Jan 25, 2016 5 min read

Coming off two consecutive losses and with their best player out for the seasons, Chartiers-Houston needed a spark against Bishop Canevin, the No. 2 team in the PennLive.com state rankings Monday night.

The Bucs got it from a swarming defense that shut the Crusaders out in the second quarter and that helped produce a 41-36 home victory in a Section 3-AA game. The victory clinched a berth in the WPIAL playoffs.

Jala Walker led the Bucs (6-3, 13-5) with 16 points and Cassidy Stollar added 11.

“We’ve been a little inconsistent but we’re getting there,” said C-H head coach Laura Montecalvo. “This is a win that helps our confidence.”

That confidence was shaky after back-to-back losses to Brentwood and Washington, both road games. But the Bucs held Erin Joyce to just three points and outscored Bishop Canevin, 8-0, in the second quarter to turn the momentum of the game.

“We knew Joyce is a great shooter and we stayed in her face,” Montecalvo said. “We didn’t let her touch the ball. We threw a chaotic defense at them and we didn’t let them get into their offense. Jala Walker done such a good job. Losing Alexa (Williamson) was really bad for us. The kid I’m most proud of is Cassidy Stollar. She hit some really big shots for us.”

Brionna Allen led BC (9-1, 15-2) with 13 points. The Crusaders had a 15-game win streak snapped.

Charleroi 69, Carmichaels 41: Kaitlyn Riley poured in 28 points to pace Charleroi to a 69-41 victory over Carmichaels in a Section 4-AA game.

Maria Claybaugh tossed in 18 and Kyra Watkins 12 for the Cougars (8-1, 13-5), who is tied for first with Washington.

Kristina Aeschbacher scored 16 points for Carmichaels (1-8, 4-14).

Ringgold 62, West Mifflin 41: Ashley Briscoe had 23 points and 27 rebounds as Ringgold downed West Mifflin, 62-41, in a Section 4-AAA game.

Bailey Cooper added 16 points for the Rams (8-2, 11-6), who led 34-16 at the half.

Miranda Murphy paced West Mifflin (3-6, 5-12) with 15 points.

Peters Township 67, Moon 30: Madison Kerr scored 22 of her game-high 24 points in the decisive first half as Peters Township cruised to a 67-30 Section 4-AAAA win over Moon.

Peters Township (8-3, 15-3) jumped out to a 23-2 first quarter lead and led 39-10 at the half.

Annie Ball led Moon (0-11, 3-14) with nine points.

Jefferson-Morgan 57, Avella 36: Kayla Yorko scored 17 points, including 15 on three-point shots, to lead Jefferson-Morgan to a 57-36 victory over Avella in a Section 3-A game.

Anna Mattish added 12 points, all from three-point range, and Nikki Venick sank eight free throws on the way to 11 points for the Rockets (11-0, 16-1).

Kodie Georgetti led the Eagles (4-7, 6-10) with 15 points.

Washington 61, Bentworth 22: Washington had four players score 10 points in a 61-22 victory over Bentworth in a Section 4-AA game.

Carley Allen, Torri Finley, Tajah Gordon and Nicole Hoffman each scored 10 for Wash High (8-1, 14-4), which kept pace with Charleroi for first place in the section.

Heather Chester paced Bentworth (1-9, 3-14) with 11 points.

Beth-Center 49, Waynesburg 33: Kinlee Whited scored 13 of her game-high 20 points in the second half to pull Beth-Center to a 49-33 victory over Waynesburg in a Section 4-AA game.

Frankie Pryor scored a personal-best 10 points for the Bulldogs (4-5, 6-8) and Destinee Irey added six points and 14 rebounds. B-C led 14-13 at halftime but had a 7-0 run in the third quarter.

Celine Monica led the Raiders (4-6, 6-10) and Kirsten Garber chipped in with 12 points.

Keystone Oaks 69, McGuffey 44: Gillian Piccolino scored 16 points and Keystone Oaks used a strong second quarter to help take a 69-44 victory from McGuffey in a Section 5-AAA game.

Mariah Vargas and Kristy Lippert each scored 14 points for Keystone Oaks (5-5, 8-10).

Katie Demi led the Highlanders (0-9, 1-16) with 13 points and Sarah Sushel added 11.

Fort Cherry 38, Monessen 23: Fort Cherry outscored Monessen 16-2 in the fourth quarter to pulled away from the Greyhounds in a 38-23 Section 3-A game.

Shannon Relihan, McKenzie Garry and Hannah Greene scored 10 points each for the Rangers (5-6, 6-11), who led 22-21 entering the final eight minutes.

Lashaundria Gillaspie led Monessen (0-11, 2-16) with 12 points.

Belle Vernon 51, Thomas Jefferson 42: Ashley Russell and Caitlyn Trombley combined for 27 points to lead Belle Vernon to a 51-42 win over Thomas Jeferson in a Section 4-AAA game.

Russell made five three-pointers and Kelsey Green added nine points with 17 rebounds for the Leopards (2-7, 7-12), who sealed the win with eight free throws in the final two minutes by Keira Boff.

Marina Petruzzi had 16 points for the Jaguars (1-9, 3-14).

Monessen 106, Avella 27: Jaron Youngblood, Dwight Moore and Justice Rice had 19 points each as Monessen defeated Avella, 106-27, in a Section 3-A game.

Jaden Altimore added 17 points and Lyndon Henderson chipped in 10 for Monessen (8-0, 13-3), which led 70-14 at the half.

Cody Dobbin had 10 points for Avella (4-4, 6-11).

Bentworth 41, Carmichaels 34: Bentworth closed out the game with a 17-5 run to erase a 29-24 deficit entering the fourth quarter to pick up its first Section 4-AA win, 41-34.

Steve Harner and Nick Silver had 11 points each for Bentworth (1-8, 4-12).

Blake Conrad led Carmichaels (2-6, 8-8) with 13 points.