Chartiers Valley clamps down on Woodland Hills
When Brandon Sensor learned Chartiers Valley (18-5) would face Woodland Hills (18-6) in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 5A boys’ basketball playoffs, the East Allegheny alumni embraced the confrontation for many reasons.
“I’m from Wilmerding, so I grew up across the river from there,” said the Colts’ first-year coach. “So I’m excited. Woodland Hills is a very good team. Athletic. A good challenge.”
As he had against every team this season, Keandre Bowles posed the biggest threat to ending the Colts’ season. The 6-3 senior guard entered the contest as the WPIAL’s leading scorer with a 29-point average.
By employing multiple defenses from a box-and-one to a variety of zone combinations (2-3, 1-2-2, 1-3-1), the Colts limited Bowles to 14 points and aced their biggest test of the season by beating the Wolverines, 62-49, at Mt. Lebanon.
“We keyed on him. Either shadowed him or just kept an extra defender on his side and just knew where he was all of the time,” Sensor said. “Everything was keying on him. We wanted to mix it up and keep them guessing.”
The Wolverines could not have guessed that the defensive strategy would stymy their star but it did so well that Bowles scored most of his points (10) in the final quarter. His other two buckets occurred in the first frame as Woodland Hills eked out a 13-12 edge.
“We knew we had to change it up (on Bowles) because he is a big-time player. A great player,” added Joe Pipilo. “Hats off to him. But we had to take care of business. We just had shut him down and that’s what we did.
“Defense got us going especially Tyler (Shaw) on Bowles. He was all over him. We forced other guys to beat us. Got steals and got on runs. Transition. That’s what we love to do. We got out and ran.”
The Colts indeed ran, particularly in the second stanza. They used a 17-4 run to race to a 29-17 advantage with 65 seconds remaining in the first half. Pipilo and Jared Goldstrom sparked the rally, scoring eight and seven of those points respectively.
Pipilo finished with a game-high 25 points, including cashing in on six straight free throws to help seal the victory in the fourth frame. Pipilo, who was 9 of 16 from the field, also grabbed eight rebounds.
Goldstrom managed 17 points. He buried a pair of 3-pointers and converted all five of his free throws.
Brayden Reynolds managed seven markers and his 3-point field goal expanded CV’s lead to 42-29 in the third quarter before Woodland Hills cut the deficit to 48-44. Three-point plays from Goldstrom and Shaw, however, edged CV’s lead back to double digits, dashing the hopes for any Wolverine comeback.
Meanwhile, the Colts have comeback from having missed the playoffs last year to making their 18th semifinal playoff appearance 23 years. The Colts will challenge Mars (22-1) Feb. 26 at a site and time to be determined. The Planets, which are the defending WPIAL Class 5A champion, defeated Shaler, 74-52, in their quarterfinal matchup at North Allegheny.
“The beginning of the year, we believed that we could go as far as we could,” Pipilo said. “That’s what we are doing. It’s a heck of a ride. I don’t want it to end.”
CV opened playoff action Feb. 18 with a 68-51 win against Albert Gallatin. Pipilo fired in 19 points while Goldstrom followed with 18, burying five 3-pointers.
Other action
Seton-La Salle (18-4) defeated Southmoreland, 54-34, and Washington, 48-34, to advance to the Class 3A semifinals set for Feb. 25 against Lincoln Place (20-4). Against the Scotties, three players were in double digits for the Rebels: Dylan Preston (15), Michael Bigley (12) and Trevor O’Donnell (11). Against the Prexies, Jacob Verner provided 19 points while Preston pitched in with 12 tallies.
Bishop Canevin (14-8) ended its season after a 59-40 loss to Leechburg in the first round of the playoffs. Neva Crossey (15) and KeVaughn Price (12) scored in double figures for the Crusaders.
Keystone Oaks (12-11) lost to Washington, 58-46. Zahmere Robinson (15) and Dan Ethridge (11) led the Golden Eagles.