Chartiers Valley girls roster looks young but promising

By: Ted Sarneso
Sunday, November 23, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Last season ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Chartiers Valley girls basketball team.

Entrenched in a back-and-forth affair against Baldwin in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, the Colts found themselves down four points with 29 seconds left.

The Highlanders turned the ball over twice in the last minute and Chartiers Valley capitalized on a layup from Emma Reynolds and a three to take a one-point lead.

But a defensive lapse cost the Colts a win.

“We just let their best player, Lynsey Bernotas, go coast to coast,” said Chartiers Valley coach Mike Semplice. “She went up with her left hand for a contested layup and was able to convert.”

The Colts had a chance with two seconds late, but the shot didn’t fall and they lost a tight one, 73-72.

“They doubled Emma (Reynolds) off the inbounds and we got a shooter free,” said Semplice. “Iyla Ozbey had a good look at it; she just back-rimmed it. That was one of the tougher losses I’ve experienced.”

Overall, it was an up-and-down year for the Colts. Semplice had players step into their roles, especially at the point guard position, after losing his two guards from the year prior in Ella Cupka and Lilah Turnbull.

“We were still plagued at times by bad turnovers, but for the most part, I felt like our kids handled it well, and made us competitive,” said Semplice. “I thought we defended well throughout the year, we were a good defensive team. If we could have just had more efficiency on offense.”

The Colts allowed just 43 points per game overall and 38.3 per game in section play last year. They will look to lean heavily on their strength as a defensive team again this year as the offense could be hampered by the inefficiency of a young, inexperienced roster.

For Semplice, it will feel like going back to the future as he deals with a similar roster makeup to the one he had in his first season at Chartiers Valley.

Gone are six seniors — Ava Shazer, Reynolds, Rachel Boehm, Ozbey, Ava Antonucci and Katie Johnson — who played the bulk of the minutes and had their own niche in the offense.

“Emma was probably our all-around best athlete,” said Semplice. “She could get you on the perimeter off the dribble, could shoot it, but her best asset was her passing. She could really see the floor. Ava Shazer was a really good shooter for us. Rachel played with a lot of toughness. Iyla and Ava Antonucci were a great one-two punch at the guard position and could create plays off the bounce, and Katie led us in rebounding.”

The Colts return just two players from last year who played significant minutes and bring in a large freshman group that’s very talented, which has Semplice excited for this season.

Alyssa Davis is a sophomore forward who can score at all three levels and junior Alex Horr has a nice toughness about her but can also play with athleticism off the dribble. Both will take on leadership roles as the most experienced varsity players.

“This is probably the most fun I’m going to have since I’ve been at Chartiers Valley,” Semplice said. “Because of the inexperience and how much we have to coach these players up in every situation, we’re going to both build upon what we did in my last three years as coach while also finding a team identity.”

Semplice is excited to have standout freshman guard Mckenna Helfrick in the fold.

“She’s probably one of the more skilled players I’ve coached at CV,” said Semplice. “She has a really good basketball IQ. She’s in a tough spot because she’s probably going to play a lot of meaningful minutes because she can handle the ball.”

The Colts lack a lot of size but make up for it with plenty of speed and agility, which has Semplice believing his team can do a lot of damage in the transition game.

“When we play out of a flow, get the ball moving in transition, we have a lot of kids that can put it on the floor,” said Semplice. “I feel that it’s going to be a learning curve for a lot of these kids, but I think they’re all up for the challenge. They all have a great attitude and are showing the signs of wanting to be a great team.”

As the Colts get comfortable with a more open style of play, Semplice sees it as a positive that the shot clock looks like it’s on its way to the PIAA.

“They’re sort of embracing that style already,” Semplice said. “It really is exciting to watch.”

Defensively, Semplice is going to count on senior Jenna Sexton and junior Jasmine Lewis to bring toughness and speed to stifle opposing team’s offenses.

“Jenna’s never really had a chance to play at the varsity level, but she brings a bit of grit and toughness, which I like,” said Semplice. “Jasmine is probably our best on-ball defender and overall athlete with her speed and agility. We’re going to have those two apply pressure and speed teams up a bit.”

There will be plenty of minutes early in the season, as Semplice sees himself playing 12 players just to see how everyone fits with each other. He will hope to have a solid eight- or nine-player rotation by the end of the year.

“We’re going to need to find ourselves out there in the early going,” Semplice said. “It’s going to come at the expense of us getting beat up by a few teams and seeing how we respond to that adversity.”

The Colts will be tested right out of the gate as they square off against Canon-McMillan, Thomas Jefferson and Mt. Lebanon in their first three contests.

They will also play Peters Township. Upper St. Clair and Pine-Richland as a part of their nonsection schedule.

“There’s a lot of tough games out there,” said Semplice. “Those first three are going to clue us in to how tough we are.”

Section play will be tough for the Colts to traverse as well as state champion South Fayette rules the roost.

“If no one knows by now, they’re the best team in the WPIAL,” said Semplice. “They not only have a group that has a high basketball IQ, but they have a high compete level. They’re coached extremely well. The way they disrupt you defensively and deny, they’re one of the better teams I’ve seen in a while.”

West Allegheny returns a lot of impact players from last year, Mars made it to the WPIAL semifinals with a shutdown zone defense, Moon gave the Colts fits in the first meeting last year, and Montour made plenty of strides last season.

“Every game is going to be a fight for us,” said Semplice. “If we get better as the season goes on, if the girls listen and continue to jell, we have the chance to be a playoff team. That’s how we’re coaching it.”

Tags: Chartiers Valley