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Reserves help C-H stop Riverside

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Chartiers-Houston head coach Laura Montecalvo instructs her players Thursday during a stoppage in play against Riverside at Canon-McMillan High School.

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Chartiers-Houston’s Keaira Walker fights for the ball with Riverside’s Sydney Wolf Thursday at Canon-McMillan High School.

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Chartiers-Houston’s Julia Vulcano is defended Thursday by Riverside’s Morgan Bailey.

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Chartiers-Houston’s Jala Walker tries to drive past Riverside’s Bekah Bettencourt Thursday.

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Chartiers-Houston’s Jala Walker shoots Thursday over Riverside’s Bekah Bettencourt and Jordan Annarumo.

CANONSBURG – Though Alexa Williamson, Chartiers-Houston’s most dynamic player, has been on it since early in the season, and starters Jala Walker and Jules Vulcano were relegated to it for much of the second half Thursday, the bench helped keep the Bucs’ girls basketball season alive.

Madison Simpson and Cassidy Stollar combined for 23 points, reserves Jordan Simpson and Macy Mazutis each contributed key baskets and provided quality minutes in the second half, and Chartiers-Houston overcame foul trouble to defeat Riverside, 58-42, in the WPIAL Class AA seventh-place game at Canon-McMillan High School.

The win sends Chartiers-Houston (18-8) to the PIAA playoffs for the second consecutive season, which is quite the accomplishment considering the Bucs have played more than half the season without Williamson, a do-everything sophomore who is already drawing interest from Division I schools. Williamson suffered a season-ending knee injury in December.

“When we first lost Alexa, there was a lot of regrouping that needed to be done,” Chartiers-Houston second-year head coach Laura Montecalvo said. “What do we look like without our best player? We had some losses around Christmas because of it. … The one positive thing that came out of losing Alexa is it forced everybody to get better and contribute in ways they might not have if she was here.”

Walker filled some of the offensive responsibilities left vacant by Williamson’s absence. She scored seven first-half points against Riverside and helped the Bucs to a 27-16 lead. When she drew her fourth foul on a charging call with 4:26 left in the third quarter, Montecalvo had no choice but to take her out of the game. Moments later, Jules Vulcano followed Walker to the bench with four fouls.

When Walker exited, C-H was leading 31-23 and Riverside saw its opening. It was now-or-never for the Panthers, who scored five consecutive points and pulled to within 35-31.

“It’s so hard to play uphill and it’s compounded in the playoffs,” Riverside coach John Wolf said.

Four points was as close as Riverside would get. Keaira Walker, who played an outstanding game with seven points and a game-high 14 rebounds, opened the fourth quarter with a three-point play and Simpson followed with a layup that pushed C-H’s lead to double digits at 42-31.

Moments later, Simpson made a baseline jumper and Stollar stole a pass and drove for a layup that made it a 49-33 game, which had the Bucs thinking state tournament.

Stollar helped C-H build its first-half lead as she made three three-point field goals in the second quarter, including one to close the half.

“I have been telling our bench players all year that they are crucial to our success,” Montecalvo said. “People like Jordan Simpson and Macy Mazutis came off the bench and did a fabulous job.”

Mazutis provided instant offense in the fourth quarter, making two baskets in the final four minutes. With reserves logging key minutes in the fourth quarter, C-H scored 21 points.

Madison Simpson was C-H’s leading scorer with 12 points, including seven in the second half. Jala Walker finished with 11 points. The Bucs hammered Riverside on the boards, 45-21, and created many second-chance opportunities with offensive rebounding.

Riverside (20-6) fell short of the state tournament. The Panthers were without Katie Stang, the school’s all-time scoring leader. She suffered a knee injury during a quarterfinal game.

Though both teams were without their standout player, Wolf said C-H was at an advantage because of the timing of the Williamson and Stang injuries.

“They’ve had some time to play without their best player,” Wolf said. “Their players have grown into their roles while we’ve had only two practices without Katie. But, we can’t use that as an excuse.”

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