Seneca Valley girls stop Fox Chapel in section showdown

By: Steve Nagler
Monday, February 3, 2020 | 10:37 PM

Seneca Valley got 19 points from junior Jaden Davinsizer as the Raiders defeated Fox Chapel, 51-47, in a Section 1-6A showdown Monday night.

With both teams sharing the same record coming into the contest and both having already qualified for the postseason, the game represented an opportunity for both teams to improve their seeding with a win.

Davinsizer scored 13 of her game-high total in the first half as Seneca Valley (14-6, 8-5) raced out to a 29-18 halftime lead.

Raider head coach Dorothea Epps liked the way Davinsizer took charge in a big game.

“(Jaden) has really improved throughout the year,” Epps said. “She does a good job of realizing how teams are trying to defend her. We told her to go out there tonight and look for her shot and to shoot with confidence and that’s exactly what she did.”

Raider sophomore Jessica Bickert added 12 points and got Seneca Valley going offensively by draining a pair of 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the game.

After Seneca Valley took its largest lead of the night, 31-18, early in the third quarter, Fox Chapel (12-7, 7-6) began mounting a comeback. The Foxes embarked on a 16-6 run to cut the lead to 45-42 with just over four minutes left in the game.

Fox Chapel junior Elle Schwartzman led the charge by scoring 14 of her team-high total of 17 points in the second half before eventually fouling out with just over a minute left in the game.

Seneca Valley hit 10 of 14 foul shots in the second half, many down the stretch to seal the win.

“We didn’t match their enthusiasm and energy early on,” said Foxes first-year coach Marty Matvey. “We knew that, with it being Senior Night, and playing for third place in the section, it’d be a big environment. We didn’t play poorly in the first half. We just didn’t match their intensity.”

Dominica Delaney chipped in 13 points for Fox Chapel in the losing effort.

Seneca Valley can clinch third place in section outright by beating Butler on the road Thursday night. Fox Chapel will finish out section play Friday night as it hosts Norwin.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Seneca Valley