BP win prepares Peters for playoffs
Peters Township (18-0, 12-0) received a glimpse of what the WPIAL Class 6A girls’ basketball playoffs will be like during a 61-46 victory against Bethel Park (15-2, 9-2).
While the win sealed the Section 2 title for the second straight season for the Lady Indians, it demonstrated the importance of their depth, experience and persistence. They discovered they can weather a spell where their star is absent from the floor and they can withstand valiant comebacks from rival opponents.
For in the triumph, the Lady Indians jumped all over the Hawks, opening up an 18-4 advantage that swelled to 15 points, 21-6, after a 3-point field goal by Jordan Bisignani. Between that four-minute stretch, they did so without the assistance of Makenna Marisa, who is the No. 7 scorer in the WPIAL.
“Every basket counts. Every possession matters,” PT coach Bert Kendall said.
BP could have made a run when Marisa sat out most of the second stanza due to foul trouble. She had scored 12 points in the first frame and was held to two points in the third stanza as BP chipped away at PT’s lead.
When the margin narrowed to 40-37 on a 3-point field goal by Maria Cerro, Marisa met the challenge. She scored eight of the Indians’ next 14 points-Isabella Mills had the other six-as PT’s advantage ballooned to 54-40.
Marisa finished with 26 tallies while Mills and Journey Thompson both finished with 12 markers. Mackenzie Lehman and Bisignani chipped in six and five points respectively.
In the team’s first encounter, both Marisa and Mills played with four fouls and the game was won by the Indians, 68-60, in overtime. Marisa and Mills finished with 25 and 16 points and the Indians connected on 12 of 15 free throws in the extra four-minute frame.
While Marisa and Mills are the team’s leading scorers with 21.5 and 14.5 averages, they get 13 regularly from Thompson and nine from Lehman, not to mention a consistent five from Bisignani. Thompson and Lehman led in rebounding with 8.1 and 7.2 boards a night while Mills dishes up 5.7 assists a game.
Marisa and Bisignani are the defensive stalwarts. While Marisa thwarted Olivia Westphal, who torched the Indians for 34 points and seven 3-point field goals in the first outing, the BP guard was limited to 13 points and none in the final frame. Bisignani drew the assignment on Cerro, who finished with 20 tallies, 16 of them coming in the second half.
“We knew we had to change our defense on Westphal because she really lit us up the last game. We had to keep an eye on her and know where she was at all times and we did a good job of that,” Kendall said.
“Jordan did a great job, too. She’s come a long way. As a freshman, she would struggle with a player like (Cerro) but now we can give her a fast point guard and she’ll deal with it.”
The Indians will deal with whatever challenges they face in the playoffs and that could include a possible rematch with the Hawks. Last year, the teams met four times with the Indians holding a 3-1 edge, falling only in the fourth encounter during the PIAA playoffs, a game after their WPIAL championship appearance.
“We would love to play Bethel Park because they are a rival,” Kendall said. “We’ll play them anytime.”
Other action
• Mt. Lebanon (10-9, 9-3) defeated Baldwin, 70-50, and Canon-McMillan, 55-29. Against the Highlanders, Ashleigh Connor led Lebo with 25 followed by Morgan Palmer (11), Jamey Napoleon (11) and Patrice Smith (10). Connor and Palmer finished with 12 and 11 against the Lady Macs.
• Upper St. Clair (9-10, 6-6) lost to Hempfield, 57-52. Sarah Price fired in 25. The Panthers rebounded to beat Baldwin, 59-30. Price (14), Casey Bakayza (12) and Lindsay Meyer (11) led the way.
• Chartiers Valley (19-0, 11-0) dispatched Trinity, 67-55. In double digits for the Colts were: Mackenzie Wagner (21), Megan McConnell (16), Aislin Malcolm (14) and Gabi Legister (13).
• South Fayette (13-6, 7-4) beat Moon, 50-43. Maura Castelluci (15), Karyssa Larson (13) and Clare Relihan (13) led the Lions.
• Peters Township dispatched Hempfield, 63-30. Isabella Mills and Makenna Marisa fired in 17 and 16 points for the Indians.