Several times this season, the Pleasant Valley girls lacrosse team came from behind to earn victories, but it was not to be Tuesday in a 12-3 loss to Avon Grove in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs.

The closest Pleasant Valley came was when Sam Miller scored with 4:26 left in the first quarter to cut the deficit to 3-1. From that point on, the Bears were outscored 9-2.

“I thought we got our game going pretty well,” said PV coach Hanna Doerner. “The difference was their goalie was outstanding.”

Avon Grove goalie Kylee Mellott finished with 10 saves. She stopped six shots in the first half, including four point-blank opportunities, helping hold the high-scoring Bears to just three goals after they scored 18 in a state play-in win over Delaware Valley a week earlier.

The Red Devils opened the scoring two minutes into the game on a goal by Aubrey Ferraro. Less than two minutes later, Maggie Dunckel scored one of Avon Grove’s two short-handed goals.

With two minutes remaining in the quarter, Rylee Boyd scored on a beautiful pass from Kendell Mellott to give the Red Devils a 3-0 advantage. Ferraro then made it 4-1 with a buzzer-beating goal after racing the length of the field.

Forty-five seconds into the second quarter, Mellott scored on a pass from Boyd, and three minutes later she found the net again for a 6-1 Avon Grove lead. At the 2:24 mark, PV’s Rylee Rath scored to trim the deficit to 6-2 heading into halftime.

Turnovers plagued the Bears throughout the game, as they committed seven in the first half and five more in the second. The Red Devils’ defense prevented Pleasant Valley from establishing much rhythm despite the Bears winning most of the draws.

Avon Grove coach Chris Schuch praised his team’s effort.

“I’m very happy, especially after a two-hour bus ride and with our seniors graduating tonight. We had a great mindset today. We’ve struggled a bit down the stretch of the season, but we played smart today, took advantage of our opportunities and this win comes as the result of our senior leadership.”

The second half proved more of the same. Just nine seconds into the third quarter, Ellie Edwards made it 7-2. After Rath tallied again for the Bears, the Red Devils scored twice in the next two minutes to build what became an insurmountable lead.

Boyd made it 10-3 with one second left in the third quarter. Dunckel scored the final two goals of the match, and Avon Grove then ran out the clock with a spread passing offense without attempting another shot.

Doerner was reflective about her first season at the helm of the Pleasant Valley program.

“I’m super proud of this team,” she said. “We weren’t expected to have such a great season, but we won the districts for the third year in a row. Today, we just couldn’t finish our plays.”

The Bears finished 22-3 and captured their third consecutive District 11 championship.

Bears’ superstar Rylee Rath, who scored her 600th career point, reflected on her four years with the program.

“It was a great experience,” Rath said. “I loved playing with my teammates, and the friendships we made were something I hope to continue after high school.”

UNPREDICTABLE … The Red Devils entered the state playoffs after a 14-5 loss to defending state champion Springfield-Delco in their regular-season finale. Avon Grove experienced ups and downs throughout the season, including a six-game winning streak, but won only four of its final nine regular-season contests. This was the program’s first-ever state playoff appearance.

MASTER OF THE DRAW … Rath continued her dominance on draws, winning 11 of 13. For her career, she finished with 457 goals and more than 1,000 draw controls. Next year, she will continue her career at Northwestern University.

WEEKDAY MORNING WHAT? … None of the officials could remember working a weekday morning match. The unusual start time accommodated Avon Grove’s seniors, who graduated Tuesday night.

Avon Grove 4 2 4 2 - 12

Pleasant Valley 1 1 1 0 - 3

Goals — AG: Dunckel 3, Ferraro 2, Mellott 2, Boyd 2, Martin 2, Edwards 1. PV: Rath 2, Miller 1.

Records — Avon Grove 16-9; Pleasant Valley 22-3.