OLSH disrupts Chartiers-Houston’s plan for upset
Chartiers-Houston’s Jala Walker shoots despite tight defense from OLSH during the second half of a WPIAL Class AA quarterfinal Friday at Canon-McMillan High School. Walker scored a game-high 25 points.
Chartiers-Houston’s Madison Simpson and Keaira Walker struggle for possession of the ball from Our Lady of Sacred Heart during the second half Friday.
Chartiers-Houston senior Madison Simpson is averaging nine points per game this season, reaching double figures 10 times for the Bucs.
CANONSBURG – The formula for the Chartiers-Houston girls basketball team to pull an upset Friday night was simple in design, but difficult to execute.
The Bucs needed to hold the dangerous, up-tempo offense of Our Lady of Sacred Heart to minimal opportunities by slowing the game as much as possible.
For much of the night, the Bucs were able to execute that strategy. What they didn’t count on was OLSH’s free throw shooting.
OLSH connected on 17 of 20 free throws, providing an 8-point advantage, and that made the difference in a 48-38 victory against Chartiers-Houston in a WPIAL Class AA quarterfinal game at Canon-McMillan High School.
OLSH (21-3) will play Bishop Canevin in the semifinals Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. Chartiers-Houston will play Neshannock in the play-in game Monday at a site and time to be determined.
“They have such a high-powered offense that we knew we couldn’t keep up with them in transition for 32 minutes,” said Chartiers-Houston head coach Laura Montecalvo. “Not only does OLSH have good transition offensive, but they have good transition defense. We needed to slow them down so we could get half-court looks at the basket and force them to play half-court offense as well.”
The Bucs (17-7) accomplished that long enough to cut the lead to five points, 24-19, following a Jala Walker layup with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter.
“We had some spots where I thought we weren’t quite efficient as we usually are,” said OLSH head coach Don Eckerle. “Give Chartiers-Houston a lot of credit. The defense they played really bogged us down. We had to play a little more patient.”
For every surge Chartiers-Houston made, the Chargers had an answer. Guard Bella Marra led a 6-0 run to put some distance between OLSH and the Bucs at halftime, 31-22.
“It was frustrating,” said Montecalvo about struggling to grab the elusive lead held by OLSH from the 6:20 mark in the second quarter.
“(OLSH) has great shooters that can put it in from all over the place. When you face a player like Courtney Alexander, who can just score at the drop of a dime, it makes it very difficult to defend. She has such a huge impact on games because she is just a scoring machine.”
Despite C-H’s success in slowing the Chargers attack, Alexander scored a game-high 19 points after going six of six from the free-throw line.
“We have had some ups and downs from the free-throw line this season,” said Eckerle. “Tonight, the players we had on the floor were focused and hit their free throws.”
Bri Van Volkenburg scored 12 points and Anna Lohman 11 for the Chargers.
Walker carried the offense as she was the only Chartiers-Houston player to score points in the second half (17) until a pair of free throws from guard Jules Vulcano with 1:24 remaining.
After Walker’s game-high 25 points, the Chartiers-Houston dramatically fell off with Vulcano and Keaira Walker each scoring four points.
“There is no reason to hang our heads,” said Montecalvo. “What we have been able to accomplish, with all the adversity that we have seen this season, it makes me proud to be their coach. There is no time because we need to get ready for a game Monday night.”