Alle-Kiski Valley girls basketball notebook: Fox Chapel-Plum rematch looms

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 | 8:55 PM

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The Fox Chapel girls basketball team hopes to get back on the winning track, while Plum hopes to keep a winning streak alive.

The Foxes and Mustangs meet for the second time this season Friday evening at 6 p.m. at Fox Chapel. The teams continue to battle for positioning in a competitive Section 2-5A. Fox Chapel defeated Plum, 48-40, on Jan. 28.

Fox Chapel (6-6, 5-4) saw a five-game victory run snapped Wednesday with a 44-35 setback to undefeated and section-leading Armstrong (7-0, 5-0). Domenica led the Foxes with 10 points.

Plum (5-4, 5-3) won its third in a row Wednesday, 47-30 over Kiski Area behind 17 points from Kennedie Montue and 16 from Kai Johnson.

Things started out well for Plum in the first meeting with Fox Chapel at Plum High School. The Mustangs jumped out to a 13-0 lead and looked to run away with the section victory.

But Fox Chapel quickly rallied to a 16-15 advantage in the second quarter.

The game was close into the fourth when the Foxes created some space and went on to post the eight-point win.

Freshman Megan Marston led Plum and all scorers with 15 points, and Montue scored 12. Sophomore Elsie Smith paced Fox Chapel with 12 points.

Knights on pause

The Knoch girls basketball team, No. 2 in the latest Triblive HSSN Class 4A rankings, halted its season until Feb. 22 because of a positive covid test within the program.

The two-week period of inactivity started Monday.

The Knights’ scheduled Monday nonsection game with Class 3A No. 2 Mohawk already had been canceled as Mohawk was in a covid protocol pause.

Knoch team members last gathered Saturday for a game against Laurel. The Knights fell to the Spartans, 51-41.

The PIAA requires the Knights have three days of workouts before they can get back to competition. Knoch, 7-1 overall and 7-0 in Section 1, is scheduled to play Slippery Rock on Feb. 25, but coach Chris Andreassi said there is a possibility it could play one of its remaining five section games on that day.

The WPIAL Class 4A playoff tournament tentatively is scheduled to begin Feb. 27.

“We’ve faced more than our fair share of quarantines, postponements and school shutdowns, and we’ve lost players,” Andreassi said. “But these girls have been resilient from the beginning. They keep coming back. They are not going to let this get them down. Will we be peaking come playoff time? No. But will we be feeling sorry for ourselves? Not at all.”

Section rivals again

For the first time since 2018, rivals Deer Lakes and Freeport will meet while members of the same section.

The teams were slated to play last month, but that game was postponed. It created an interesting home-and-home opportunity where they will battle twice in three days. The first meeting is set for Monday at Deer Lakes, with the Yellowjackets to host the rematch next Wednesday.

Both teams, while excited for the upcoming series, have their eyes squarely focused on matchups over the next couple of days.

Freeport, at 6-1 overall and in Section 1-4A play, has won five in a row after a loss to Class 4A No. 2 Knoch on Jan. 18. The Yellowjackets visit Derry (1-7, 1-7) on Friday.

Deer Lakes, 4-1 in section and 6-4 overall, travels to Highlands (4-10, 3-5) on Thursday.

Freeport and Deer Lakes have had several close battles in recent years, but the Yellowjackets own a six-game winning streak over the Lancers.

Deer Lakes last beat Freeport at the 2015 St. Joseph tournament.

The teams met in the regular-season finale the past two seasons.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.