Stingy Defense
Unbeaten Indiana blanks McKeesport in second quarter of 46-24 victory in section opener
Indiana’s second-quarter shutout fueled a home win Thursday night.
The Indians blanked McKeesport in the quarter and rolled to a 46-24 victory in the WPIAL Class 5A Section 2 opener for both teams.
The undefeated Indians (6-0) turned defense into offense, forcing seven turnovers and contesting all nine McKeesport shots in the opening quarter.
By halftime, their lead swelled to 18 points, and Indiana kept the Tigers at arm’s length the rest of the way.
Senior guard Julia Antonacci pumped in 15 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead an attack that featured seven makes from 3-point territory.
Indiana was active on the offensive glass early, with three of its five first-quarter field goals coming on putbacks from sophomores Samantha Martin and Sophia Boyer and senior Addy Hutton. Antonacci added her first 3 to push the lead to 12-5 after McKeesport’s Emily Eisenberg briefly tied the game at 5-5.
The second quarter was the difference-maker. Indiana’s pressure rattled the Tigers, who missed all nine shots from the floor and came up empty on two free throws. Antonacci connected twice from long range, and the Indians handled their business from there.
“We liked to be able to speed (McKeesport) up with our press,” coach Michael Franciscus said. “When we started making shots, especially in the second quarter and second half, we were able to get in that press more often. We were able to speed the game up and get some layups off that.”
Franciscus credited offseason shooting work for the team’s perimeter success.
“We feel like we are a vastly improved shooting team with multiple shooters, and Julia led the way tonight with four 3s,” he said.
Indiana carried its touch into the second half, stretching the margin to 32 on back-to-back 3s from Martin and sophomore Scarlett Stossel.
McKeesport finished with a 12-2 run to make the final score more respectable.
Hutton and Martin each scored eight points for Indiana, with Martin hitting two 3s.
Eisenberg led McKeesport with nine points, while Danna Sabeliah added seven.
The Tigers, who had won four of their first five non-section games, were knocked down a peg quickly by Indiana’s defensive intensity and rebounding edge.
If there was one weakness for Indiana on the night, it came at the foul line. Indiana converted just 1 of 7 free throws, while McKeesport wasn’t much better, hitting only 1 of 5. The struggles at the stripe didn’t affect the outcome, but both teams will look to sharpen that area as section play continues.
Franciscus said the team’s demanding non-section slate prepared them for Thursday’s opener.
“We built a really tough non-section schedule on purpose,” he said. “We conquered five road wins this year already, and we got them all within the first nine days of the season. It felt good to play at home. It felt good to get a section win and keep that undefeated mindset for as long as possible.”
The Indians visit Kiski Area on Tuesday for their first section road test. McKeesport (4-2) plays host to Greensburg Salem in its home section debut.
McKeesport (4-2)
Germany 1 0-0 2, Allison 1 0-2 2, Sabeliah 3 1-3 7, Eisenberg 4 0-0 9, Harper 1 0-0 2, Haidle 1 0-0 2, Totals 11 1-5 24
Indiana (6-0)
Martin 3 0-0 8, Antonacci 5 1-2 15, Kugler 3 0-0 6, Allison 0 0-2 0, Hutton 4 0-3 8, Ferraro 0 0-0 0, Stossel 1 0-0 3, Boyer 3 0-0 6, Unrue 0 0-0 0, Wolff 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Magolis 0 0-0 0, Carnovale 0 0-0 0, Totals 19 1-7 46
McKeesport 5 0 7 12 — 24
Indiana 12 11 11 12 — 46
3-point field goals: McKeesport 1 (Eisenberg), Indiana 7 (Antonacci 4, Martin 2, Stossel).
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