Chartiers Valley girls basketball dominant in all phases

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, January 3, 2019 | 10:09 PM

The Chartiers Valley girls basketball team is ready to prove it is the best in Class 5A.

And it has the results to prove it.

The Colts got off to an 8-0 start, averaging 68.3 points and holding teams to 34.5, both best in Class 5A. The team dominated through the first eight games, winning every game by at least 19 points.

The secret to the success? It is all about the team.

“That is the No. 1 thing,” coach Tim McConnell said. “It is tremendous and the reason why we have been so successful. No one cares who is in the paper. Everyone is playing for each other. And that is all I can ask them to do.”

Leading the way are seniors Mackenzie Wagner and Gabi Legister. Through the first eight games, Wagner led the team with 17.6 points with five rebounds per game. Legister averaged 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds. But McConnell was quick to praise the effort of the entire senior class, especially Alex Ferrella, who he described as a defensive spark.

Carlee Webb is another senior who has found success in key roles on offense and defense.

“They all bring experience,” McConnell said. “Alex might not show up in the box score a lot, but she is a great defender. She is really playing team basketball. I give credit to all the seniors.”

Megan McConnell was fourth on the team in scoring with 10.6 points per game. That was down from her team-leading 18.5 points per game last season. But the junior guard led the team in three other categories: assists (6.9 per game), rebounds (5.9) and steals (3.6).

“She is the quarterback of the team,” McConnell said. “She gets rebounds and gets the ball to the right people at the right time. That is so important. Her floor leadership has been tremendous.”

A strong group of freshmen has boosted the depth. Aislin Malcom, a 5-10 guard, averaged 10.9 points and 1.6 steals. Along with Perry Page and twin sisters Helene and Hallie Cowan, the freshman class has played major minutes.

“The experience they are getting is going to help us down the stretch,” McConnell said. “They are gaining confidence. Our freshmen just need experience right now. They are only going to help our team get better.”

With the calendar changing to 2019, the Colts are entering one of the toughest stretches of their schedule. Chartiers Valley plays seven games between Jan. 3 and Jan. 16. The stretch includes showdowns against Section 1-5A rivals such as Trinity, West Allegheny, South Fayette and Thomas Jefferson.

“We have a tough stretch,” McConnell said. “We have six games in 10 days. We have to keep ourselves fresh and stay healthy. We need to not get away from what has gotten us here, and that is our defense.”

Nathan Smith is a freelance writer.

Tags: Chartiers Valley