Union High’s valiant comeback fell a bit short last night.

The Lady Scots trailed by 15 points after one quarter and closed the gap to two points before falling to Aliquippa, 71-62, in a WPIAL Section 1-A girls basketball matchup.

Union (1-6 section, 3-12 overall) fell behind 21-6 after the opening quarter and was within 60-58 with 2:30 to go. But that was as close as the Lady Scots would get against the Lady Quips (8-0, 15-0), who are ranked No. 3 in the WPIAL in Class A by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“I was very pleased with how the girls played,” Union coach Brian Fadden said. “We had a chance late in the game, but it just didn’t go our way down the stretch.

“Other than the struggle in the first quarter, we played very well and it’s encouraging. We’re really, really close to taking the next step.”

Savannah Partridge recorded a team-high 24 points for the Lady Scots, while Miranda Heaney chipped in with a career-high 22.

Nakira Emerson led all scorers with 25 markers for Aliquippa.