Southwestern's Gianna Sirianni takes the ball to the basket while being defended by a Salamanca defender during the first half of Saturday's Section VI Class B semifinal at Fredonia State University's Dods Hall. P-J photo by Jon Neubauer

FREDONIA — With a spot in the Section VI Class B final on the line, Gianna Sirianni was at her best in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon.

The Trojans’ eighth-grader scored 9 of her 18 points during the final eight minutes as No. 2 Southwestern held off No. 3 Salamanca for a 57-53 win in a sectional semifinal at Fredonia State University’s Dods Hall.

“I am super excited for these girls,” Southwestern head coach Kay Sirianni said. “We have a lot of young players who have never played in a high-pressure game like this. For them to not lose their cool and keep their patience … a coach couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The victory sends the Trojans into Thursday’s 6 p.m. sectional final back at Dods Hall against No. 8 Eden, which topped No. 5 Akron 44-40 in Saturday’s first semifinal. Southwestern will be seeking its 17th sectional title overall, including its eighth in the past 11 years.

“Eden is going to be a great matchup for us,” Coach Sirianni said. “They play a similar game. They like to push the ball like we do and they like to full-court press.”

Southwestern's Jada Edwards take the ball to the basket while being defended by Salamanca's Maliyah Foster during Saturday's Section VI Class B semifinal at Fredonia State University's Dods Hall. P-J photo by Jon Neubauer

The Trojans led by six entering the fourth quarter Saturday, but Sirianni eventually pushed that advantage to eight when she hit a 3-pointer with 5:31 left. The Warriors followed with a 6-1 run that made it 47-44 with 3:03 remaining before Charlotte Beaver scored inside to give Southwestern its five-point lead back.

After a Marlana Cresanti free throw made it 50-44, Salamanca’s Makenzie Crouse made a basket and Ella Crouse added a pair of free throws that made it 50-48 with 2:01 left.

Sirianni was unfazed, knocking down a long 3-pointer on the Trojans’ next trip.

“We had some foul trouble. … We kind of lost track here and there,” Salamanca head coach Joe Hinman said of Sirianni’s two fourth-quarter 3-pointers. “The pick-and-roll game with her and Charlotte is a tough combo.”

After the Warriors missed a 3-point attempt, Southwestern eighth-grader Jada Edwards scored to make it a seven-point game, but Salamanca’s own eighth-grader, Arabella Reynolds, answered with a three-point play to make it 55-51 with 1:06 remaining.

Southwestern's Marlana Cresanti shoots in front of Salamanca's Ella Crouse during Saturday's Section VI Class B semifinal at Fredonia State University's Dods Hall. P-J photo by Jon Neubauer

Following a Trojans turnover, Warriors freshman Liana Jimerson made a foul shot to make it a one-possession game with 37.8 seconds left.

After a timeout, Southwestern had an opportunity to run the clock down to as few as 6 seconds, but Sirianni found herself open with just under 19 seconds left and knocked down a jumper to make it 57-52.

“A coach never knows. You hope. I’ve seen moments of it throughout the season where I’ve been really impressed with her confidence. In the playoffs, sometimes it’s a different situation,” Coach Sirianni said of her daughter’s growth. “Last year, I think she played like a young player. This year, I’m super proud of her because she played like a seasoned varsity player, which she is.”

Jimerson added a free throw with just over 5 seconds remaining, but Salamanca missed a desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer as the Trojans celebrated another trip to the final.

It was hardly a game in the first half, thanks in large part to Edwards, who scored 15 of her game-high 19 points in the opening 16 minutes.

“Jada was who Jada is. That’s the kind of player she is,” Sirianni said. ” … She really helped propel our first-half offense.”

Salamanca didn’t do itself any favors, turning the ball over 19 times, which led to 19 points at the other end for the Trojans.

The 16-point lead Southwestern built – before scoring just 2 points in the third quarter – proved to be enough in the end.

“I felt like it was a tale of two halves, especially the third quarter when we got back in it,” Hinman said. “They hit some deep-range shots … and we didn’t.

“I think it’s going to be us and Southwestern over the next few years here,” Hinman added. “That was Part I.”

NOTES: Charlotte Beaver had 13 points; Cresanti had eight rebounds and seven steals; Edwards had seven rebounds and four steals; and Sirianni had five rebounds and three assists for Southwestern, which shot 21 of 62 from the field, including 8 of 19 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 14 times. … Maliyah Foster had 15 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots while Makenzie Crouse had 10 points and eight rebounds for Salamanca, which shot 17 of 50 from the field, including 1 of 16 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 26 times. … Gabby Koszelak had 12 points and Makenzie Richards had 10 in Eden’s four-point win over Akron. Clara Bogdan led the Tigers with 16 points and Cara Swader had 12.

SALAMANCA (53)

ECrouse 1 2 4, Wass 4 0 8, MCrouse 3 4 10, Galante 0 0 0, Jimerson 3 2 9, Ellis 0 0 0, Earley 0 0 0, Foster 3 9 15, Ross 1 0 2, Reynolds 2 1 5. Totals 17 18 53.

SOUTHWESTERN (57)

Sirianni 6 3 18, Cresanti 2 2 6, Charles 0 0 0, BBeaver 0 1 1, Edwards 8 1 19, CBeaver 5 0 13, Ricker 0 0 0. Totals 21 7 57.

3-point goals-Jimerson, Sirianni 3, Edwards 2, CBeaver 3.

Salamanca 12 11 12 18 – 53

Southwestern 23 16 2 16 – 57