Chartiers Valley anticipate top seed in girls basketball
Ashleigh Connor rises up for a basket during Mt. Lebanon's 55-29 win against Bethel Park.
Payton Collins buried six, 3-point field goals and finished with a game-high 18 points in leading Mt. Lebanon to a 55-29 victory against Bethel Park.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Chartiers Valley’s Hallie Cowan (4) is defended by South Fayette’s Mia Webber during the Colts’ 54-49 victory over South Fayette.
Chartiers Valley should enter the WPIAL girls basketball playoffs as the top seed in Class 5A but No. 1 in Class 6A may be up for grabs.
That is because Upper St. Clair knocked off Mt. Lebanon, 58-53.
Kate Robbins (17), Rylee Kalocay (16) and Mia Brown (15) helped hand the Blue Devils their first loss of the season.
Lebo claimed the Section 2 title but with a 12-1 record. They are 20-1 overall heading into the postseason.
USC finished second in the division with a 9-3 slate. The Panthers are 17-4 overall. They were WPIAL runners-up to North Allegheny last year. The Tigers, like Lebo, only have one loss this season.
The Lebo girls team have gotten consistent production from Ashleigh Connor.
A St. Louis recruit, Connor fired in a game-high 32 points against the Panthers. Reagan Murdoch followed with 12.
Connor tossed in 30 points in a recent 68-54 win against Peters Township. Murdoch chipped in 16 points.
Connor also supplied 16 points in a 55-29 victory against Bethel Park.
Payton Collins, however, stole the show against the Black Hawks.
A freshman, she pumped in 18 points, as Lebo recognized her sister, Brooke, Connor and Murdoch on senior night.
Collins converted six of her seven shots from 3-point range.
“Payton was remarkable,” said Lebo coach Dori Oldaker. “You could feel the energy in the gym whenever she caught the ball. All the fans wanted her to shoot the rock.
“I was so impressed though with her grabbing rebounds and her relentless effort on defense,” Oldaker added.
Meanwhile, Char Valley finished undefeated in Section 1 with a 10-0 slate after beating South Fayette, 54-49, and Moon, 59-40. The Colts enter the playoffs with a 19-1 record.
In the win against the Lions, Hallie Cowan topped all scorers with 22 tallies. She buried four, 3-pointers.
Perri Page followed with 11 markers. She pumped in 24 points in the win against the Tigers. Aislin Malcolm provided 19 points.
CV is the three-time defending WPIAL champions. The Colts have reached the PIAA finals two of the last three years.
In earlier action, USC defeated Peters Township, 63-56.
Kalocay led the Panthers with 25 points. Robbins contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Gemma Walker led the Indians with 17 points. She duplicated that effort against Lebo.
Also for the Indians against the Blue Devils, Avana Sayles had 12 points. Natalie Wetzal and Journey Thompson picked up 11 points each.
Emma Dziezgowski exploded for 30 points as Bethel Park dispatched Canon-McMillan, 63-38. Dziezgowski had 10 points in the loss to Lebo.
South Fayette also defeated Lincoln Park, 67-27.
Maddie Webber scored 25 and Julianna Rossi added 11 to lead the Lions.