Feb 25, 2022 4 min read

It wasn’t the shot McKeesport head coach Amy Gumbert wanted, and it wasn’t her first choice taking the most important fling of the Tigers’ WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinal playoff game.

Sometimes, however, the best-laid plans can go awry and you just have to wing it.

That’s exactly what McKeesport’s Madeline Cherepko did. She found herself with the basketball and the clock winding down with Trinity holding a two-point lead. Cherepko, who had taken only one shot since the first quarter, quickly launched a desperation 24-foot three-point attempt from the right wing as time expired.

It hit nothing but net, giving McKeesport a wild 50-49 win over Trinity Friday night at Hiller Hall.

“I told the kids in the timeout before the last possession that we were going for the win,” Gumbert said. “Maybe not that shot, but … That wasn’t the shot we wanted.”

Cherepko’s shot triggered a wild dogpile of McKeesport players and students under the basket, left Trinity in stunned disbelief and wiped out a marvelous comeback by the Hillers.

Trinity trailed by 11 points with six minutes remaining, but behind the amazing play of senior guard Alyssa Clutter the Hillers rallied. They took a 49-47 lead on a driving basket by Clutter with about five seconds left. Clutter scored 18 of Trinity’s 21 points in the fourth quarter and finished with a game-high 31.

“I told Alyssa how proud I was of her,” Trinity coach Cathy McConnell-Miller said. “She put the team on her back. In the fourth quarter she took control. That’s what next-level players do. She has been terrific for Trinity basketball.”

“The way Clutter was playing, I didn’t want to go to overtime,” Gumbert said. “That kid has a heart of steel.”

The win sends sixth-seeded McKeesport (20-4) to the semifinals against second-seeded South Fayette, a 55-40 winner over Latrobe. Third-seeded Trinity (18-6), which had been to the last two WPIAL championship games, will wait to see if it will get one of the WPIAL’s seven spots in the PIAA tournament.

The first three quarters were a struggle for Trinity. The Hillers made only two of 16 three-point shots in the game, trailed 13-9 after one quarter, 22-17 at halftime and 38-28 after three quarters. The Tigers led 43-32 with six minutes remaining.

That’s when Trinity switched to a press on defense and Clutter took over on the offensive end. The Hillers scored seven points during one 24-second stretch, the last six coming on a pair of three-point plays by Clutter that trimmed McKeesport’s lead to 44-41.

A basket by Macie Justice pulled Trinity to within 47-45 and a Clutter drive and field goal tied it at 47-47 with 1:57 to play.

Trinity’s Maddy Roberts then blocked a McKeesport shot and Eden Williamson grabbed the rebound. The Hillers then went into a stall with 90 seconds left.

The Hillers ran off almost all the time and Clutter’s basket finally gave Trinity the lead at 49-47 as McKeesport called a timeout. Inbounding the ball on the sideline, the Tigers made one pass before Cherepko found herself open on the right wing.

“Our philosophy was a soft three-quarter court pressure and to keep everybody in front of you. (Cherepko) made a spectacular shot. McKeesport played a great game. They hit shots and controlled the tempo. They’re whole team stepped up.

“Nobody for us had shots falling. We weren’t getting easy looks. It came time that we had to rely on our best player, but it started by pressing them.”

Rachel Mafredo was the only McKeesport player to score in double figures. She had 10 points.