Chartiers Valley rallies from double-digit deficit to stun No. 1 Montour in Class 5A semifinals
By:
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 | 10:30 PM
Chartiers Valley’s Jayden Davis celebrates after a comeback win over Montour during the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon.
Chartiers Valley’s Jayden Davis and Luca Federico celebrate with Danny Slizik after taking the lead on Montour in the fourth quarter during the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon.
Chartiers Valley’s Jayden Davis drives on Montour’s AJ Alston during the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon.
Chartiers Valley’s Jayden Davis drives on Montour’s Ama Tening Sow during the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon.
Chartiers Valley’s Logan Helfrick (l) and Silas Verzich defend on Montour’s Ama Tening Sow during the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon.
Chartiers Valley stunned the WPIAL basketball world Tuesday night, downing top-seeded Montour, 47-44, in the Class 5A semifinals.
The Spartans controlled the first half, going into halftime up 30-20. That’s when Jayden Davis and the fourth-seeded Colts turned up the intensity on defense.
The Colts held the Spartans to 14 points in the second half, scoring 27 points of their own.
Chartiers Valley held Montour to six points in the fourth quarter and put immense pressure on the Spartans’ guards.
“I told the guys we played the defense and got the stops but just didn’t finish it out to get the rebound,” CV coach Corey Dotchin said. “That was the big thing in the second half. We were able to limit their offensive rebounds and second chances. Our offense really shared the basketball in the second half and that showed through.”
The Colts ramped it up in the third quarter behind the efforts of Davis, who led all scorers with 20 points.
Davis was happy to snap the Spartans’ WPIAL win streak.
“It feels great,” Davis said. “We lost to them the first two times. They won 17 games straight, and not one team in the WPIAL beat them. It was high energy, and we knew we needed the energy to beat them.”
Danny Slizik also spearheaded the Colts offense, posting 14 points and hitting two 3-pointers.
“Jayden had been our guy all season,” Dotchin said. “He gets the recognition that he gets. But we can’t say enough about Danny Slizik. Danny’s been a true leader. He’s been awesome in the locker room. This comes full circle for him, and I’m extremely proud of him. He really got the fruits of his labor today.”
CV went on an 8-1 run to start the second half, cutting Montour’s lead to 31-28.
Ama Sow, Montour’s 6-foot-11 center, then responded with an and-one emphatic dunk to put the Spartans up 34-28.
However, the Colts kept it coming. Back-to-back steals led to points for Julian Semplice to cut it to 36-34.
Down 38-34, Danny Slizik drilled a 3 off a dish from Davis to cut it to one, 38-37.
Chartiers Valley carried all the momentum, and Davis gave his team its first lead of the game in the fourth quarter, going up 39-38.
The Colts and Spartans exchanged leads, making it 41-40 CV.
The Colts then ran two minutes off the clock and passed the ball around until Luca Federico was opened up for a wide open layup to go up 43-40.
Alston had a big steal to cut it back to 43-42, but CV made all its free throws.
Slizik earned his way to the line and made it 47-44. The Colts forced a tough shot by Montour and got the upset win.
CV played a more aggressive second half, turning up the intensity. Semplice was a key part in that as he tallied three steals. He also posted six points and four assists.
“We went into the locker room down by 10. We came out and brought a ton of energy,” Semplice said. “We came out and just pressured as hard as we could. We communicated better and focused on Ama a lot more. That backside help was on point.”
Sow tallied 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. He was held to just seven points and two rebounds in the second quarter.
Freshman Luca Federico was assigned the task of guarding Sow.
“Ama’s a great player,” Davis said. “He’s been averaging a double-double all year. That’s a tough task. We told Luca he had to handle that tonight, and that’s exactly what he did in the second half.”
Semplice added that Federico used his length to contain Sow and limit his opportunities in the second half.
Davis and Tristin Mulligan are the Colts’ lone seniors. They’ll send a young team to the title game when they face No. 6 Peters Township at 7 p.m. Saturday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.
“Those young guys, they showed up all season,” Davis said. “They’ve had my back for the four seasons I’ve been there, and I’ll have their back. We had each other’s back tonight and came out with the win.”
The Colts have one thing in their mind as they go on to play Peters.
“We’ve got to win this WPIAL championship,” Semplice said. “That’s been the goal all season.”
Tags: Chartiers Valley, Montour
More High School Basketball
• Dozens of area seniors selected for 21st annual Roundball Classic all-star weekend• Trib 10: State champions climb atop final power rankings
• Final 2024-25 Trib HSSN Pennsylvania high school girls basketball rankings
• Final 2024-25 Trib HSSN Pennsylvania high school boys basketball rankings
• Trib HSSN boys basketball team of the week for March 30, 2025
