Abigail Snitzer was locked down by opposing defenses for nearly six quarters in the past two games.
The Shenandoah Valley junior remained poised, waiting for the opportunity to score points to come to her.
Snitzer's defense provided her with that chance.
Playing in the Blue Devils' 1-3-1 zone, Snitzer jumped two passes into the high post in the third quarter and took turnovers to the other end for layups.
Snitzer's third-quarter outburst helped Shenandoah Valley dethrone defending District 11 and PIAA Class A girls' basketball champion Tri-Valley 28-22 in Wednesday's semifinal at Martz Hall, clinching the Blue Devils' first state playoff berth since 2006.
Snitzer finished with a game-high 12 points as Shenandoah Valley (15-9) overcame 28 turnovers to turn the tables on the Dawgs (13-11).
Sixth-seeded Shenandoah Valley will play Marian, a 49-34 winner over Williams Valley, at 2 p.m. Saturday at Martz Hall in the championship. It will be the Devils' first appearance in the final since 2002.
After struggling against Nativity in Saturday's quar-
terfinal, Snitzer knocked down a 3-pointer in the second quarter before sparking the Devils with six points in the third.
"Nativity really locked her up," Shenandoah Valley coach Chris Conroy said. "She was cold for about six quarters. She actually got going with her defense. She jumped a pass or two in the open court. She hits a shot. We got into the post. She got a switch, got a mismatch ... we need her to score. That's her game."
Snitzer's burst helped Shenandoah Valley turn a two-point halftime lead into a 21-14 edge by the end of the third quarter.
"When teams run (against our) 1-3-1, usually it's four out front," Snitzer said. "I was just very smart with where the ball would be at the time. I just knew the skip pass would be coming. They threw it up and lo-and-behold, it was in my hands."
After playing man-to-man against Tri-Valley during a 49-38 loss in the regular season, Conroy and his staff decided to go with a 1-3-1 to pressure the Dawgs' smaller lineup in the corners.
"The first time around we played man, and that four-guard lineup killed us," Conroy said. "You could even see it tonight.
"We played zone, they penetrated and we fouled a lot in the second half. That was our idea. We thought we had to go zone to have a good chance to hold them low (scoring)."
Tri-Valley struggled on the offensive end from the field, hitting just 7-of-37 (.189) from the floor. The Dawgs also converted just 6-of-15 from the charity stripe.
Defensively, Tri-Valley used its full-court pressure to force Shenandoah Valley into 28 turnovers.
"We were pleased that we got a lot of turnovers," Tri-Valley coach Bob Felty Jr. said. "Unfortunately for us, they didn't translate into a lot of points."
That was partially because Tri-Valley committed 16 turnovers of its own. The cold night shooting the basketball compounded the issue.
"Sometimes this game just comes down to making shots," Felty said. "We didn't make enough of shots, and they did. They made a few more shots then us. They just played a little bit better game than we did. Credit goes to them and their coaching staff for doing so."
Kristina Nieddu added eight points for the Devils, while Marcella Creasy scored six. Shenandoah Valley converted 11-of-27 (.407) from the field and outrebounded the Dawgs 26-17.
"I think we were making very good contact with the screens and we were very patient," Snitzer said. "We didn't rush things. We let the game come to us. We never gave up even though things weren't there right when we needed it."
It also helped that Snitzer, Nieddu and Creasy got going offensively.
"Our three scorers have to score for us," Conroy said. "We haven't done it a great deal in either game, but thankfully our defense saved us. That's what we talk about: Defense has to save you when your offense isn't clicking.
"Their defense was just as good. I'm sure they did everything they were supposed to. We just made a few more shots."
Tri-Valley's four-year reign as district champion comes to a close along with the careers of seniors Kylie Spickler, Brittany Smeltz, Brianna Wiscount and Jade Troutman.
"I'm very thankful to be able to coach these seniors," Felty said. "I'm appreciative of how much they meant to our program and how much they contributed to our success over the last five years."
For Shenandoah Valley, its on to the district final and states.
"I just told the kids, this was such a tremendous accomplishment for them because there's not too many teams through the years that have gone," Conroy said.