Fort Cherry cranks up pressure in Class 2A win over Riverview

By: Antonio Rossetti
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 | 10:05 PM

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Fort Cherry’s defense fueled the Rangers to a 55-24 victory over Riverview in the first round of the WPIAL Class 2A girls basketball playoffs Tuesday night.

The Rangers forced 37 turnovers with Fort Cherry collecting 20 steals as a team.

“We knew coming in that their full-court press was a big part of their game,” Riverview coach Andre Carter said. “They run it very well, and they executed it very well.”

At times, the Raiders did break the press, but the Rangers fell back into a zone that they extended to disrupt Riverview’s offensive flow.

The sister tandem of Gianna and Bella Bianchini racked up the most steals with Gianna swiping six and Isabella collecting five.

“We’ve been working hard on our defense all season,” Bella Bianchini said. “We’ve been playing a 2-1-2 zone for the whole season.”

The press into their tight defense disrupted a Riverview team without injured star player Isabel Chaparro.

Emily Pfender and Brooke Cornali both notched four steals.

“The pressure on the ball, it gets in their head,” Gianna Bianchini said. “It lets us get those easy steals.”

Gianna Bianchini sparked the Rangers offense with 20 points, knocking down five 3-pointers.

“She’s been on all season,” Cornali said. “She’s probably our best shooter, and she really helps the team a lot. I’m grateful to have her.”

Bella Bianchini racked up seven assists and scored four points. She was happy to be the team’s distributor.

“It was amazing because I probably it passed it to her (Gianna) almost every time,” she said. “It was amazing. She’s a great shooter.”

The sisterly duo was a well-oiled machine. Gianna credited Isabella for setting her up for success and finding her in rhythm.

“I finally into got my rhythm,” Gianna Bianchini said. “The last couple games, I’ve had my rhythm, but I was in a little bit of a slump, and now I’m finally back in it.”

Cornali added 16 points and eight rebounds, and Pfender posted 12 points and five rebounds.

Cornali credited the defense with the team’s success in transitioning to offense.

“We’ve been working all season on an aggressive defensive style,” Cornali said. “I think it really showed tonight.”

Riverview tallied 15 points in the first quarter but was held to nine points for the rest of the game.

Down 7-4, Riverview launched a 7-1 run with Blake Huffman burying a 3-pointer to take an early 11-8 lead. Huffman had 12 points for the game.

Nevertheless, Fort Cherry’s smothering full court press disrupted Riverview’s rhythm leading to a 8-0 run.

Huffman knocked down another 3 and a Mia Murphy free throw made it 16-15 nearing the end of the opening period.

Giana Bianchini sparked a massive 17-0 run to give Fort Cherry a 24-15 lead. Bianchini made three 3s and tallied 15 points in the first half.

The Rangers shut the Raiders out in the second quarter, outscoring them 14-0 to go into halftime up 33-15.

Fort Cherry forced 23 Riverview turnovers in the first half.

Riverview switched from a 3-2 zone to man-to-man coverage, which slowed down Fort Cherry at first.

However, the Rangers outscored Riverview 16-4 in the fourth quarter, with 12 of their points coming in the final four minutes.

Although Carter said Chapparo, who averages well over 20 points a game, would definitely have helped, the effort was there and he had full confidence in the girls.

“I can’t say enough about how hard our girls fought,” Carter said. “I thought their performance was great. Their effort, from start to finish — even the bench players coming in — they battled to the very end. That’s all you can ask for.”

The effort showed as they matched the Rangers on the glass, grabbing 27 rebounds to Fort Cherry’s 28. Riverview’s Elise Bear pulled in 10 rebounds.

“We had a lot of freshmen and two juniors who really stepped up and led the team,” Carter said. “I’m proud of them. Scoreboard aside, I loved what they did out there. The things we watched on film and projected, they were able to execute. We just have to score more.”

Cornali and Bella Bianchini were happy to go out with a win in their last games at home.

“I’m so proud of my team,” Cornali said. “We work so cohesively together, and I’m just so happy to have them. It feels great, even better on our home court. It was a happy last game at home for me.”

However, it was bittersweet for Bella.

“It’s really sad playing here for the last time, but it’s great to go out with a win.” she said.

Tags: Fort Cherry, Riverview