Seton-La Salle sweeps Canevin Crusaders
A return to Section 3-AA proved the perfect remedy for what ailed the Lady Rebels from Seton-La Salle. After dropping three straight games, all to out-of-town guests, during the holiday season, the Rebels ripped off victories against Brentwood, 65-24, Chartiers-Houston, 66-50, and Bishop Canevin, 61-48.
With the triumphs, SLS improved to 6-0 in the division. The Crusaders fell to second place after their loss on Monday to the Lady Rebels. They have a 5-1 slate in the section.
After the win Jan. 12 against their chief rival Spencer Stefko said the Lady Rebels are coming along. “Losses don’t help but sometimes it’s how you respond to them that matters and we’ve done that in the right way. We put our losses in the past and learned from them.”
Losses to the best teams from Ohio, including Notre Dame, 57-46, and Solon, 59-38, as well as Erie’s Mercyhurst Prep, 59-46, enabled the Rebels to iron out some injuries, such as that to Pitt recruit Cassidy Walsh, as well as some kinks before returning to league action. “It was tough competition over the holidays,” agreed Stefko. “We’re coming along. Hopefully, we have turned the corner. But, we need to follow this up with a couple more good efforts.”
Until they host Wilkinsburg at 6 p.m. on Jan. 15, the Lady Rebels will relish their victories, especially the triumph over the Lady Crusaders, who interrupted their PIAA run in 2013. SLS won state titles in 2012 and 2014.
Remnants from those rosters, Walsh and Nicolete Newman both finished with 11 points against Canevin while Morgan Henderson led the way with 15 tallies. Julie DeKlaven and Shaunay Edmonds contributed nine and eight points respectively.
Key to the triumph was SLS’s fast start. On consecutive long-range shots, one by Newman and back-to-back threes by DeKlaven, SLS opened up its widest margin, 34-7, with 3:26 to play in the second quarter. By halftime, the Lady Rebels led 43-11 after Edmonds banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
“We played really well the first half,” explained Stefko. “The first half was like a perfect storm. Everything came together for us and they missed some shots.
“Give them credit though. They fought back. Give them credit. They did not quit.”
Thanks to Sarah Green, Canevin cut into SLS’s lead. She fired in a game-high 19 points, 12 in the second half as the Crusaders cut the gap to 13. Gina Vallecorso and Lauren Gamble each finished with eight tallies while Erin Joyce finished with seven markers.
Previously, against Brentwood, Walsh, Jamie Neary and Henderson led the way for SLS with 14, 11 and 10 tallies respectively.
Newman, who surpassed 1,000 career points during the holiday break, tossed in 22 points against Char-Houston. Edmonds and Madalena Psillidis supplied 13 and 11 markers in the victory.
Alexa Williamson led all scorers with 28 points for Char-Houston., which trailed pulled to within four points before SLS pulled away with a 23-13 advantage in the third quarter.
Earlier, Bishop Canevin defeated Wilkinsburg, 57-12. Erin Joyce and Melina Lynn led the way with 18 and 12 points.
SLS boys win too
In the nightcap of the doubleheader Monday with Bishop Canevin, the SLS boys’ team scored a 67-53 victory.
The Rebels led, 34-18, at halftime before the Crusaders cut the margin to seven in the third quarter, 40-33, on a bucket by John Weldon. Weldon scored 11 of his 15 points in the frame. Twice in the final frame, Canevin again closed to seven points, 58-51 on free throws by Mitchell King and 60-53 on a basket by Weldon before SLS pulled away.
Christian Del Greco nailed three of four free throws and Paris Ford buried a bucket in the final 67 seconds to salt away the victory. Del Greco led all scorers with 24 tallies and Ford followed with 20 markers. Cletus Helton finished with nine points.
With the win, SLS improved to 7-0 in Section 3-AA and to 12-1 overall. The Crusaders are 6-1 in the league and 11-3 overall.