Williamson, C-H deal Brentwood first loss
HOUSTON – Zealous coaches and fans lined both sides of Chartiers-Houston High School’s gym Monday night with what seemed to be a lot on the line for a mid-December girls basketball game.
Boisterous yelling and arguing intertwined with intense coaching could only mean one thing – the early stages of section play involving two very good teams.
What the fans couldn’t control was the gritty, unmatched performance from Chartiers-Houston forward Alexa Williamson, which was enough to put away previously undefeated Brentwood, 52-36.
A 6-1 sophomore, Williamson continued her excellent start to the season with 18 points – most coming with a black eye after taking an accidental fist to the face, and a banged-up knee, the result of fighting for one of her 16 rebounds.
“I’m a little sore,” said Williamson. “Not many people can usually outjump me and that’s why I’m successful. I just have to play through (injuries).”
The Bucs (2-0, 4-1) carried the pace of play by getting to the free-throw line 34 times after Brentwood got in foul trouble early.
“We have a little more continuity and a deeper bench this year,” said Brentwood head coach Rachel Thomas. “We were ready for the intensity, but we got in foul trouble early and that didn’t help us out much.”
That intensity carried over to Thomas who picked up a technical foul at 4:18 of the second quarter during a 10-point run capped off by two layups by Bucs guard Jules Vulcano.
Any chance Brentwood (0-1, 3-1) had coming out of halftime was erased after six straight points from Williamson during a 9-3 run that put Chartiers-Houston up 40-24 in the middle of the third quarter.
“Last year, we were really young,” said Chartiers-Houston head coach Laura Montecalvo. “In bigger games that came with a lot of pressure, we had a lot of anxiety. Now that we experienced the playoffs last season, it gave us something to draw upon.”
Despite high expectations coming into the season, which resulted in an season-opening opening loss to Brownsville, Montecalvo sees the differences in her team.
“Our first game, we didn’t look good as a unit,” she said. “Our chemistry has definitely come together. Defense is how we were able to hold together tonight because we had some struggles offensively.”
The Bucs made only 39 percent of their free throws and missed several layups in the 16-point victory, but were able to pick up important victories in their first two chances in Section 3-AA.
“Section wins mean everything, but we do have a really tough section,” said Montecalvo. “Every single night we have to come with our A-game and come ready to play. If we aren’t able to convert our free throws, then we won’t get away with it like we did tonight.”
Vulcano finished with 11 points and Jala Walker had 10 for C-H.
Brentwood did not have a player score in double figures.