News

Scoring was at a premium in the girls basketball Class 5A Championship Game at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday afternoon, but it came down to a last second shot to give Gateway its first ever championship.

With three seconds remaining, senior and Niagara University commit Jordan Edwards drained a jumper to give the Gators a 29-27 win against Oakland Catholic.

This was Gateway’s second appearance in the title game, also appearing in 1982. Oakland Catholic has now lost in the WPIAL Championship Game in back-to-back years.

It was tough sledding for both offenses through the first three quarters, with the Eagles leading 19-12 heading into the fourth quarter. Gateway’s offense picked up, scoring 17 points in the quarter, where Oakland Catholic continued to sputter as they were unable to hold onto the seven point lead.

For the game, Gateway shot 28 percent (11 of 39) and Oakland Catholic was at 20 percent (8 of 39).

Edwards, an All-Section 2 pick, was the lone Gators in double figures with 14 points. For Oakland Catholic, sophomore Cierra Christian, a second team pick in the same section, led the team with 12 points.

This was the third meeting between the teams this season with Gateway now holding a 2-1 edge.

The Gators improve to 23-3 and will face Trinity in the first round of the PIAA tournament on Saturday. Trinity was the top-seed in the WPIAL tournament. This will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

Oakland Catholic drops to 17-9 and will face Hickory, who was the third-place team out of District 10 on Saturday.

Both games have sites and times to be determined.