South Fayette wins first WPIAL girls’ basketball title
Once the WPIAL Class AA playoffs commenced, South Fayette committed to winning the championship. So dedicated to the task were the Lady Lions that some of them wore the silver medals they gained for last year’s runner-up showing during warm-ups at the Petersen Events Center prior to their 59-52 victory against rival Trinity.
“Mikayla (Fetchet) and I looked at each other and said, ‘We’re going back and these are staying here, and we’re coming home with a different color,” said Autumn Mozick. “It was a reminder to us that we had to come out of the gate, start hard and keep playing hard.”
After beating Ringgold, 58-32, Chartiers Valley, 44-35, and Hampton, 52-40, to reach the finals, the Lions, indeed, charged out of the gate, roared to a 35-15 advantage and held off the Hillers to capture their first girls’ WPIAL basketball title in school history.
“It’s ridiculous how resilient we are,” Mozick said.
SF head coach Matt Bacco concurred. “They just show guts all year. That’s the best way I can describe them,” he said. “They aren’t afraid to make plays in the clutch. They don’t play the scoreboard. They just keep playing, playing, playing. At the end of the game, we were able to drape gold medals around their necks.”
Thanks to the play, in particular, of Mozick, Emily Anderson, Sam Kosmacki and Fetchet, the Lady Lions are champions. Anderson, who did not play in last year’s loss to Blackhawk in the AA final because of a knee injury, recorded a double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds and firing in 18 points. Mozick scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half as the Lions coasted to a 35-22 halftime advantage. Kosmacki and Fetchet finished with 12 and 11 markers respectively.
South Fayette showed its mettle when Trinity whittled away at the margin, cutting their deficit to 51-49 with just under three minutes to play. Sierra Kotchman spearheaded the rally by scoring 13 of her team-high 18 points in the second half. Her 3-pointer as well as a trey from Alayna Cappelli coupled with a 3-point play from Abbey O’Connor pulled the Hillers within one before Mozick stole a pass and scored on a layup to break the run. Also down the stretch, Anderson scored six points.
For the Hillers, Mary Dunn had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Cappelli also finished in double figures with 11 markers.
The game saw the return of Carlee Kilgus. She had not played since December due to an injury. Kilgus, a starter on last year’s WPIAL runner-up club, had a key rebound that led to the Lions’ last basket, a layup at the buzzer by Fetchet.
The victory marked the third time this season the Lions defeated the Hillers. In winning the Section 5 title with a 12-0 slate, South Fayette had beaten Trinity, 54-46 and 43-40.
To reach the district finals, South Fayette dispatched Hampton, 57-49, at West Allegheny. In the triumph, Anderson dominated, recording a triple-double. She exploded for 27 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked 13 shots.
South Fayette opens PIAA action this Saturday, March 5 against Ambridge (21-5) at Peters Township. Tip-off is at 2:30 p.m. The Bridgers were Section 2-AAA champions with a 13-1 record.