Feb 20, 2016 4 min read

WEXFORD – Survive and advance.

As an ill South Fayette head coach Matt Bacco screamed commands through his scratched voice with a Gatorade bottle near at all times, the last thing he wanted to have was his star post player on the bench doing the same thing he was – watching.

Only a few seats down is where South Fayette’s lone post presence could be found as 6-4 sophomore Emily Anderson joined Bacco after early foul trouble. The Lions had to rely on their five guards in order to survive.

A 17-6 advantage for South Fayette in the final eight minutes, which included nine points from sophomore guard Maddie Gutierrez, allowed the top-seeded Lions to advance to the WPIAL Class AAA girls basketball semifinals with a 44-35 win over Chartiers Valley Saturday afternoon at North Allegheny High School.

“We just had to push through and continue to finish strong,” said Bacco. “That is the definition of surviving and advancing. It was not pretty at all, but our kids found a way to get it done and we are on to the next round.”

The Lions, who will face Hampton Wednesday at a site and time to be determined, had to not only come back against Chartiers Valley (15-9), but endure hot three-point shooting from the Colts for much of the game.

Seven of the 11 field goals made by the Colts came from behind the arc, including four from Lauren Wagner and three from Mackenzie Wagner.

“It’s rare you see a team from your section in the second round of the playoffs,” said Bacco. “No matter how much film I watch, they are still very good shooters. As long as they are contested, you can live with that as a coach. It was a tug of war. We just tried to stay back and eventually make the plays, By the fourth quarter, we were able to do that.”

Three consecutive possessions led to a 9-0 run for Chartiers Valley at the beginning of the third quarter, giving the Colts a two-point advantage, 29-27, going into the final eight minutes.

A three-pointer from Gutierrez followed by a turnaround jumper at the elbow by Autumn Mozick gave South Fayette a 37-35 advantage, a lead it would not surrender. Gutierrez’s team-high 15 points was bolstered as she stepped to the free-throw line and converted on all six of her attempts in the final minutes to seal the win for South Fayette.

“The game could have gone either way,” Chartiers Valley head coach Dan Slain said. “There are not a lot of tricks or smoke and mirrors when you play a team three times. The key is execution. Both teams gave great effort, so execution is pivotal. That execution showed when they made their free throws.”

After the two matchups earlier in the year by the Section 5-AAA rivals, in which South Fayette (20-3) won both, Slain knew getting Anderson out of the game would be critical.

“(Emily) is a lane sweeper and a glass cleaner,” he said. “She makes you change shot trajectory and getting her out just allowed us to go inside more with our post players.”

The only players in double figures Chartiers Valley were Lauren Wagner, who finished with 12 points, and Mackenzie Wagner, with 10 points.

Anderson had 10 points and five blocks in her limited action. Mikayla Fetchet scored seven points for the Lions.

“When (Emily) came out, it allowed for Chartiers Valley to bring in some of its bigger players and control the glass,” said Bacco. “It left them in a predicament because they had to handle all five of our guards. We thought if we could box out and contest shots, then we would be able to get to the rim on the offensive end.”

As Bacco and the top-seeded Lions breathed a sigh of relief, it is with the hope they can get even more dangerous over the coming days with the possible return of both Carlee Kilgus and Jordyn Caputo to the lineup.