LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. - Schuylkill began the contest on fire, going 3-3 from the field to jump out to a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes. Fayette quickly answered with a run of their own, going on a 9-0 stretch with 5:36 remaining in the first quarter. Schuylkill regained the lead in the final seconds of the quarter on a pair of made free throws by Tajae Stevenson (Patterson, NJ / International High School).
Schuylkill went on an 8-0 run to begin the second quarter, extending their lead to 24-15 and forcing a Fayette timeout with 5:02 remaining in the period. Fayette connected on a 3-point attempt out of the time out to bring their deficit to six.
Another 3-point basket by Fayette with 1:23 remaining brought their deficit back to three after a series of free throws from both teams. Kassidy Ingram (Abington, PA / Trinity High School) collected an offensive rebound and followed it up to push the Schuylkill lead to five with 53 seconds left in the quarter.
With the score 34-33 at the 4:41 mark in the third quarter, Schuylkill went on a 10-3 stretch to give them a 44-36 lead with 16 seconds remaining in the period. Fayette connected on a 3-point attempt to bridge the gap to five heading into the final period.
A made jump shot by Sherly Valentin (Bronx, NY / Renaissance High School) to begin the fourth increased the Schuylkill lead to 46-39. A 9-3 stretch by Schuylkill gave them a 55-42 advantage with 5:37 remaining.
A made layup by Stevenson with 2:23 remaining gave Schuylkill their biggest lead of the game at 60-45. A 9-0 run by Fayette would make the score 60-54, however time was in Schuylkill's favor as they were able to hold off Fayette.
Ingram led Schuylkill with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Stevenson finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Valentin added 9 points and 4 rebounds. Allison Crocket (Liverpool, PA / Greenwood High School) contributed with 8 points and 6 rebounds while Nadia King (Harrisburg, PA / Susquehanna Township High School) added 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals in the victory.
Schuylkill (10-7. 7-2 PSUAC) will play the last game of their seven-game road stretch against conference opponent Penn State Lehigh Valley this Wednesday, January 18th.
