And Greensburg Central Catholic thought section play was over.
In 14 WPIAL section games this season, GCC had a winning margin of 44 points. Running clocks were a regular occurrence.
The Centurions’ PIAA opener had the feel of one of those games as they coasted into the second round with little resistance.
Taking the court for the first time since a loss to rival Shady Side Academy in the WPIAL Class 3A championship, GCC governed play from the tip and blew past District 9 runner-up Cranberry, 66-14, in PIAA first-round girls basketball Friday night at Hampton.
GCC looked like an angry team, one that didn’t get its WPIAL three-peat and one that didn’t get to play at home in the first round like other district second-place teams.
“We were frustrated after our loss to Shady Side,” GCC junior forward Avery Jones said. “We wanted to get back out and play our best.”
GCC (20-7) will play District 10 champion Northwestern (22-3) on Tuesday at a time and site to be announced.
Northwestern features star Makayla Presser-Palmer, an Arizona commit and the 65th-ranked player in the nation by ESPN.
Northwestern defeated Quaker Valley and Maryland commit Mimi Tiero, 35-22, in the first round.
The Centurions, who couldn’t play a first-round home game because their gymnasium doesn’t meet 3A capacity standards, led 21-4 after the first quarter and 42-9 at halftime before pushing the advantage to 40 and 50 in a mercy-ruled second half.
Senior Erica Gribble scored 27 points, and senior Jayla Peterson added 16 for GCC, which lost in the second round last year to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 36-34.
“It was about confidence and getting back on the floor and seeing a team we never saw before,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said. “You want to execute, get a win and move on.”
Jones added 10 points in the win. She was the leading scorer in the Centurions’ finals rematch with Shady Side Academy, a 57-40 loss at Petersen Events Center. She had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Jones will be a key player next season when Gribble and Peterson are gone, and each playoff win brings her closer to that role.
“We had to focus on fundamentals, slow down and don’t make mistakes,” Jones said. “Hopefully, we get to make another run and win a state title.”
Skatell said Jones’ role will be valuable in the future, but it could be vital now as state games likely will be much more challenging than the opener.
“It’s about confidence with (Jones),” Skatell said. “She understands what she can do. I tell her don’t worry about the result, focus on the process.”
GCC made back-to-back state semifinals in 2022-23 and ’23-24 in 2A.
“It’s great to get (the first PIAA win) out of the way,” Gribble said.
Sophomore Darien Wenner led Cranberry with nine points. The Berries didn’t have a field goal in the third quarter.
The Berries (15-11) were playing in the state tournament for the first time since 2017.