13 points.
Burrell 56, West Shamokin 15 — Freshman Erika Finn scored 20 points, hitting four 3-pointers, to lead Burrell to a Section 1-AA win over West Shamokin (1-19, 0-12).
Sydney Bordonaro added 13 for the Bucs (16-2, 10-2).
Jeannette 65, Springdale 46 — Springdale (7-12, 5-5) fell behind, 39-26, by halftime and could not recover in a Section 3-AA loss to Jeannette (11-7, 9-1).
Junior standout Ciara Gregory scored 38 for Jeannette. Erin Gilmartin led Springdale with 15.
Plum 72, Penn Hills 59 — Krista Pietropola scored a season-high 31 points for Plum in a Section 2-AAAA win over Penn Hills.
Angie Borriello scored 12 points, and Aly Weifenbaugh had 11 points for Plum (14-6, 8-2).
Kiski Area 53, Norwin 37 — Makenzie Zidek hit a career-high six 3-pointers and led three double-figure scorers with 23 points, as Kiski Area (13-6, 6-4) won a Section 1-AAAA game.
Norwin (13-6, 6-4) was held to single digits in three quarters.
Kittanning 69, Knoch 39 — A 12-0 run to open the Section 1-AAA game set the tone for Kittanning (7-13, 3-5), which topped its previous season-high point total by 11 and avenged a 7-point loss to Knoch (9-8, 5-3).
Emily Knepshield scored a game-high 19 for the Wildcats. Sam Logan led Knoch (9-8, 5-3) with 14 points.
Valley 40, Highlands 30 — Ryleesa Vining scored a game-high 15 points, and Kaylyn Iacopino added 11 for Valley (4-11, 1-7) in a Section 1-AAA victory over Highlands (2-15, 1-7).
Nikki Misejko led Highlands with 17.
Valley outscored Highlands, 11-4, in the third quarter.
St. Joseph 50, Eden Christian Academy 21 — St. Joseph continued its push for a playoff spot with a Section 2-A win over Eden Christian Academy.
Mallory Heinle scored a game-high 15 points for St. Joseph (11-7, 6-4). Amanda Klawinski also scored in double figures with 11 points.
Jenna Santoro scored 14 points for Eden Christian Academy (9-10, 3-7).
Vincentian 71, Riverview 24 — Vincentian remains atop the Section 2-A standings with a win over Riverview. Brenna Wise led all scorers with 23 points for Vincentian (18-0, 9-0). Ashley Bruni scored 11 points for Riverview (12-7, 5-5).
Mary Andrejko added 10.
Boys basketball
Cheswick Christian 66, Champion 40 — Antione Malloy and Tyler Knupp each scored 16 points to lead Cheswick Christian over Champion in SWCAC play.
Andrew Maust scored 11 points.
Hockey
Plum 4, Gateway 1 — Plum ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over Gateway. Andrew Walters scored two goals for the Mustangs (8-6), and David Stonebraker added four assists. Goalie Taylor Cestra made 21 saves for the win.
Freeport 3, Hampton 1 — Cody Lee's 19-save performance led Freeport to a well-earned victory over Hampton at Belmont Ice Complex. Cole Hepler's game-winner came on the power play with one second remaining in the second period.
Nicholas Zidek scored on an empty net late to seal the victory for the Yellowjackets, who now sit in fourth place in Class A at 9-3-2.
