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By JOHN ERZAR; Times Leader Sports Writer
Saturday, March 14, 1998     Page:

Motivation shouldn’t be a problem this deep into the PIAA Class AAA girls
state basketball playoffs.
   
Just two more victories and it’s off to Hershey.
    Berwick or Nazareth Academy may be the exception today when they play in
the state quarterfinals at 3 p.m. at the Geigle Complex in Reading. Admission
is $6 at the door.
   
No one can blame Berwick if it is peeking ahead a bit or Nazareth Academy
if it’s wondering when uniforms will be collected next week.
   
Not exactly gung-ho attitudes, but there is a reason- Berwick pummeled
Nazareth Academy 75-47 on Dec. 29.
   
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the two coaches to make sure their
teams are ready both mentally as well as physically.
   
Berwick coach Vince Trivelpiece needs to reinforce to his team that the
28-point victory is meaningless. District 1 runner-up Nazareth Academy may be
only 19-7 and unranked, but the Pandas have defeated two state ranked teams-
No. 8 Blue Mountain and No. 6 Conestoga Valley- to get to this point.
   
“You go into every game with it 0-0,” said Trivelpiece, whose District 2
championship team comes in with a 27-1 record and is ranked third in the
state. “We don’t get any points from the first game.”
   
That has to be a relief to Nazareth Academy. The Pandas gave up plenty of
points to Conestoga Valley on Wednesday. They squandered an 18-point,
third-quarter lead, fell behind 50-47 with 1:45 left, then rallied for a 54-53
victory.
   
Just which Nazareth Academy team will show up today- the one that built the
lead or the one that blew it- remains to be seen.
   
“It’s hard to tell,” Nazareth Academy coach MaryJo Kelly said, “because you
can gain momentum from something like that and gain confidence. But sometimes
it can drain you a little bit. We will have to wait to see.
   
“We’ve had those kind of experiences during the season, but the kids have
come back and played well.”
   
Nazareth Academy will have to play better than well against Berwick, which
has beaten its post-season opponents by an average of 28 points.
   
“We have to contain Megan Dellegrotti,” Kelly said of Berwick’s career
leading scorer. “She played great against us last time.”
   
Sound familiar? It should.
   
We have to stop Dellegrotti. We have to contain Dellegrotti. We can’t let
Dellegrotti hurt us.
   
Blah, blah, blah.
   
Every Berwick opponent has had the same battle cry.
   
The way Dellegrotti has played the last two state games, averaging 23
points, Nazareth Academy’s only hope may be if she misses the team bus and
then the family car doesn’t start. Even then, Trivelpiece could probably find
a volunteer to carry her piggyback to Reading.
   
Stopping Dellegrotti, though, doesn’t mean stopping the Dawgs. Center
Whitney Bull tossed in 22 against Montoursville on Wednesday. Cara Labour,
Erin Priestman and Jill Shipman are capable of scoring in double figures if
Dellegrotti is held to, let’s say, 15 points.
   
Plus, opponents need to have an alternative plan if Berwick guard Rochelle
Romeo shuts down their top scorer.
   
Amy Snell, a 5-foot-9 forward, leads Nazareth Academy with a 14-point
scoring average, followed by guards Kelli Guest and Kristi Ward, who add 10
apiece. The Pandas like to press and push the action.
   
Today’s winner will play the winner of today’s game between District 3
runner-up Lancaster Catholic (26-4) and District 1 champion Villa Maria (22-5)
on Wednesday in the state semifinals.
   
“You can’t overlook anybody,” Trivelpiece said. “You do and you’re