South Fayette advances while PT, CV falter
There will be
North Allegheny coach Spencer Stepko consoles Peters Township’s Natalie Wetzel after her team dropped a 43-30 decision to the Tigers in the WPIAL Class 6A girls semifinal basketball game. The loss prevented the Lady Indians from advancing to the finals and competing at the Petersen Events Center.
no WPIAL championship appearance for either the Peters Township (22-2) or the Chartiers Valley (16-7) girls basketball teams, but South Fayette (17-8) overcame all odds and advanced to the Class 5A championship game for the third consecutive year.
While North Allegheny and Norwin proceeded to the Class 6A finals with respective victories against the Indians, 43-30, and the Colts, 63-47, on Feb. 26 at Mt. Lebanon and AHN Arena, the Lady Lions upset McKeesport, 49-41, in a Class 5A semifinal game played Feb. 27 at Peters Township High School.
The win over the Tigers (20-4) put South Fayette in the championship contest against Armstrong (21-4) on March 2 at the Petersen Events Center. The Lady Lions won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.
The Riverhawks toppled undefeated and No.1-seeded Oakland Catholic, 49-40, in their semifinal game while the Lady Lions eliminated the Tigers, who were seeded second.
South Fayette’s victory also avenged an earlier-season loss. On Jan. 18, the Lady Lions lost to McKeesport, 62-44.
South Fayette looked headed for the same fate as the Lady Lions trailed at halftime, 22-15, and 24-22 after three frames. However, they outscored the Tigers, 25-19 in the fourth quarter.
Free throw shooting sealed the win. The Lady Lions were 17 of 21 from the line, including 13 of 14 during the final quarter.
Juliette Leroux and Haylie Lamonde scored in double figures for South Fayette, finishing with 16 and 13 points respectively.
Meanwhile, Peters Township and Chartiers Valley turned their focus to possible PIAA championships. Despite their semifinal district defeats, both qualified for the state tournament, which commences with first-round action on March 8.
The two teams met in the third-place consolation match to determine their state seeding.
The Lady Indians have won only one PIAA title and that occurred in 2019. That year, Peters Township went undefeated at 30-0 and also captured a WPIAL title.
On Feb. 26 at Mt. Lebanon, the Lady Indians were denied a chance to challenge for another crown by a stifling defense employed by NA. The Tigers held Gemma Walker, who averaged 15.7 points, and Natalie Wetzel, who managed 17.3 points a game, to a combined 15 points.
While Wetzel led with nine and Walker followed with six tallies, Lydia Betz managed to find a way to circumvent PT’s height advantage. A 5-11 senior, Betz used hook shots and other moves to rake up a game-high 21 inside against the 6-3 Wetzel and 6-3 junior center Daniela Radulovich, who finished with eight tallies.
“They just attacked with Betz one-on-one and that’s what got us in trouble,” Peters Township coach Steve Limberiou said. “Credit to her, she made tough shots.”
PT led, 18-17, before the Tigers forged a 22-17 halftime advantage it never relinquished. NA held a lead of 31-19 before the Indians closed the gap to seven after three quarters. NA led, 37-28, with 3:48 to play and sealed the victory at the foul line, cashing in on six free throws.
Meanwhile, the Lady Colts fell behind, 10-0, before finding their gear to tie Norwin in the second stanza. The Knights, however, pulled away, stretching a 24-17 halftime margin to 45-36, starting the third quarter with a 13-1 run.
Junior forward Emma Reynolds and junior guard Lilah Turnbull both scored 14 to lead CV. Reynolds made four 3-pointers.