Feb 27, 2013 By Eleanor Bailey 3 min read

That Chartiers Valley avenged a previous loss to Beaver and reached the district championship game for the ninth time since 1996 did not surprise Tim McConnell. The margin of victory, 68-43, however, did shock the Colts’ floor boss.

“No, I didn’t expect as big a victory but we played better than the first time we faced them,” McConnell said of that 59-55 defeat back in January. “If we did play better, I thought we could win, but not by that margin.”

CV won big because of McConnell’s son, Matty. Instead of shooting 1-for-13 from the floor as he did in the loss to the Bobcats, the sophomore hit the mark. He exploded for a game-high 24 points. The 5-11 guard buried five, 3-pointers, including three in the first frame as the Colts stormed into the lead, 20-9. He also scored the first seven points in the final frame, including back-to-back treys, which swelled CV’s advantage to 52-30.

“(Matty) hit his shots tonight and they did not get out on us on defense,” said McConnell.

Thanks to the play of Michael Boulos and Spencer Casson, the Colts get out on Friday night to play Montour in the Class AAA final set for 9 p.m. at the A.J. Palumbo Center on the Duquesne University campus.

Boulos fired in 16 points. His bucket at the 2:33 mark in the third quarter gave CV a 45-25 edge while his 3-pointer increased the Colts’ advantage to 56-35 in the final frame.

Meanwhile Casson pitched in with 12 tallies. He pulled down a dozen rebounds and blocked more than a handful of shots. Dom Castello followed with 10 markers.

“Spencer is a force to be reckoned with. He’s a works hard and does the right thing. He and Mike are my seniors and they stepped up. They are good leaders and they helped us focus on our goal.

“We were one step away from one of them, getting to the WPIAL final, and they helped us to be at Palumbo.”

A tough section schedule helped the Colts prepare for their journey. In winning the Section 5 crown with an 11-1 slate, CV split decisions with Montour, winning at home, 77-62, and losing on the Spartans’ court, 51-40. While the Colts are 22-3 overall, Montour, which beat Mars, 61-52, in its semifinal clash at Moon, is 21-5 overall.

“I think the WPIAL got it right when they seeded us No. 1 and Montour No. 3, putting them on the opposite side of the bracket. With South Fayette,” McConnell continued of the Lions, whom the Colts beat in a wild, quarterfinal contest, 67-62, “I think we were in the toughest section and the WPIAL gave us credit for being in a difficult section.

“We are familiar with each other,” McConnell continued of the Spartans. “We are excited to be playing them again.”

For the Bobcats, who fell to 19-4, Aaron Barlow led with 15 points while Corey Nesmith provided 12 tallies.