Jan 5, 2015 3 min read

CLAYSVILLE – The McGuffey girls basketball team endured one of its roughest offensive performances in quite some time Saturday when the Highlanders managed only 33 points in a loss to Our Lady of Sacred Heart.

After a solid first half offensively Monday against Section 5-AAA leader Chartiers Valley, scoring became an issue again for the Highlanders in the second half. Chartiers Valley held McGuffey to 17 points over the final 16 minutes to rally for a 61-48 victory and remain undefeated in the section.

“We played more up-tempo in the second half,” said Chartiers Valley head coach Ashley Battle. “We wanted to speed things up offensively in the second half and make it tough on their guards at the other end of the floor.”

McGuffey guard Sammie Weiss scored a team-high 20 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Highlanders (2-2, 8-3), who dropped their second consecutive game.

The Highlanders started fast and had things going their way.

Rachel Czulewicz scored 12 points, making four first-half three-pointers as McGuffey led 15-11 after one quarter.

The Highlanders extended that lead to seven points early in the second quarter, but the Colts (5-0, 7-3) put together a 9-0 run to take a 22-20 lead.

Weiss scored six points over the remainder of the quarter and Czulewicz a three-point shot as McGuffey outscored CV 11-1 to close the half and take a 31-23 lead into the locker room.

The Highlanders’ scoring touch, however, never returned. McGuffey went the first 7:15 of the third quarter without making a shot from the floor. CV scored the first 10 points of the third quarter to take a 33-31 lead.

Despite the lengthy scoring drought, McGuffey took a two-point lead into the fourth quarter after Weiss made a layup and then drained a three-pointer at the end of the quarter to make it a 38-36 game.

“We haven’t come out very well in the third quarter all season,” said McGuffey head coach Amanda Burchett. “Despite that, we were right where we wanted to be. We didn’t play well in the third, but we still had a lead.”

Then things got ugly for the Highlanders.

Foul discrepancy was largely in CV’s favor as they started a parade to the free-throw line. Colts guard Alexis Golden, who scored a game-high 25 points, made more free-throws (16) than McGuffey attempted (14).

CV made 23 of 29 free-throw attempts on the night.

“We work on our free-throws a lot,” said Battle. “We want to shoot over 80 percent as a team and we did that tonight.”

The Colts made so many trips to the line in the second half that Burchett was whistled for a technical foul with McGuffey down 40-38 in the fourth quarter.

Golden made both of her free throws, then Karley O’Keefe hit a three-pointer to extend the CV lead to 45-38, and the Highlanders wouldn’t get any closer the rest of the night.

“It was a big factor,” said Burchett of the fouls. “You would hope the girls on the floor would decide the game and not the other factors. It’s a shame that didn’t happen tonight.”

McGuffey will try and get back on the winning track when Thursday at home against South Fayette.

“The kids did everything we asked of them,” said Burchett. “They played their hearts out. We will just have to get back after it on Thursday.”