Shady Side Academy’s Sydney Birchard (22) jumps in front of Karns City's Brooklynn Taylor during the Gremlins’ 54-19 PIAA Class 3A girls basketball tournament loss Friday night.Holly Mead/ Special to the Butler Eagle

Holly Mead

KARNS CITY — The start was something Karns City could use.

Shady Side Academy turned the ball over nine times in the first quarter and freshman point guard Karis Thomas went to the bench with two fouls early in the team’s PIAA Class 3A first-round girls basketball tournament game Friday night on the Gremlins’ floor.

But the hosts managed to score only three points and trailed by six at the end of the opening period.

“When your point guard goes out, you’re probably going to have a few more turnovers,” Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke said. “We were taken out of our groove a little bit.”

The Bulldogs (24-3) quickly found their groove, however, outscoring the Gremlins 40-11 in the middle two quarters, invoking the mercy clock late in the third quarter and cruising to a 54-19 victory.

Karns City ended its season at 15-10.