Feb 24, 2015 3 min read

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The unexpected happened in WPIAL Class AAA girls basketball this postseason. Not only did No. 15 South Park reach the quarterfinals, but a team that flew under the radar all season defeated the Eagles Monday night.

Tenth-seeded South Fayette (18-6) has won nine of its last 10 games behind an incredibly strong defense, outstanding guard play and center Emily Anderson.

The Lions are allowing just 41 points per game over the past 10 games and held South Park guard Allison McGrath to just five points in the 48-45 quarterfinal win. It’s incredible how far South Fayette has come since early January.

I covered their first game against McGuffey on the road, which ended with a 71-55 loss. The Lions were not strong defensively and lacked an identity on offense.

Things have changed. South Fayette is one win away from reaching the WPIAL title game and is seeking its first title in program history. This is a team with incredible depth and only has two seniors on the roster.

I’ve mentioned Anderson, who is likely a Division I prospect, but the x-factors are sophomore guard Carlee Kilgus and junior guard Mikayla Fetchet.

They are solid on the defensive end and have made South Fayette’s offense better as the season has progressed. Also, freshman guard Sam Kosmacki has been a key on defense, shutting down Trinity’s Sierra Kotchman and often locking down the opponent’s best guard.

She will be needed Wednesday night at Canon-McMillan when the Lions face sixth-seeded Elizabeth Forward (19-5) in the semifinals (6:15 p.m.).

The Warriors’ offense runs through senior guard Abigail Sporio. She’s averaging 19.2 points per game and was the difference in EF’s quarterfinal win over McGuffey. Sporio is incredible at driving to the basket, which caused major issues for the Highlanders.

They would collapse the lane to prevent her from making easy shots, but that left EF’s outside shooters wide open. It happened countless times Monday night and I would expect the Warriors to do the same against South Fayette with hopes of getting Anderson in foul trouble.

The Lions will have to control the tempo of the game against EF, which loves to play in transition and upset team’s rhythm with their style of play. I’ll be curious to see how South Fayette head coach Matt Bacco decides to defend the Warriors.

They seem to be able to handle pressure and made easy work of McGuffey’s zone defense.

The one key for the Lions will be controlling the boards. Elizabeth Forward is very aggressive in the lane and while they lack great height, the Warriors have several players who outhustle the opposition to control possession.

Neither of these teams was expected to reach the semifinals, but Mars and Indiana losing opened the door for two teams like South Fayette and Elizabeth Forward to make a run. Both have succeeded with strong defense and both defeated very good teams to reach this point.

The major question is who wins Wednesday night?

Prediction: Picking against South Fayette is very difficult, especially when the Lions match up so well with their opponent. The key will be their guards controlling the pace of the game, defending Sporio and utilizing Anderson down low.

Lions win 52-45 to advance to the WPIAL title game.