Mar 15, 2018 3 min read

The 10 three-pointers from the Bellwood-Antis girls basketball team is what sunk the Chartiers-Houston Bucs’ ship exactly one year ago.

Even though 365 days have passed since the Blue Devils, out of District 6, knocked out Chartiers-Houston, 80-66, in the second round of the PIAA Tournament, not much has changed.

“They are certainly capable of doing it again,” C-H coach Laura Montecalvo said of Bellwood-Antis making another 10 threes when the two meet again at 6 p.m. tonight in a Class AA state quarterfinal game at Greater Johnstown High School.

“We are familiar with what we are up against, but it will be just as challenging to beat them as it was last year.”

Not only has Bellwood-Antis (25-3) kept its roster mostly in place from last season, the Blue Devils are scoring at an even more lethal pace (71 points per game) with four players averaging double-digit totals.

Led by Alli Campbell, a guard who scores 26.3 points and is ranked a top 20 sophomore in the country by one recruiting service, already has scholarship offers from South Carolina, Pitt and West Virginia, among others. Campbell scored 25 points against C-H last year.

“We have to try and stop Alli Campbell,” Montecalvo said. “That’s the best way I can put it because I’m not positive she can be stopped completely.”

Add the scoring of Sakeria Haralson (12.6), Emilie Leidig (12.4) and Riley D’Angelo (10.6) and the Blue Devils are that much more difficult to stop.

Campbell, Leidig and D’Angelo all have more than 50 three-pointers on the season and are shooting at least 34 percent from behind the arc, which was how Bellwood-Antis downed the Bucs last year.

“We got out of sorts when they pressed us. We got in foul trouble and had to sub. We got rattled,” Montecalvo remembers of facing an uphill battle trailing 48-33 at halftime after 14 turnovers.

Chartiers-Houston committed 28 turnovers for the game.

“They not only made transition layups, they made transition threes from their steals. That happened a couple times in the first half. It was deflating.”

Similar to many of Chartiers-Houston’s other opponents, Bellwood-Antis will likely try to turn up the pressure and force the Bucs’ backcourt to make plays. It also would be a strategy to limit the touches of C-H star forward Alexa Williamson as much as possible.

Handling the basketball from the guard positions, especially when facing full-court pressure, was on top of Montecalvo’s offseason to-do list.

Bishop McCort, which the Bucs disposed of 64-51 in Tuesday’s second round, successfully implemented early pressure before C-H (21-6) settled down as the game progressed.

“It’s a five-player task for us,” Montecalvo said. “That’s the way we break the press. The kids know that’s the way we approach it because it’s the best way for our team to do it. We have to handle their pressure. It’s about playing under control and know you’re not going to win – or lose – the game in the first quarter. We can make up two or four points but we can’t erase fouls. We have to keep the game under control.”