Fox Chapel boys team picks up steam in win vs. Plum

By: Andrew John
Friday, December 6, 2024 | 9:52 PM

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After a shaky first half, Fox Chapel immediately came out of the halftime locker room and set the tone for the second half as the Foxes defeated Plum, 52-37, in the Chartiers Valley Tournament on Friday night.

The Foxes (2-0) were led by senior Caden Kaiser, who scored the first four buckets in the second half to double the Fox Chapel halftime lead to 31-19. Kaiser made a nifty play in transition for his second basket in the second half as he used the glass to feed it back to himself for a layup.

Kaiser led Fox Chapel with a career-high 20 points and five rebounds. It comes on the heels of Kaiser posting his previous career-high 17 points in Fox Chapel’s season-opening 58-50 win over Shaler this past Tuesday.

“I thought we played a lot better in the second half. We wanted to limit some of their guys. We played in the second half with a big effort of team basketball,” Fox Chapel coach Zach Skrinjar said.

“I think it was more on us not executing. We really made a concerted effort at the beginning of the game and the second half to really establish him. He really did some nice things in the flow of the game by making some nice shots.”

Kaiser scored the game’s first three buckets and went 2 for 7 from the free-throw line.

“He means a lot. He’s a senior. He’s a leader. He’s been here for four years. We talked to him about letting the game come to him and playing under control. He can do some really nice things on the basketball court. He’s naturally athletic. He’s naturally gifted. He’s the engine,” Skrinjar said.

Sophomore Grant Fenton added nine points in the win, including the Foxes’ only 3 on the night. Juniors Joey McGivney and Anderson Dockey finished with seven and five points, respectively.

The Foxes finished 15 for 23 from the charity stripe.

Plum (0-1) was led by senior Max Grice, who finished with a game-high 24 points — 20 in the second half. Grice hit four 3-pointers in the second half, including two from the corner.

“I can’t say enough about Max Grice,” Plum coach Dave Pucka said. “He led not just with scoring, but his presence brings a calmness to our team. Being able to establish him early is what our staff has to do. We have to find ways to get him more involved.”

Plum went to the line seven times and converted on six of those as Grice was 4 for 4.

The Mustangs were on the verge of being held to two points in the first quarter, but junior Mekhi Samuels hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. His four-point play made it 12-6 after one quarter.

Plum got within four points in the second quarter before the Foxes pulled away to start the second half.

“I think being our first game, these kids played real hard. They are still learning a new system. There are going to be some things to learn and grow from,” Pucka said.

“I think the effort was there. Certainly, our kids didn’t quit. We played all four quarters. I was really happy with the guys that came off the bench and contributed meaningful minutes.”

Grice accounted for all of the Mustangs’ 20 points in the second half. Samuels finished with six points as five Plum players scored.

Fox Chapel will play Ambridge on Saturday in the Chartiers Valley tournament at 1:30 p.m., and Plum faces Chartiers Valley at 3 p.m.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Plum