The replacements: Oldaker, Rossi save day for South Fayette
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
The South Fayette Lions celebrate wiith Hershey bars, having earned their way to the PIAA Class 5A championship game with a 58-54 win over Oakland Catholic in the semifinals Tuesday at Peters Township's AHN Arena.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
South Fayette’s Ryan Oldaker (24) returns to the bench with her teammaes’ congratulations after sinking a three-pointer that put the Lions up 49-44 in the second half of the PIAA Class 5A semifinal playoff game against Oakland Catholic at AHN Arena.
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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
South Fayette’s Ave Leroux (2) battles with Oakland Catholic’s Maura Schorr (20) for an outlet as the Lions clawed their way to a 58-54 victory in the PIAA 5A semi-final at AHN Arena on March 21.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Maddie Webber spins past Oakland Cathlic defender Maura Schorr on a drive in the second half of South Fayette’s 58-54 victory in the PIAA 5A semi-final game at AHN Arena on March 21.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
South Fayette’s Maddie Webber splits the Oakland Catholic defenders and lays in two of her team-leading 24 points in the PIAA 5A semi-final game at AHN Arena on March 21.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
South Fayette’s Maddie Webber (2) drives the baseline, drawing a foul against Okland Catholic’s London Creach (15).
Mark Marietta/For the Observe-Reporter
South Fayette's head coach Bryan Bennett celebrates his team's 58-54 PIAA 5A semifinal victory with his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Adeline at AHN Arena on March 21.
McMURRAY – All season, even when senior standouts Maddie Weber and Ava Leroux were overwhelming opponents with their scoring exploits, South Fayette girls basketball coach Bryan Bennett said he had confidence in his bench and wasn’t afraid to utilize it in a close game.
The Lions found themselves in such a situation Tuesday night early in the fourth quarter of the PIAA Class 5A semifinals against Oakland Catholic at Peters Township’s AHN Arena. And Bennett showed confidence in his bench players, and they came through during the biggest win in South Fayette basketball history.
With Lions point guard Lainey Yater saddled with four fouls, South Fayette was clinging to a two-point lead and Bennett didn’t hesitate to play a little offense-defense substituting with his reserves. The results were exactly what South Fayette needed as two backup guards – two coach’s kids – played key roles in helping South Fayette pull out a 58-54 victory.
As Yater headed to the bench with 5:50 remaining, South Fayette (28-2) was leading 46-44. Bennett then inserted freshman Ryan Oldaker into the game. Oldaker, the daughter of former Mount Lebanon girls basketball coach Dori Oldaker, had spent much of the previous hour sitting on the bench and cheering. But with the Lions draining precious time off the clock, Oldaker found herself alone at the top of the key and with the basketball. She calmly made a clutch three-point shot that pushed the Lions’ lead to 49-44. It was Oldaker’s only shot of the game.
“I had total confidence that Ryan was going to make that shot,” Webber said. “She’s a great shooter and you see that from her every day in practice. That shot gave us some momentum.”
Oakland Catholic, however, refused to fold. The Eagles never led in the game but finally tied it at 49-49 when guard Rachel Haver drove for a basket with 4:15 remaining.
On Oakland Catholic’s next possession, South Fayette backup guard Julianna Rossi – the daughter of Lions football coach Joe Rossi – who was inserted each time the Lions were on defense in the fourth quarter, forced a key five-second violation with some tight defense against Haver at the top of the key.
“Those two girls have been seeing significant minutes all year,” Bennett said of Oldaker and Rossi. “We had tightened up our rotation in the postseason because we want to keep Maddie and Ava … on the floor as much as possible.
“When Ryan took her shot, I was glad she did because she’s an excellent shooter. When Maddie got in foul trouble (in the WPIAL championship game) she did a great job so that we didn’t have to put Maddie back in. And Julianna is a tough kid. She’s not afraid to stick her nose in there. She’s a defensive specialist.”
The five-second call set up two free throws by Leroux and gave the Lions the lead for good at 51-49.
Oh, the Lions had plenty of Webber, too. The Villanova recruit made the game’s most important basket, a three-pointer with 1:56 left that put South Fayette up 54-49. Webber finished with a game-high 24 points, including 10 in the opening quarter.
Oakland Catholic (25-5) climbed back to within two points at 56-54, but Leroux sealed a trip to Hershey for the state finals by calmly draining two free throws with eight seconds left.
“I was nervous,” Leroux said while wearing an icebag on a knee she injured during the fourth quarter. “I had to compose myself. This is so exciting. This has never happened at our school.”
South Fayette will play District 12 champion Archbishop Wood (24-5) in the state title game. Archbishop Wood defeated West Chester Rustin, 52-35, in the other semifinal. Local fans might recall that Archbishop Wood defeated Trinity in the state finals in 2017.
South Fayette had a double-digit win over Oakland Catholic in the WPIAL title game, but Bennett was expecting a closer one the second time. The Lions, however, made their first seven shots and built a 10-point lead in the first quarter. Oakland Catholic, with Haver making strong drives down the lane to the basket, closed to within 19-15 at the end of the first quarter and 33-31 at halftime.
Bennett switched his defense and put Rachel Black on Haver in the third quarter and had Rossi on her for the final 5:50. The moves slowed Haver, who finished with 18 points but only four in the second half. Jill Gallo scored 13.
“I knew this wasn’t going to be a 15-point game,” Bennett said. “That game at The Pete, we were lucky.”