Sophomore Collin Jackson made a key steal and layup in the final minute as the Pine-Richland boys basketball team picked up a thrilling 45-41 Section 3-AAAA victory at North Hills Friday night.
Jackson, a 6-foot-4 forward, stole the ball and instantly cashed in the opportunity for two points to give the Rams a three-point lead during the tense finish.
“That (steal and layup) was the reason we won the game, and we never gave up the lead after that,” Pine-Richland coach Brian Gaetano said.
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Jackson finished the night with 13 points.
Junior guard Andy Andrle hit four 3-point shots and both of his free throw chances and led Pine-Richland with 14 points.
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Alex Wright scored 20 points, including 18 in the second half, to lead North Hills.
“North Hills played devastating defense,” Gaetano said. “They took us out of absolutely everything we wanted to do.
“We were fortunate to escape with the win, but it’s a road win in our section, and we were happy about that,” he said.
Pine-Richland remains in the middle of the playoff race with a 2-2 section record and 7-2 overall mark. North Hills slipped to 0-5 and 6-7.
Pine-Richland resumes section play against undefeated section leader Shaler (5-0, 11-0) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Pine-Richland gym.