Girls Hoops - GCC vs Clairton

January 13, 2020

Sam Nemeth Layup Beats Buzzer as GCC Girls Beat Clairton 54-52

Sam Nemeth took a pass from Gia Scala, drove purposely through the lane, and laid it up and in as the horn sounded, breaking a 52 point deadlock and giving the Greensburg Central Catholic girls roundballers a 54-52 win over visiting Clairton in a thriller on Monday, January 13, in Carbon.

Clairton got out to a 17-10 first quarter lead and maintained a 7 point margin with a 28-21 lead at halftime. Turnovers were numerous and plagued both teams throughout the first half as neither team took advantage of their opponents misfortunes.

GCC stayed within striking distance of the Lady Bears through three quarters, yet they still trailed 46-37 going into the final quarter. But the Lady Centurions were saving their comeback for the big finish.

GCC chipped away at Clairton's lead throughout the final frame, outscoring the Bears 11-5, going into the final 55 seconds of the game trailing 51-48. A Teresa Kondas field goal with half a minute left, followed by a pair of free throws by Gia Scala, put GCC on top 52-51. When Clairton's Jerzee Sutton was fouled and went to the line to shoot a pair with under 10 seconds to play, she had the chance to put the Bears back on top. But she missed the second from the charity stripe and GCC got the ball for a final shot. That's when Scala fed Nemeth, who calmly laid the game winner off the glass as the buzzer sounded and the Centurions celebrated the come-from-behind win with a group hug at the top of the key.

GCC was led by Gia Scala with 13 points, and Laura Kondas chipped in for 11. Taylor Jackson had 13 for Clairton, with Iyanna Chapman adding 11 and Keneiah Ogletree 10.

GCC takes over sole possession of first place in Class 1A Section 3 with a 5-0 record, 8-3 overall. Clairton drops to the second line in the standings at 4-1, with an 8-2 overall record.

Next up for GCC is a conference game at Propel Andrew Street on 1/20. Clairton hosts South Allegheny in a non-conference game on 1/14.