PLUM — Sam Breen reached 1,000 points. Her team reached the end of its season.

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic twice battled back from large deficits Saturday at Plum High School, but could not do it a third time in dropping a 58-47 decision to Blairsville in a PIAA Class A girls basketball quarterfinal.

“Our girls never quit fighting,” CWNC coach Molly Rottmann said. “When you get to the final eight in the state, everybody’s good. They have a lot to be proud of.”

The Trojanettes (22-7) fell behind 25-16 with 3:42 left in the first half, but scored the final eight points before intermission to cut the gap to 25-24.

Breen, who finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds to hit 1,000 points on the nose, sank two layups and Abby Goetz sank one to complete the rally. But an 11-0 Blairsville run gave the Bobcats (26-2) a 40-26 advantage with 1:28 left in the third quarter.

Again, the Trojanettes responded. This time, a pair of Evelyn Brazil steals fueled a 9-0 run to cut the margin to 40-35 with seconds left in the quarter.

“They kept running at us,” Blairsville coach Ralph McGinnis said. “Our girls never wilted under the pressure when a lot of teams would have. We kept our composure.”

The Bobcats sank just one field goal in the final quarter, but canned 14 free throws as CWNC never got closer than five points. Seniors Laurel O’Barto and Chelsey Koren combined to sink nine of 13 free throws in the fourth quarter.

Blairsville’s final 10 points came from the line, including the final four points of the game after CWNC trailed 54-47 with 30.9 seconds to play.

“We sank just enough free throws to win and relied on our defense down the stretch,” McGinnis said.

The Trojanettes suffered 22 turnovers, many of which resulted in quick Blairsville buckets the other way.

“They capitalized on our turnovers more than we capitalized on theirs,” Breen said.

“We floated too many passes and didn’t come back to meet our passes,” Rottmann said. “They were aggressive on defense.

“They start four seniors. Those girls are experienced and they play smart.”

O’Barto scored 18 points to pace the Bobcats. Koren had 10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals despite sinking just two of 13 shots from the floor.

O’Barto and Koren did not leave the floor despite playing in foul trouble. O’Barto had three fouls in the first half, yet stayed in the game.

“These girls know when to peel back and protect themselves in foul situations,” McGinnis said. “I trust them. We’ve had a player foul out maybe twice in three years.”

“Maybe we could have been more aggressive in attacking them, given that foul situation,” Rottmann admitted.

Freshman Rena Enrerline scored 11 points and had eight rebounds for Blairsville. Nicole Boyer had four steals.

Goetz had eight points and seven assists for the Trojanettes while Brazil had six steals. CWNC played without freshman and double-digit scorer Mary Cassamassa, who “chose not to be here,” Rottmann said.

Breen was unaware she scored 1,000 points until it was announced over the public address system.

“I had no idea I was even close,” she said. “Coach kept that a secret from me. I feel bad our team’s not in the final four, though.

“I can’t wait for next year to get here. We have a lot of players back and now we’re hungry for more.”

Senior starters Brazil and Mia Palmer, along with Malaya Franklin Marshall, are the only graduating players for the Trojanettes.

“They’re scrappy go-getters and we’ll miss them,” Rottmann said. “The girls coming back will keep working to get better.

“Scoring 1,000 points in two years is a special accomplishment. But Sam is a special player. She’s one of those who come along once in a decade. She’s talented, she’s passionate about the game and continually works to improve.”

Blairsville, riding a 15-game winning streak, will face Vincentian Academy (28-1) in the Western Finals. Cranberry Township’s Brenna Wise scored 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the Royals’ 74-46 win over Kennedy Catholic Saturday.

“We were talking about this Western Final match-up back in November,” McGinnis said. “We felt like we could get there. The road to Hershey was going to run through Vincentian. Everybody knew that.’

“Our girls relish challenges. we’ve got the biggest one now.”

CW NORTH CATHOLIC 47

Kiki Palmer 2-5 1-1 5, Mia Palmer 4-6 0-2 8, Abby Goetz 3-4 2-2 8, Amanda Bucklew 2-4 1-1 5, Evelyn Brazil 2-2 1-2 5, Sam Breen 7-17 2-2 16. Totals: 20-38 7-10 47.

BLAIRSVILLE 58

Mikala Misleany 0-0 1-2 1, Nicole Boyer 2-8 3-4 9, Rena Enterline 5-8 1-4 11, Corrine Moore 1-1 0-0 2, Kia Clayton 2-5 1-2 5, Laurel O’Barto 5-12 6-8 18, Catherine Martin 1-2 0-0 2, Chelsey Koren 2-13 6-8 10. Totals: 18-49 18-29 58.

CW North Cath. 8 16 11 12 — 47

Blairsville10 15 17 16 — 58

3-point goals: Boyer 2, O’Barto 2

Tuesday: PIAA Class A Western Final, Blairsville vs,. Vincentian Academy, 6 p.m., Plum High School