Chartiers Valley tops McKeesport, returns to PIAA girls basketball finals

By: Adam Brewer
Saturday, March 19, 2022 | 4:28 PM

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Sometimes experience just matters and will conquer all, especially when it comes to the PIAA girls basketball playoffs.

The senior-laden Chartiers Valley team showcased its resolve on the court in the second quarter, outscoring McKeesport by 12 points and holding a nine-point halftime lead.

The Tigers were playing catch up throughout the second half, but the Colts once again displayed their experience with a strong performance at the foul line in the final eight minutes to pull off a 59-50 victory Saturday afternoon in the Class 5A semifinals at Peters Township High School.

The Colts (28-2) advanced to their third state finals over the last four seasons with the lone exception being the pandemic shorten postseason in 2020. Chartiers Valley won the championship in 2019, but lost to Cardinal O’Hara in the finals last season.

The Colts will once again face Cardinal O’Hara, a 50-18 winner over Mechanicsburg, at 5 p.m. Friday at Hershe’s Giant Center.

“It means everything to get back to the state finals with this group of girls,” CV coach Tim McConnell said. “Since Day 1, these girls have been committed to the program and to each other. McKeesport is a tough, physical team. Their press is very good and we turned it over. We settled down in the fourth quarter, and our experience really carried us late.”

The Tigers (23-6) lost for the second time in the state semifinals. In 1998, they fell to Altoona in the round of four.

“We didn’t take advantage of all of chances,” McKeesport coach Amy Gumbert said. “Against a good team in the state semifinals, you almost have to play mistake-free. We didn’t hit enough of our free throws and (weren’t) effective scoring on the inside. We also gave them way too many second chance points. That killed us a lot today.”

Aislin Malcolm led all scorers with 22 points for CV. Hallie Cowan connected on three treys and added 15 points, while Helene Cowan and Perri Page chipped in with 10 points each. Those four accounted for all but two points for the Colts.

Rachel Manfredo anchored the Tigers’ effort with 16 points and Brooke Evans garnered 10. Malina Boord came off the bench and scored nine points, while Madison Hertzler added eight.

There were 10 lead changes in the opening quarter, as both teams came out firing on offense and traded shots. McKeesport grabbed an early 5-2 lead, but CV rallied back with a 6-2 run.

Trailing 8-7, the Tigers pounced with an 8-5 spree to end the opening eight minutes. Five players scored in the first period for McKeesport, as they carried a 16-13 lead into the second frame.

The Colts turned the tide quickly to open the second stanza with an 8-1 spurt, but Manfredo recorded the next four points for the Tigers to even things up at 21-21.

CV garnered separation late in the second with nine unanswered points. The spree was started with a trey from Malcolm and Page ended the run with a buzzer-beating, interior bucket to lead 30-21 at halftime.

“I think their experience took over in that second quarter,” Gumbert said. “Their seniors settled down and got to the hoop. We missed a couple of close shots and they took full advantage of our mistakes. The second quarter (stunk) for us, but our girls never put their heads down.”

In the third quarter, the Colts registered four shots from beyond the arc, and that included three in an early 9-5 rally to start the period. The Tigers rebounded with five consecutive points, via a hoop from Hertzler and a 3-pointer by Boord to make it 39-31.

CV ended the third on a 6-2 rally and led 45-33 at the end of three quarters.

McKeesport started the fourth with a 7-1 run that was punctuated with a three-point play by Manfredo to make things closer at 46-40 with 6:56 left to play in regulation.

After the teams each scored three points over the next two minutes, a foul shot by Madison Miller trimmed the Colts’ advantage to 51-44 with 2:06 left in the fourth.

Sandwiched around a putback hoop by Manfredo were four free throws by CV that still uphold their edge at 55-46 with 1:27 remaining.

Evans scored the final four points for McKeesport, but the Colts were able to hit enough of their foul shots late to preserve the victory.

CV only made one bucket in the final quarter, but was 12 for 18 at the charity stripe. Malcolm scored nine points in the final frame, including seven free throws.

“Aislin Malcom does everything for us,” McConnell said. “She defends the other team’s best player, she rebounds and she produces at crunch time. She is a versatile player and she does everything for this team. Without her, we don’t make it this far.”

With the win, the Colts improved to 28-11 in the PIAA playoffs since 2002. Over the last four seasons, CV has amassed an impressive 110-6 overall record.

McKeesport, which started a junior and four sophomores, will look to continue to build after an impressive and surprising season.

“I don’t think anybody expected us to make it this far,” Gumbert said. “Our kids fought the whole game. We will take off a couple of days. Got to hit the weight room. We will be back for sure next season. I instilled a winning mentality in them from the start, but they also believed in me. It goes both ways if you want to be successful.”

Tags: Chartiers Valley, McKeesport