Double trouble: Trinity pulls off another comeback against South Fayette
Trinity’s Kaylin Venick drives through South Fayette’s Jessica Stabile, left, and Mia Webber during Monday’s game.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
South Fayette’s Jessica Stabile, left, and Trinity’s Courtney Dahlquist battle for a loose ball. Both the Lions and Hillers are on the verge of clinching a playoff berth in the season’s final week.
South Fayette’s Mia Webber hits the basket againsts Trinity during a game at Trinity High School on Monday, January 21, 2019.
For the South Fayette girls basketball team, it was like reliving a nightmare.
Same opponent.
Similar lead.
Equally devastating result.
Finally removing the lid from the basket in the fourth quarter, Trinity converted from the free-throw line and erased a deficit with scrappy defense to defeat South Fayette, 34-33, at Hiller Hall and take sole possession of third place in Class 5A Section 1 Monday night.
“We are growing up,” said Trinity coach Bob Miles. “To win a game like this, a big section game in front of a big crowd, it speaks volumes about what we are trying to do.”
Trailing 33-28 with 4:08 remaining, Trinity (6-3, 8-7) received a pair of free throws from Courtney Dahlquist and Kaylin Venick and trimmed the deficit to one point less than two minutes later. Then, freshman Alyssa Clutter, who played the majority of the junior varsity game, stepped to the free-throw line and sank the game-tying and game-winning foul shots with 1:38 remaining.
The Hillers went 7-for-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
“My legs were a little tired,” Clutter chuckled. “(I was thinking) relax. We need these and make sure to put them in.”
It was like the freshman had been in that situation many times before. Her shots did not even graze the rim on both attempts.
“She is an excellent foul shooter,” Miles said. “I have confidence in her. She is the person we wanted at the foul line. As the season has progressed she has played more and more.”
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Trinity’s Alyssa Clutter attempts to shoot over South Fayette’s Madison Burroughs during Monday night’s game.
In the waning seconds, Miles reasserted his confidence in Clutter, running an inbounds play for her along the sideline, knowing pressure defense by South Fayette (5-4, 10-5) would surround her.
“I work as hard as I can in practice to get into these situations,” Clutter said. “It means a lot. I see this as an opportunity to do well. I just need to go in, give my best and do everything I can.”
Trinity scored 15 of the final 17 points in a 47-41 come-from-behind victory against the Lions on Dec. 17, handing them their first loss the of the season. That rally began with 4:16 remaining. The comeback Monday night started eight seconds later.
“We just didn’t execute,” said South Fayette coach Bryan Bennett. “Whether it’s a lack of communication between me and the kids, we have to find a way to get better, especially in big games. Our downfall is every time we play a good team we play tight. We’ve been talking as a group to start believing in yourself. I don’t know if that’s happened yet, which is probably the difference when we play good teams like Trinity.”
The only points South Fayette scored in the fourth quarter were on a pair of free throws from Mia Webber midway through the quarter. Webber scored a team-high 10 points.
After a nine-point run to begin the second half to take a 25-16 lead, the Lions only scored eight points in the final 12 minutes.
“Let’s just turn them lose,” Miles said to his assistants after falling behind.
“Our defense picked up halfway through the third quarter and into the fourth,” he said. “There is just a grit about them. They come up big.”
Venick came up big in the second half, scoring nine of her game-high 13 points. Ashley Durig added seven points and seven rebounds for the Hillers.
South Fayette had an opportunity to win the game in the final seconds but were forced into a tie-up as the buzzer sounded.
“We needed a confidence boost,” Miles said about ending a two-game losing streak. “We talked with the girls last week about how the last couple of years we’ve won games handily. Now, there is no sneaking up on anybody. We have to grind it out. They have to come out and play. We are learning. We are a work in progress.”