Five South Hills girls basketball teams qualify for WPIAL playoffs
Upper St. Clair's Kate Robbins, left, and Rylee Kalocay, right, battle Bethel Park's Mary Boff for a loose ball during girls basketball action.
Bethel Park's Riley Miller keeps her eye on the basket as she drives by Upper St. Clair's Mia Brown during a recent game.
Upper St. Clair's Alex Prunzik, left, knocks the ball out of the hands of Bethel Park's Emma Dziezgowski as she attempts to score a lay-up during a recent game.
Five South Hills girls basketball teams have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs but plenty is yet to be determined in regards to their postseason destinies before section play wraps up Feb. 10.
On that evening at 7:30 p.m. undefeated Mt. Lebanon will host rival Upper St. Clair in Section 2 6A, while Chartiers Valley will entertain South Fayette in the Section 1 5A finale.
“Our section is brutal and loaded with talented players and exceptional coaches,” said Lebo head coach Dori Oldaker. “On any given night, either team could win.”
After falling to Peters Township for the second time this season, Bethel Park rebounded and knocked off USC for the second time Jan. 31.
“PT was a heartbreak,” said Bethel Park head coach Samantha Loadman. “In this section you never know what is going to happen. We rebounded well and got the win. Sometimes a good rivalry helps you play a little harder.”
After starting the game on a 10-0 run, BP settled into a 29-22 halftime lead before USC rallied to take its only lead, 36-35, on a 3-pointer by Meredith Hudjak 22 seconds into the final quarter.
A 3-pointer by Emma Dziezgowski put BP ahead for good, 38-36, with 6:25 to play.
After buckets by Mary Boff and Riley Miller, the Hawks converted 9 of 10 free throws in the final minute to seal the victory. Dziezgowski made five of six shots from the line while Miller made all four of her attempts.
“We harp on free throws,” Loadman said. “We have been in a lot of close games where we needed those and missed them in big games. You will win or lose at the line.”
Dziezgowski finished with 18 points while Miller followed with 16. Each knocked down three, 3-pointers. Sarah Nath contributed two long-range shots to give the Hawks nine for the game.
USC buried seven shots from beyond the arc with Paige Dellicarri converted four of them for 12 points.
Kate Robbins led the Panther attack with 13 points, while Mia Brown finished with 10.
The win set up a Feb. 5 showdown for Bethel Park at Mt. Lebanon.
The Black Hawks lost their home encounter with the Blue Devils this season and suffered a season-ending loss in 2021 against in Lebo in overtime of a WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinal clash.
“Mt. Lebanon is always a tough one,” Loadman said. “Their ball pressure is out of this world. It’s hard to replicate that in practice.”
No team has duplicated Lebo’s efforts this winter. The Blue Devils were 18-0 heading into their game with BP.
The Blue Devils improved to 9-0 in the section with a 57-28 win at Hempfield Jan. 31.
In the triumph, Ashleigh Connor scored a game-high 18 points and Payton Collins ended with 12.
“We are always glad to win on the road, especially the long trips like Hempfield,” said Oldaker. “We take no section teams for granted.”
Lebo also submitted an impressive win against Cumberland Valley, 59-28.
In the victory, Gina Smith held all-state Cumberland Valley guard Jillian Jekot to four points. Jekot has many division one offers, including one from Pitt.
“Gina Smith is a lock-down defender,” Oldaker said. “Her amazing effort doesn’t show up in the box scores, but we don’t win without her tenacious defense. Her performance does not go unnoticed by our staff and her teammates.”
Against Cumberland Valley, Connor topped out with 25 points for the Blue Devils.
“Our kids are playing well, sharing the ball and working their tails off in practice,” Oldaker said. “They have been accepting our staff’s constructive criticism and are willing to make adjustments on the fly. We are proud of their willingness to be uncomfortable at times while learning new offenses and new defenses.”
In Class 5A, Chartiers Valley and South Fayette continued on their collision course.
The Colts improved their Section 1 mark to 7-0 and overall record to 16-1 by thumping Lincoln Park, 85-23.
Hallie Cowan led the offensive attack with 24 points. Aislin Malcolm and Perri Page followed with 23 and 19 points, respectively.
In the win, Malcolm converted her 252nd career 3-pointer. She was 45 away from the all-time WPIAL record. Malcolm has connected on 40% of her attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
Before the game, CV raised its WPIAL banner. The Colts have won the past three Class 5A titles and have competed in the past two state championship contests.
The Lions are tied with Moon for second place behind CV. They dispatched West Allegheny, 68-24, on Jan. 31.
Lainey Yater led SF with 17 points.