Strong start vaults Bishop Canevin girls past Mohawk in Class 3A semifinals

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 | 10:51 PM

The Bishop Canevin girls basketball team will have a chance to defend its crown.

The reigning WPIAL Class 3A champion will return to the Petersen Events Center as it topped No. 4 Mohawk, 47-30, in the semifinals Wednesday at Moon.

“Our kids are warriors,” Bishop Canevin coach Scott Dibble said. “We have been down this road before. We are going for a three-peat now, and they are excited for the opportunity.”

The No. 1 Crusaders (19-4) are set to face East Allegheny at 11 a.m. Saturday. It is the fourth straight trip to the WPIAL title game for Bishop Canevin.

The Crusaders stormed out to a 20-3 lead late in the first quarter as their defense forced six turnovers. Shamijha Price and Lauren Gamble combined for 16 points over the first eight minutes.

Mohawk mounted a comeback in the second quarter. Trailing by 17 to start the frame, the Mohawk defense forced four turnovers and held Bishop Canevin scoreless until there was 2 minutes, 9 seconds to play in the half.

The spirited performance on defense allowed the offense to jell as it put together a 12-0 run. The comeback was sparked by Carlee Stelter, who had nine points including a pair of 3-pointers.

Bishop Canevin's lead shrunk to 31-23 by halftime.

“We played the same defense in both quarters,” Mohawk coach Mike O'Lare said. “We just didn't turn the ball over. In the first quarter, we turned the ball over a lot. In the second quarter, we took care of the ball, got some shots and were able to get back and get in our defense.”

The pace of the game took a drastic turn in the third quarter. Both defenses stepped up as the Crusaders outscored the Warriors, 4-1.

“We got a big lead, and we talked about valuing every position,” Dibble said. “We wanted to be very selective. (The Warriors) would get in their zone and take away a lot of things we wanted to do. They were well prepared.”

Mohawk had chances to cut the deficit in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors committed 10 turnovers and went scoreless for nearly six minutes.

“Fortunately, they were in the double bonus late, and we had a bunch of free throws,” Dibble said. “That kind of put them away. It was a great effort by our kids.”

Price led the Crusaders with 14 points. Gamble and Bri Allen each finished with 11. Stelter finished with 10 points for the Warriors.

Mohawk's loss snapped a 12-game winning streak. The Warriors (19-5) will look to get back to their winning ways as they advance to the PIAA tournament.

“This isn't the end of the season,” O'Lare said. “There are teaching moments. We can't go back and replay the first quarter. The game is over. I was proud of their effort and thought we battled the entire way.”

Nathan Smith is a freelance writer.

Tags: Bishop Canevin, Mohawk