Chartiers Valley, South Fayette girls earn top seeds in WPIAL playoffs
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.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Maddie Webber (34) leads South Fayette into the WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball playoffs with her 18-point scoring average.
Chartiers Valley and South Fayette earned the top seeds in the Class 5A girls basketball tournament and each team is set to begin its quest for a WPIAL championship Feb. 22.
The Colts have won the past three WPIAL titles and have been to the state finals twice in that time frame.
CV won the Section 1 title, ahead of the Lions and Moon, with a 10-0 record. The Colts are 20-1 overall with their lone loss coming Dec. 19 against nationally ranked St. John Vianney from New Jersey.
“With the schedule we played and competing in the toughest section, I think we deserved the top seed,” said CV head coach Tim McConnell.
“We don’t look at it or being the defending champions as pressure because what we did in the past is history. We are concentrating on the present. We treat every day as a gift.”
The Colts will host Connellsville in their playoff opener. The Falcons finished fourth in Section 3. They are 8-14 overall.
“We know Connellsville will play hard and give us everything they got to win the game,” McConnell said. “We need to do what we do best, play great defense, shoot the ball well to move on.”
While the Colts are led by Aislin Malcolm, a Pitt recruit who is averaging 17 points per game, and Perri Page, a Columbia recruit who manages 15 points and 10 rebounds an outing, they also depend upon the Cowan twins.
Hallie surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in the regular-season finale against Canevin. She excelled in CV’s section finale against the Lions, knocking down four, 3-pointers and finishing with a game-high 22 points.
“Hallie has played great all year,” McConnell said. “Her performance versus South Fayette was one of the keys to us winning the game.
Helene’s efforts often go unnoticed because she does not score as much as the other players. She had eight points against South Fayette.
“Helene is definitely our unsung hero,” McConnell said. “She is so valuable to our team because she does all the little things that don’t get mentioned in the papers.”
The Cowan sisters will continue their playing careers at Seton Hill University.
“I think Seton Hill is getting a steal with Hallie and Helene,” McConnell said.
South Fayette is one of the threats to steal the WPIAL title away from the Colts.
The Lions are 18-4 overall and thrilled with their No. 2 billing in the tournament.
“We are really excited,” said SF coach Bryan Bennett. “The girls worked extremely hard all during the off season and throughout the regular season. It is a great honor to be rewarded for all of their hard work.”
The Webber sisters, along with Ava Leroux, headline the roster.
A junior, Maddie Webber leads the team with an 18-point average. Mia Webber pitches in nine points an outing.
A 6-4 junior center, Leroux averages 10 points and pulls down 8 rebounds a game.
The Lions host Greensburg Salem at 8 p.m. Feb. 22 in their playoff opener.
Senior guard Kaitlyn Mankins leads Greensburg Salem, which finished the regular season at 15-7 overall.
“Greensburg is a very physical team with talent at the guard and forward positions,” said Bennett. “We need to contest their shooters. We need to make sure we know where Kaitlyn is on the floor at all times and make sure we contain her off the dribble.
“We also need to do a good job of limiting their second-chance points,” he added.
Should the Colts and Lions win their playoff openers, they would host quarterfinal playoff games to be played at 7 p.m. Feb. 25.
The semifinal games will be played Feb. 28 at sites and times to be determined.
The WPIAL championship game is set for 5 p.m. March 5 at the Petersen Events Center.