After tough start, South Park girls hitting their stride in Section 2-3A

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, January 23, 2019 | 7:09 PM

South Park’s girls basketball team sits atop the Section 2-3A standings, but the Eagles’ record hasn’t always been sky-high this season.

The team lost six of its first 10 games, including a 41-point loss at the hands of Class 5A No. 1 Chartiers Valley.

Not everyone was happy, but coach Marty Matvey expected the first half of the season to be an uphill battle against a nonsection slate of Class 5A and 6A powerhouses.

“We know we can commit to being excellent when times are good, but we also had to learn to commit to being excellent and upholding our standards when things don’t go our way,” Matvey said. “It’s easy when the ball goes in the hoop, but we can still play hard when it doesn’t, and that’s what our out-of-conference schedule taught us.”

South Park (9-6, 8-1) has responded to the premeditated tough love with a five-game winning streak since the Chartiers Valley game.

“To be blunt, I think we were just sick of losing,” senior Cassidy Zandier said. “I know I was. I think we all needed a morale boost by winning. After that game, we’ve all been on the same page. It ignited something in us, and I think we learned from (losing).”

The Eagles’ win against Washington on Monday avenged a 62-61 loss to the Prexies in December.

Soccer players — that team won the WPIAL championship and played until mid-November — make up more than 60 percent of the basketball roster. The team hadn’t built on-court chemistry for the series’ first matchup.

“We were still in preseason from, and to top it off we missed 15 free throws and lost by a point,” Matvey said. “I haven’t been a part of a game like that in the 11 years I’ve been coaching.”

The sequel was an entirely different contest, dominated by senior Maura Huwalt’s 34-point performance. Zandier scored 16 points, and junior Danielle DeProspo had 14.

Matvey calls them a “three-headed monster” on offense.

“A lot of plays we run accentuate getting the ball to our shooters,” Zandier said. “Danielle is a really good outside shooter. I focus on drawing pressure by driving inside and then kicking it out. Maura can always get open down low because she’s such a strong player inside, so all of our different strengths work together.”

South Park’s offense begins with its full-court press defensive scheme that deploys junior Taylor Glowa to shut down the ball-handler.

Zandier and DeProspo blanket the closest players to the ball-handler to cut off passing options.

“They’re all very smart defensively, and they’re all so fast because they play soccer, too,” Huwalt said. “Just watching them is like an art. The way they play defense contributes a lot to our success, because they always put pressure on other teams.”

The strategy was part of Matvey’s three-year plan to build a team with depth — the roster size amounted to eight players before his tenure as a coach — to enable an aggressive approach that would cause opponents to make mistakes.

South Park has forced 30 turnovers and has 19 steals per game in section play this season. With the help of senior Charlyn Blackburn and Huwalt in the paint, the Eagles have held opponents to 29 percent shooting.

Blackburn, Huwalt and Zandier — the team’s three seniors — didn’t start the way they wanted, but they know people will remember more about how they finish.

Blackburn called it the “most complete team” she’s been on.

“We’ve played together since the fourth grade, and I’ve had so much fun playing with them the last eight years,” Blackburn said. “We’re all so close, and I wouldn’t want anyone else to be playing with me as seniors. After last year, we have a lot to prove together.”

South Park lost in the opening round of the WPIAL playoffs last season, which brought an end to the program’s six-year run of qualifying for the PIAA tournament.

“Us seniors want to leave a legacy,” Huwalt said. “We told each other we’d do everything we can to make sure we’d go far. Matvey tells us ‘It’s better to be disciplined than disappointed.’ The nonconference games were designed to make us better in our section and in the playoffs, and now I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

Shawn Annarelli is a freelance writer.

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