Chartiers-Houston routed by Sewickley Academy
BELLEVUE – Long before the last shot was attempted and the final second drained off the clock in the first half, it was apparent that it was simply not a good night to play basketball against the talented team from Sewickley Academy. Unfortunately for Chartiers-Houston, the WPIAL schedule called for the Bucs to play Sewickley Academy Tuesday night in the boys Class AA semifinals.
What Sewickley Academy, the defending WPIAL and PIAA champion, did was put on a clinic against the game but overmatched Bucs.
The Panthers’ man-to-man defense forced 16 first-half Chartiers-Houston turnovers and shut out the Bucs in the second quarter.
On offense, Sewickley Academy passed the basketball crisply, leading to numerous layups, ran an effective transition game and made eight three-pointers.
It all added up to an 65-33 win for Sewickley Academy that likely impressed even Duquesne University head coach Keith Dambrot, who was in attendance at Northgate High School.
It sure left quite an impression on Chartiers-Houston coach Eugene Briggs.
“They were hot,” Briggs said. “I believe we can play with them, but we had to start under control, but the first five minutes we didn’t want the ball. In the second half, we showed more competitive spirit.”
Sewickley Academy’s stick man-to-man defense took the fire out of the Bucs early. The Panthers led 20-7 late in the first quarter before embarking on a 26-0 run that extended into the third quarter. The Bucs were outscored 22-0 in the second quarter and trailed 44-7 at halftime.
The win sends top-seeded Sewickley Academy (20-4) into the WPIAL title game Friday against Our Lady of Scared Heart, a 72-64 winner over Jeannette in the other semifinal. Chartiers-Houston (19-6), which was in the WPIAL semifinals for the first time, will have more than a week to forget this one. The Bucs will open the state playoffs March 10 against either the second-place team from District 5 or the District 6 runner-up.
“It’s time to cleanse the soul,” Briggs said. “Fortunately, the players forget quicker than I do. Since I’ve been at Chartiers-Houston, we’ve always rebounded from a bad performance to play well.”
Play well is what Sewickley Academy did, especially in the first half. Sophomores Isiah Warfield, who already has an offer from Duquesne, and Isaiah Smith, led Sewickley Academy at both ends of the court. Each player scored 18 points.
There was more to the Panthers’ attack. Max Belt scored 13 points including three long-range three-pointers.
“The guys came ready to play,” said Sewickley Academy coach Win Palmer, who has coached the Panthers to their third consecutive trip to the WPIAL finals.
“Chartiers-Houston has had a good season and we knew that if they played a good first quarter then they would have confidence and give us trouble.”
Sewickley Academy didn’t allow C-H to build any confidence. The Panthers’ defense forced nine first-quarter turnovers and seven more in the second quarter.
“We’re lucky because we have guys who enjoy playing defense,” Palmer said. “We have talented offensive players, but they love to play defense.”
Cam Hanley and Andrew Clark each scored 11 points for Chartiers-Houston.