Lions’ comeback falls short against CV
McDONALD – Chartiers Valley is to WPIAL girls basketball what UConn is to NCAA women’s basketball.
Is that an exaggeration? Maybe slightly. But the Colts are elite, and have three straight WPIAL championships, a state title and a state-record 64-game winning streak to prove it.
At Chartiers Valley, winning is routine. So coach Tim McConnell ever being surprised by a victory is, well, a surprise.
The Colts’ 55-51 win at South Fayette Monday night in a Class 5A Section 1 game surprised the coach.
Chartiers Valley (5-0, 14-1) had an 18-point lead at halftime, and overcame a rough second half to hang on, and McConnell felt the final 16 minutes – particularly the third quarter, when the Colts got outscored 19-6 – could easily have been fatal for his team.
“I told the girls (it was) probably the worst quarter I’ve ever seen Chartiers Valley girls basketball play,” McConnell said. “So we have to regroup and figure out what’s happening and make sure we can fix it.”
Perhaps McConnell’s level of concern after a big win on the road against a formidable section foe is a testament to what the standard is in Chartiers Valley.
The Colts’ first 13 wins were by a 28-point average, and it looked like this one was headed down that path as well.
Char Valley took care of business in the first half – despite key senior Perri Page having three fouls before halftime -and led the Lions 40-22 at the break behind the Cowan sisters. Helene had 11 and Hallie had eight, and with 19 combined points, they almost outscored South Fayette’s entire team in the first half. Both twins finished the night with 13 points.
South Fayette (3-2, 10-3) wouldn’t roll over, however.
The Lions showed they still had claws in the second half, starting the third quarter on an 8-0 run, and eventually fought to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Leading the charge was Maddie Webber, who scored 16 of her game-high 20 points in the second 16 minutes.
“I think she was rushing some shots there in the first half,” South Fayette coach Bryan Bennett said. “She definitely settled in in the second half. Her shot selection was much better, and when her feet are set, she’s one of the top shooters in Western Pennsylvania.”
Webber said that playing a team of Chartiers Valley’s caliber led to nerves in the first half, and that might have contributed to her struggles.
“There’s always a lot of pressure playing a team like Chartiers Valley,” Webber said. “WPIAL champs, state champs, they have incredible players. So there’s always nerves when playing against them.”
In the second half, however, she found her confidence.
“We were down 18. I knew I had to do something,” Webber said. “I know the team relies on me a lot, so I knew I had to bring my confidence up because I know how to play and I know how to play well.”
Webber’s hot streak almost led to an upset and a come-from-behind win, but it wasn’t to be. Free throws by Page and Pitt commit Aislin Malcolm in the final 11 seconds sealed the win for the Colts. Malcolm finished the night with 12 points and Page had 11.
Along with Webber’s 20, Erica Hall added 12 points for South Fayette and Ava Leroux added 11.
South Fayette will look to bounce back Wednesday at McKeesport, and Chartiers Valley is back in action Saturday afternoon at home against Trinity.
Despite the loss, Bennett was encouraged his group almost pulling off what would have been a massive comeback.
“It just shows they’re growing,” Bennett said.