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Dad has bragging rights in Edwards house

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Za’layah Edwards

Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

Domenique Mortimer (32) sets the pick as Za’layah Edwards (15) dribbles through traffic at the top of the key and Za’mierah Edwards (10) sets for a play as Chartiers-Houston hosts Fort Cherry Thursday night. Watching is Fort Cherry head coach Clarence Edwards, the father of Za’layah and Za’mierah.

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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

Chartiers-Houston's Za'layah Edwards (15) looks for an opening Thursday night against Fort Cherry. Her father, Clarence Edwards, the Fort Cherry head coach, watches the play from the sideline.

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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

Za'Mierah Edwards looks for an opportunity as the Bucs battle Fort Cherry Thursday night. Behind Edwards is her father, Clarence Edwards, who is the Fort Cherry head coach.

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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

Fort Cherry's Amy Alrutz (30) defends as Chartiers Houston's Za'mierah Edwards looks for an opening in the defense Thursday night. Za'mierah's father, Fort Cherry's head coach Clarence Edwards, watches from the sideline.

HOUSTON – Not a lot of high school girls basketball coaches have to coach against their children.

In fact, Clarence Edwards doesn’t know of any other.

But that’s the situation the first-year Fort Cherry head coach was in Thursday night against Chartiers-Houston.

Edwards’ daughters, Za’mierah, a senior, and Za’layah, a sophomore, both play for the Buccaneers, and not the Rangers.

It was quite a night for the Edwards family, kicking off with Za’mierah celebrating her Senior Night with dad present. Bragging rights, however, went to the old man. Fort Cherry beat Char Houston, 30-24.

Having to come of with a game plan to stop his daughters’ team was unfamiliar territory for Coach Edwards.

“It’s tough when (you’ve been) teaching them the game of basketball since they were knee high,” he said. “But I know what kind of players they are. I know they’re good players.

“I had to get out of daddy mode, and get into coaching mode.”

It was a night of frustration for all Buccaneers (1-4, 3-4), and Za’Mierah perhaps especially. Her only point of the night came on a foul shot in the first quarter. Despite that, she enjoyed competing against her father’s squad.

“It was pretty amazing,” she said. “It was annoying, but it was great.”

Za’layah, who came off the bench to hit a three-pointer in the second half, had to get used to seeing dad on the sidelines and not being able to ask for advice.

“I would look at him and ask how to fix my shot, something like that, because he’s been my coach for so long,” she said. “He (couldn’t) tell me because we’re on the opposite side. I think it’s fun. It’s competitive. When we get home, they won so there’s going to be a talk about it.”

Aside from the Edwards family, the game didn’t have a lot of excitement for people who aren’t really, really, really big fans of defense. That shouldn’t surprise anybody. Char-Houston allowed six points Monday’s win over Northgate, and Fort Cherry (5-4, 3-2) has only given up 50 or more three times in nine games.

The Rangers led 20-7 at halftime, and allowed just two points- both free throws- in the second quarter. Bri Weinbrenner and Molly Schael combined for nine points, which outscored the Buccaneers entire roster. The game didn’t pick up in the second half. It took almost four minutes into the third quarter for either team to score, which Char-Houston finally did with 4:20 left.

The Bucs did make it interesting, cutting the deficit to three in the fourth quarter, but thanks to their defense, the Rangers pulled through and closed out the win.

For Coach Edwards, the key to keeping this momentum going is to stick to their mentality.

“Just do what we do,” he said. “I tell the girls to play hard and have fun. We have some injuries, we have some injured players out, but the reserves are coming in, and they’re holding their own… They’re a hungry team. They play real gritty. Our wins aren’t pretty, but we win. So I give them all of the credit in the world for buying in.”

For Bucs coach Laura Montecalvo, the poor offensive showing was due more to what Char-Houston didn’t do than what Fort Cherry did.

“It’s mostly us not executing the way we want to,” she said. “Making horrible decisions, bad passes, passes into defenders in traffic, where they’re not open. Like I said, our shooting percentage was terrible. It’s pretty simple unfortunately.”

Fort Cherry’s Bri Weinbrenner was the only player from either side to score in double figures, finishing with 12.

The second Edwards Bowl of the season is scheduled for Feb. 15, when Chartiers-Houston has to go to McDonald.

“I know when we get home, the girls are going to be upset,” Clarence Edwards said. “I feel for them, because they’re my kids, they’re my daughters, and I love them. But they’re going to be hungry to come and get us when they come to our court.”

On the boys side, Fort Cherry got another win. Like the girls game before it, this one had an intriguing back story. The Rangers’ coach, Eugene Briggs, is in his first year with Fort Cherry after spending a decade leading the Bucs. He got a win over his old school, 47-33. Henry Karn led the scoring with 14.

“It’s nice seeing players,” Briggs said. “It [was] a fun game. I like all those players, I like the people here. So it was a fun night.”

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