Freshman guard Cappelli points way in Trinity win
MCDONALD – Two of the best post players in Class AAA squared off Thursday night at South Fayette High School.
Trinity junior center Mary Dunn (6-3) and Lions junior center Emily Anderson (6-4) traded baskets, rebounds and blocked shots throughout 32 minutes of basketball, but it was a little-known freshman who brought the Hillers’ fans to their feet and swung momentum in their favor.
Trinity freshman point guard Alayna Cappelli scored a game-high 19 points and led the Hillers’ to a come-from-behind 57-54 victory in a Section 5-AAA game.
“They were giving me my left-handed side,” Cappelli said. “They must have thought I was weak there, but coach told me before the game to not be afraid to drive. He just said to be confident and take it in strong.”
With the Lions focused on stopping the combination of Dunn and sophomore shooting guard Sierra Kotchman, Cappelli sank nine free throws, including two decisive baskets with 40.6 seconds remaining, and made two three-pointers to lift the Hillers (2-1, 5-1) when their offense struggled to create open shots.
“She really stepped up for a freshman,” Trinity head coach Bob Miles said. “We didn’t play great defense as a team, but she played well defensively. It was a big game for her and we needed it.”
After holding a four-point lead at halftime, Trinity scored the first four points in the third quarter before the Lions (0-2, 3-2) shifted to an aggressive defensive style. South Fayette forced seven turnovers and went on a 14-0 run to take a 42-36 lead late in the quarter.
Sophomore guard Carlee Kilgus, who scored 18 points, led the offensive surge with seven points. With Anderson clearing the lane, the shifty underclassmen drove to the basket to draw fouls and earn easy points.
Behind Dunn, who scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, the Hillers stormed back to within one point with 6:20 remaining. The Lions quickly answered with four unanswered points, but two foul shots by Dunn and a three-pointer by Cappelli tied the score, 50-50, with 3:57 left.
The Lions began to account for Cappelli, which opened the game up for Kotchman, who was held to five points. The sophomore drove to the basket for an easy layup and two-point lead with 3:10 remaining and sank a free throw with 6.2 seconds left to give the Hillers the three-point lead.
“If you would have told me that we would hold Kotchman to five points, I’d tell you we’d win,” South Fayette head coach Matt Bacco said bluntly. “They’re a very good basketball team. They’ve definitely gotten better the past few years.”
Sophomore Abbey O’Connor’s layup and Cappelli’s two foul shots gave the Hillers a 56-54 lead.
Cappelli admitted that the final minutes were a bit nerve-racking.
“Especially those foul shots,” Cappelli said with a smile. “Those were huge. You just have to concentrate and block out the crowd.”
Anderson, who looked every bit as dominant as Dunn, made a layup with 26 seconds left and the Lions forced a turnover on Trinity’s next possession, but Cappelli’s steal and Dunn’s blocked shot with 10 seconds remaining clinched the win.
Anderson finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots.
“She’s really tall and is a really good player,” Dunn said. “I think it’s the height that gave me problems. I’m used to playing against smaller players and she was strong, too. I’d much rather play against someone like that.”
The two teams were even through the first eight minutes, but a 9-3 run in the second quarter sparked by eight points from Cappelli, gave Trinity the lead at halftime.
With the game on the line in the final minutes, Miles kept things simple. After a run to the state playoffs a year ago and with his freshman point guard playing like beyond her years, he had no reason to not trust in his players.
“We didn’t run any sets. We just let the kids play,” Miles said. “They ran and did a nice job opening up some shots. Momentum was key in this game.”