South Fayette avenges loss to Peters Township, earns trip to state finals
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Saturday, March 22, 2025 | 6:05 PM
South Fayette’s Ella Vierra scores against Peters Township in the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
Peters Township’s Natalie Wetzel blocks the shot of South Fayette’s Ryan Oldaker during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
South Fayette’s Juliette Leroux scores over Peters Township’s Natalie Wetzel during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
South Fayette’s Haylie Lamonde scores past Peters Township’s Daniela Radulovich during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
Peters Township’s Taylor McCullough drives on South Fayette’s Lailah Wright during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
Peters Township’s Taylor McCullough gets around South Fayette’s Lailah Wright during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
South Fayette’s Lailah Wright (l) and Haylie Lamonde defend on Peters Township’s Taylor McCullough during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
South Fayette’s Lailah Wright splits Peters Township defenders Brianna Morreale (l) and Taylor McCullough during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
Peters Township’s Natalie Wetzel defends on South Fayette’s Ryan Oldaker during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
South Fayette’s Lailah Wright and Peters Township’s Taylor McCullough dive for a loose ball during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
South Fayette’s Lailah Wright fights for a rebound with Peters Township’s Alina Sopka during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
South Fayette’s Ella Vierra is defended by Peters Township’s Alina Sopko during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
Peters Township’s Daniela Radulovich defends on South Fayette’s Ryan Oldaker during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
Peters Township’s Daniela Radulovich (l) and Alina Sopko defend on South Fayette’s Ryan Oldaker during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
Peters Township’s Natalie Wetzel blocks the shot of South Fayette’s Ella Vierra during the PIAA Class 5A semifinals Saturday at Canon-McMillan.
The South Fayette girls are headed to the state finals after avenging a WPIAL finals loss to Peters Township.
For the Lions, that was two wins at once.
“We really wanted to get them back,” said South Fayette sophomore Lailah Wright. “It feels good for revenge and feels really good to go to the state championship.”
Wright scored 14 points, Ryan Oldaker had 13, and South Fayette defeated Peters Township, 50-36, in a PIAA Class 5A semifinal Saturday at Canon-McMillan. The outcome was a reversal from the WPIAL championship three weeks earlier that Peters Township won by four points.
“They deserved to win that day, but I think we left a lot of the floor,” South Fayette coach Bryan Bennett said. “Any competitor wants a rematch. The kids were excited when they found out they beat (Cathedral) Prep last week. We were watching on the bus ride home.”
South Fayette had a double-digit lead after halftime in both games against Peters Township. This time, the Lions’ defense kept its opponent at bay, largely by forcing the Indians into more than two dozen turnovers.
They forced seven in the first quarter alone.
“We came out so strong,” said Oldaker, a junior. “We came out timid last time. This game, we were ready. We were mad that we lost, so we’re happy we played our game.”
South Fayette (28-2) advances to face powerhouse Archbishop Wood in the finals at 6 p.m. Saturday at Giant Center in Hershey. The Philadelphia Catholic League team has won four consecutive state titles, including a win over South Fayette in the 2023 Class 5A final.
Archbishop Wood (22-7) defeated District 2 champion Crestwood, 62-29, in the other semifinal Saturday.
“Whoever we’re going to get at this point in the year is obviously a talented team,” Bennett said. “… I’m sure they’re loaded with a bunch of Division I talent. We’ll have our hands full, but we’re going to come and compete, not back down.”
Natalie Wetzel and Taylor McCullough led Peters Township (26-4) with nine points apiece. The Indians shot 41% from the field, which was seven percent higher than South Fayette, but the Lions had 14 more attempts.
That’s where the turnovers factored in.
“They just do a really good job of getting you sped up offensively,” Peters Township coach Steve Limberiou said. “On top of it, they have length to go with it. It’s hard to get into offense. We did a decent job, but at the end of the third quarter, obviously they made a run.”
South Fayette led 16-13 after one quarter and 24-22 at half before stretching its lead in the third. The Lions opened the quarter with a 7-0 run, including a steal and a transition layup by Wright to lead 31-22.
Peters Township was back within two points after answering with its own 8-1 run. But South Fayette finished the third quarter with eight consecutive points – all on layups – and carried that momentum into the fourth.
South Fayette led 40-30 after three.
“I think we gave up more uncontested layups,” Limberiou said. “I don’t think they had as many of them in the first game. … More of our turnovers led to fastbreaks for them.”
Wetzel, a 6-foot-3 senior and Miami (Fla.) recruit, was again a focus for South Fayette’s defense. She averaged 19.8 points in the regular season and scored 13 in the WPIAL finals.
South Fayette’s Juliette Leroux, a 5-11 junior, was often tasked with defending Wetzel, who went 4 for 14 shooting.
“(Leroux) doesn’t get credit enough,” Bennett said. “She has multiple Division I offers. … It’s not like we were short-handed against Peters Township.”
With a 10-point lead, South Fayette was content with consuming as much of the clock as possible in the fourth quarter. Eight of South Fayette’s 10 points in the fourth came at the foul line.
“In playoff basketball, when you’re down by double digits in the second half, it’s hard to get the ball back, unfortunately,” Limberiou said. “That’s nothing against South Fayette. It’s not like they’re not playing within the rules.”
Bennett said his hopes were to open lanes into the paint by extending the length of their possessions. They instead made one basket and went 8 for 12 from the foul line in the fourth.
“It wasn’t really a stall just to stall,” Bennett said. “We were hoping to get some direct-line drives to the basket. It just happened that we held it a little longer than we expected.”
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Peters Township, South Fayette
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