MT CARMEL, Pa. — The Mt. Carmel Area girls basketball team beat East Juniata 47-26 in the District IV Class 2A quarterfinals. Alyssa Reisinger led the way, as the team took their first step in the postseason towards defending their state title. While it was a 21-point win, head coach Lisa Varano said after the game nothing at this point in the season is easy.
"Definitely hard-fought," Varano said. "East Juniata - they played hard, made some big shots and I think kept our girls on their toes. For us, I thought our defensive effort was really good. Jenna Pizzoli and Rachel Witkoski played a great game defensively, Mia Chapman. I think that's what kind of opened up the game a little bit. We're just going to take one game at a time, I think. It's a long season. When you get to this point in the season, you've got to stay fresh. So, we do some things at practice that keeps the girls interested and I think now they're motivated."
The Red Tornadoes face South Williamsport in the District IV, Class 2A semifinals. Southern Columbia could potentially be waiting in the championship.