RACHEL MARTINDALE DROPS 24 POINTS IN NA’S SEASON OPENING WIN

Posted on: by Big 56 Conference

By Dave Floyd

It may have been opening night, but Rachel Martindale’s three-point shot appeared to be in midseason form on Friday.

The North Allegheny junior scored 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting from distance, and the top-ranked Tigers defeated No. 2 Penn Hills 57-41 in the Wright Automotive Tip-Off Tournament. Martindale added five assists to her stat sheet.

Penn Hills led 8-6 halfway through the first quarter. From there, however, the Tigers embarked on an 8-0 spurt that gave them a 14-8 lead, and they never trailed the rest of the way.

In the second quarter, NA outscored the Indians 15-3 to take command of the contest.

Along with Martindale, senior Madelyn Fischer reached double figures in scoring with 12. Freshman Lizzy Groetsch logged 13 minutes in her first varsity action and led the Tigers on the glass by grabbing seven rebounds.

Senior Courtney Roman spearheaded NA’s defensive efforts, tallying a team-high six steals to go along with her eight points. Classmate Piper Morningstar added seven points.

Both teams continue tournament play today. Penn Hills and Chartiers Valley kick things off at 11 a.m. The Tigers are back in action at 2:30 p.m. against Norwin.