A-K Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Riley Stephans, Fox Chapel’s Grant Fenton

By: Brennan Valladares
Saturday, January 3, 2026 | 4:07 PM

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Riley Stephans

School: Plum

Class: Senior

Sport: Basketball

Claim to fame: Stephans scored 57 total points across two games at the Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament at Shady Side Academy. She went off for 33 points in a loss against Class 6A Pine-Richland on Monday. She then followed that with her third consecutive 20-point outing against Woodland Hills on Tuesday, scoring 24 in a win. Stephans is averaging 18.2 points for Plum (7-3, 2-1), a six-point jump from her output a season ago. The Mustangs will now prepare for a game against No. 1 Penn Hills on Monday.

Around the same time last year, your team was 3-7, but it’s been a literal flip in the win-loss column this season. What have been the biggest contributing factors to that turnaround?

Some of the biggest factors in the turnaround would be the chemistry on the team, everyone stepping up at different times and being a year older.

Your team had a two-point win against Franklin Regional and a four-point loss to Shaler this season, last year’s section co-champions. Do you think your team’s performance against those two clubs, in comparison to last year, signifies Plum is prepared to advance in the playoffs?

Yes, I think we all have in mind that we want to make playoffs, not just for the idea of it but to win some games in the playoffs.

What have been some of the key reasons for your six-point scoring jump from last year?

Some key points to my scoring jump are probably getting on the foul line and not relying on jump shots.

With three straight games of 23-or-more points, are you on a heater, or do you believe you are finding a groove as the season has progressed?

I would like to believe I am finally becoming an all-around player that can contribute in different ways.

What are some of your goals for 2026?

To compete for the section championship and to win at least one game in playoffs.

What are you most looking forward to in your senior year, basketball-wise and overall?

One thing I am looking forward to during my senior (year) basketball-wise is hopefully getting the experience of winning the first section championship for Plum girls basketball. One thing I am looking forward to (overall) would be graduating, but at the same time, I don’t want it to end.

What are your plans for after high school?

My plans for college are to attend Slippery Rock. (I’ll be) going in undecided for my major.

How do you like to spend a day off from school and basketball?

I like to hang out with friends, my family and my dog and listen to music.

Grant Fenton

School: Fox Chapel

Class: Junior

Sport: Basketball

Claim to fame: Fenton scored a career-high 28 points to lead Fox Chapel (7-4, 2-2) past Kiski Area on Tuesday at the Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament. He then had 18 points against Peters Township in an overtime loss Friday. Fenton is averaging 10.6 points per game, up from 4.8 a year ago. His five double-digit scoring games are third on a team that has four players averaging eight or more points.

How would you say your team has combated being undersized this year?

We haven’t had a player over 6-foot-4 in my time at Fox Chapel, so we’ve gotten used to not relying on size the way that other teams might. On defense, we’ve had to emphasize boxing out more. On offense, it’s been beneficial in some ways because we’ve been able to exploit mismatches at times where the other team’s center has to defend one of our guards.

What have been the keys to the 7-3 start?

I think our defense has been the biggest factor in our 7-3 start. We work on it constantly at practice, and our coaches do a great job setting us up for success with defensive game plans.

You’ve made a scoring jump this year, represented in your 28-point performance against Kiski on Tuesday. What does a game like that say about your work in the offseason?

At the end of last season, I had to take a look at my game and see where I was lacking. I didn’t have a midrange game, and so I spent a lot of time trying to develop that.

What was working well for you against Kiski?

Against Kiski, I think I just got into a rhythm of using a dribble or two to beat my guy and pull up for a jumper. My teammates also did a great job of finding me on cuts for layups or jumpers.

Was it by design to have a balanced scoring effort for your team?

We just have a lot of guys who are capable of scoring, and we trust each other. Nobody plays selfish, and we’re always looking for each other.

After dropping the previous two section games, what challenges are you expecting to face in a section that has three of the last nine WPIAL champions, including your team?

Obviously, we were disappointed to drop those two section games in a row at home, but we’ve put it behind us, and we need to be as focused as possible when we get back to section play. Over the next two weeks, we have three road games and a home game against the team that is currently at the top of the section. Bouncing back won’t be easy, and I think it’s a great test for our ability to handle adversity.

What are some of your goals for 2026?

My individual goals are just to do my best to continue to improve as a basketball player, have fun and not take anything for granted. As I progress through my junior year, I’ve realized that basketball doesn’t last forever, and I need to make the most of it. For the team, our first goal is to finish as high as possible in the section. From there, we need to continue to improve and get to playing our best basketball in February and March.

What is your best basketball memory?

Winning the Mars tournament with my fourth-grade travel team. It was our last tournament of the season, and we were coming off of a two- or three-game slide. We managed to win the tournament, and we had a lot of fun. It reminds me to be resilient because basketball is going to come with a lot of ups and downs.

What are some of your hobbies outside of basketball?

I play on the tennis team for Fox Chapel. In the summer, I like to water ski and fish.

Who are your go-to artists for pregame?

Drake, Linkin Park and Paramore.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Plum