Lady Foresters win Class A title

The Forest City girls’ basketball team won the District II Class A title with a win over Old Forge, 61-44, on Saturday. In the front row, from left, are Christine Komar, Katie Yale, Cassie Erdmann, Alyssa Borick, Kiersten Collins and scorekeeper Nicole Guzzi, back row, head coach Carl Urbas, Taylor-Ray Tammero, Morgan Saul, Carly Erdmann, Tania Pollard, Michaela Martines, Cassandra Bendyk, Kylie Borick and coach Kelsey Tyson. PHOTO COURTESY OF KARIN DORMAN

BY MARTY MYERS

Times-Shamrock Writer

No pep talk needed for Katie Yale. She knew she didn’t have a good first half.

With three fouls and just four points to show for nine minutes of work, the Lady Foresters senior center was determined to make something happen.

Hitting all her shots from the floor and scoring 18 of her 22 in the second half, Yale lifted Forest City to its first District 2 title since 2003, pulling away from Old Forge, 61-44, in Saturday’s Class A title game at Carbondale Area High School.

It ended Old Forge’s three-year run as district champs, and Forest City’s string of trips to the state tournament as bridesmaids to the Lady Devils.

“We knew we didn’t want the second-place medals again,” said Yale, who went 9 for 9 from the floor. “We wanted to be the champions.”

Freshman Carly Erdmann, her sister, senior Cassie Erdmann, and Kiersten Collins all played huge roles in the victory.

Carly Erdmann scored a career-high 19 and grabbed seven rebounds. Cassie Erdmann scored nine, cleared 12 boards, had five assists and four blocked shots, and Collins grabbed nine rebounds and swatted away six shots.

“I tried to tell them you can’t go straight in,” Old Forge coach Tom Gatto said of the Lady Foresters’ 11 blocks. “You have to put your body into them. We don’t use our bodies well at all.”

Despite shooting 18 percent in the first half, Old Forge trailed by just 17-14 at halftime. With Yale in foul trouble, and Carly Erdmann picking up two fouls, the Lady Foresters were in need of some offense, which Carly Erdmann provided, scoring eight in the quarter.

“I was in foul trouble the last five minutes of that quarter so I just played my hardest,” Carly Erdmann said. “I didn’t let my emotions get the best of me.”

After halftime, Carly Erdmann’s steal and layup started an 8-2 run, and Yale added eight in the quarter as the victors went on another tear, this one 15-3.

“I just knew I had to step up my game for the second half if we wanted to win,” Yale said.

Forest City coach Carl Urbas didn’t need to do much other than remind Yale of one thing.

“I told her she has to go to the basket,” Urbas said. “No one can stop her. When they extended the pressure I said we have to forget the offense. We get 3 on 2, 4 on 3, we have to go to the basket. And that’s her game.”

Cassandra Bendyk added a pair of buckets in the spurt and the Erdmanns ran a perfect give-and-go from Carly to Cassie to end the third quarter ahead, 40-24.

The Lady Foresters scored the first five of the fourth and at that point were on a 12 for 16 tear from the floor.

“That’s really impressive,” Cassie Erdmann said. “We shot the ball really well. I think we really boxed out, we played well on defense, we hit the open person, we made our shots. We just played an all-around great game.

“This is something I’ve wanted since I started playing as a freshman. To finally get it now, to get it title, it feels amazing. It’s such an accomplishment.”

Old Forge never got closer than 13 in the final quarter despite a strong finish from Nicole Marianelli, who scored 15, and Lauren Carey, who added 11.

Both teams advance to states for the fourth straight year, Forest City to play District 1 runner-up Sacred Heart on Saturday at a time and place to be determined.

On Wednesday night, Cassie Erdmann scored 11 points and Yale added 10 points as the top-seeded Lady Foresters built a sizeable lead and cruised to a 55-23 win over Blue Ridge on Wednesday at North Pocono High School.

“It was all about teamwork,” Cassie Erdmann said. “We passed the ball really well and made our shots. We executed our offense real well, as well as our defense.”

It didn’t take long for Forest City to dig in defensively, forcing nine first-quarter turnovers. Cassie Erdmann, Carly Erdmann and Yale each had two steals in the quarter.

The Lady Foresters scored the first 15 points of the game. Hitting 11 of 17 shots, they pushed the lead to 25-6 at the end of the first quarter.

In the first eight minutes, Yale went 3 for 3 from the field and scored eight points, while Carly Erdmann added six points and Cassie Erdmann had five.

“It was important that we started the game well,” Yale said. “We didn’t want to fall behind.

“Overall we played well, we had some mistakes but we always picked up after them.”

Slowing things down from there, the Lady Foresters simply took care of the ball and made surges each time Blue Ridge tried to build some momentum.

Tania Pollard scored five points and Michaela Martines added four points in the second half.

Forest City also got contributions from Kiersten Collins had six rebounds and Taylor Tammero contributed five assists.

“I’m really pumped to get to the district final,” Cassie Erdmann said.

Leading Blue Ridge, Ashley Warren scored 12 points, including 10 in the second half.

Times-Shamrock writer Joby Fawcett contributed to this report.