Mar 9, 2015 5 min read

The large Harbor Creek student section filled the gymnasium with loud applause when Huskies senior guard Theresa Frachetti’s layup with 6:48 remaining in regulation gave the District 10 champions a 12-point lead in last Friday’s game.

Chartiers-Houston head coach Laura Montecalvo immediately called a timeout. She did not gather her team to talk adjustments on offense or defense. It was to deliver a message to help her players avoid the inevitable frustration and doubts that can cloud the mind while trailing in a big game.

The Bucs had shot just 13-for-42 from the field in the first three quarters and missed their first five shots of the fourth quarter.

It was not for a lack of opportunities. Easy lay-ins bounced off the rim or circled out. Nothing went their way.

“I told the kids that this is just like life,” Montecalvo said. “Sometimes, things don’t go your way and you have a choice: Either you can figure out a way to win or you can hand it to them. In life, I don’t want them to roll over and give up. It’s an exact reflection in sport and they responded. I was proud of them.”

Her team went on a 20-3 run, including eight points in under a minute, to complete a 56-51, come-from-behind victory over Harbor Creek to advance to the second round of the PIAA Class AA playoffs.

Chartiers-Houston (18-9) cannot afford a slow start when it faces Carlynton (20-6), the third-place team from the WPIAL, in the second round tonight at Canon-McMillan (6 p.m.). The Bucs will attempt to make their first trip to the PIAA quarterfinals since 1983, when they lost to eventual PIAA champion North Catholic.

Defeating the Cougars won’t be easy. It will require the same defensive pressure that helped the Bucs defeat Harbor Creek and maybe a little help from the rim. The task will start with Chartiers-Houston’s ability to contain Carlynton senior Conor Richardson, a Duquesne recruit who is averaging 21 points per game.

Carlynton has four seniors and three juniors compared to C-H’s starting five that features three freshmen and a sophomore.

The Cougars, who shared the Section 5-AA title with OLSH, are somewhat of an unknown to the Bucs, though the two teams did play each other in the first preseason scrimmage. After his team defeated Red Bank Valley Friday night, Carlynton head coach Tim Bonner watched the tape of that scrimmage against the Bucs.

He then compared it to tape from the Chartiers-Houston’s state playoff win over Harbor Creek.

“It’s not even the same team. They don’t do anything the same,” Bonner said. “Their entire defensive scheme has changed and it’s very good. Their freshmen aren’t freshmen anymore. Experience or inexperience won’t have a say in this game.”

Chartiers-Houston’s rise in Montecalvo’s first season has coincided with the growth of its underclassmen. Of the Bucs’ nine losses, eight came against teams that qualified for the WPIAL playoffs.

Four came against Section 3-AA rivals Seton-La Salle and Bishop Canevin – the two teams that played in the WPIAL Class AA title game. Those losses helped C-H learn from mental mistakes and prepare for the physicality of playoff basketball.

Having a dominant post player can help. Alexa Williamson, a 6-1 freshman center, is averaging 21 points per game and helps the Bucs’ offense earn second chances by using her athleticism around the lane to grab rebounds.

Bonner took notice.

“She is such a force. I knew she was going to be a heck of a player when we scrimmaged them,” Bonner said. “I was shocked when I heard she was a freshman. To find out she is athletic too is scary. She’s not all they have either. Chartiers-Houston is a very good basketball team. We’re going to have our hands full.”

At the top of the list of complementary players is senior point guard Jalynn Myers, whose 13 first-half points kept the Bucs close against Harbor Creek. Montecalvo credits Myers with C-H’s growth on the court.

“She’s been our glue all year, even when points don’t reflect it,” Montecalvo said of Myers. “She’s been able to keep calm on the floor, handle pressure, play two positions and tell everyone else where they are supposed to go.”

Montecalvo has implemented changes to combat Carlynton’s offense. The leadership of her only senior in the starting lineup will be necessary if Chartiers-Houston is going to keep its memorable season alive.

Myers is ready for the challenge.

“This is definitely not something we saw happening at the beginning of the season,” Myers said of the playoff run. “Our goal was to make it to the WPIAL playoffs. We definitely have done more than that and we’re not done.”