Mar 22, 2017 5 min read

At this point in the high school basketball season, every coach wants to have a go-to player who can take over a game and be counted on to carry a team to a playoff victory.

The Trinity High School girls (26-3), who will play Archbishop Wood (23-7) in the PIAA Class 5-A championship game Saturday (6 p.m.) at the Giant Center in Hershey, have such a player in senior guard Sierra Kotchman.

It was Kotchman who turned in one of the most clutch performances in Washington County girls basketball history Tuesday night when she made seven three-pointers and scored 30 points in the Hillers’ 61-51 victory over South Fayette in the state semifinals.

There is no denying Kotchman is an elite player. She has scored 1,699 career points.

Trinity, however, wouldn’t be one victory away from Washington County’s first girls basketball state championship without a quality supporting cast for Kotchman. Coaches talk about the value of role players, and the Hillers have plenty. Each seems to be peaking at the right time.

The Hillers received key contributions from all seven players – Kotchman, junior guard Alayna Cappelli, senior forwards Rachel Lemons and Abbey O’Connor, freshman forward Riley DeRubbo, junior forward Jayme Britton and junior guard Allie Scarfo – who saw playing time against South Fayette. They helped Trinity overcome a double-digit first-half deficit.

“The girls are aware that Sierra is who she is. But they also knew that if we were to continue playing, then they had to continue doing what they do,” Trinity coach Bob Miles said. “They know what their roles are and they try to stay within those roles and not do too much.”

Lemons and improvement have been best friends during her four years in the Hillers’ program. She has had a strong state tournament and scored 12 points against South Fayette. She and Kotchman were the only Hillers to score in double figures and have points in each quarter.

“Rachel has stepped up her game,” Miles said. “Since her freshman year, she has learned how to play the game. She has an uncanny ability of knocking down shots that you wouldn’t expect her to make. She’s very solid defensively and she rebounds.”

Miles added that of all the players on the roster, Lemons has improved the most from her first year in the program.

“The last three games she’s played very well,” he said.

O’Connor is a low-post player who scored four points against South Fayette on two jumps shots of more than 15 feet. The first basket pulled Trinity to within one point early in the second quarter. The second was the first basket of what was the pivotal third quarter.

“We ask Abbey to play solid defense in the middle, rebound and take the shot when it’s there,” Miles said. “She’s done a better job the last two weeks. She can make the 15-footer. She’s really our forgotten player. She does all the dirty work on the inside.”

Trinity had only nine turnovers – just three in the second half – against South Fayette and much of that is a credit to Cappelli, who handled South Fayette’s half-court trap and switching man-to-man defenses. She also is a good outside shooter and scoring compliment to Kotchman in the backcourt. Cappelli scored eight points, including a three in the final minute of the third quarter Tuesday that gave the Hillers the lead for good at 40-38. She also was the game’s leading rebounder with 10.

“We ask Alayna to run everything,” Miles said. “Her basketball IQ is very high. She keeps track of the timeouts, the game situations. We ask her to keep everyone on the same page.”

DeRubbo has been a terrific addition to the Hillers. Though only a freshman, she’s one of the team’s best athletes. After being held scoreless in the first half by South Fayette, DeRubbo had six second-half points. She showed her athleticism when she stripped a Lions player of the ball under the basket and dribbled end-to-end for a layup that tied the score for the first time at 32-32.

“Riley is still learning to play at this level, but she’s getting better each game,” Milles said. “We usually match her against one the opponent’s top offensive players.”

Like most teams, the Hillers shortened their rotation as the season progressed. The only reserves who played Tuesday were Britton and Scarfo. Britton’s free throw gave Trinity its first lead of the game at 38-37 and Scarfo provided valuable minutes off the bench, as she has all season.

“Jayme is a gritty player,” Miles said. “She gets to the ball. She rebounds, doesn’t turn the ball over and does the little things. Allie has played very well at times. She’s a good spot-up shooter.”

Together, those six players have helped Trinity earned its spot in the state finals.