Mar 1, 2016 5 min read

Finding a point guard can be a challenging task for any head coach. The position requires patience, composure and the ability to lead – three attributes Chartiers-Houston’s Jalynn Myers had a year ago, when she helped the Bucs reached the PIAA quarterfinals.

With Myers’ graduation, Chartiers-Houston was in need of a replacement to handle the pressure and expectations of returning four starters. Fortunately for head coach Laura Montecalvo, she already had a talented guard on the roster. The only trick was to teach junior Jala Walker how to play the position, which is perhaps the most specialized on the court.

There was a learning curve, but Walker had a pretty good mentor. Montecalvo, who was a standout point guard at Washington High School and California University, met with Walker four times a week during the summer and fall to work on her jump shot, ball handling and defensive positioning.

As the Bucs (18-8) prepare to face West Middlesex (24-1), the District 10 champion, Friday night at Farrell High School (6 p.m.) in the first round of the PIAA Class AA playoffs, Walker will be leading C-H’s attempt at another postseason run.

“The biggest challenge is handling pressure from other teams,” Walker said. “I’m basically the only point guard on the team and teams we play seem to know that, so they pressure more. It can be hard.”

Opponents would probably say the bigger challenge is stopping Walker, who has a quick first step and mixes a refined jump shot with the ability to cut through a zone defense. Chartiers-Houston has needed her scoring and leadership more than ever.

Sophomore forward Alexa Williamson, an Observer-Reporter first-team all-district selection last season, played in the Bucs’ first nine games – averaging 19.4 points per game – before tearing her ACL in a win over Farrell during a holiday tournament. When Williamson, who averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds per game as a freshman, had her season cut short, even more pressure was put on Walker.

She has handled it well. Walker is averaging 16.5 points per game and like Williamson a year ago, the 5-11 point guard has been integral part of C-H’s postseason success. She scored 11 of the Bucs’ 13 fourth-quarter points in a WPIAL first-round upset win over Wash High. When defenses strategize to stop the athletic three-year starter, Walker has the ability to find an open teammate while facing pressure from opposing guards.

“Jala has matured as a person and a player this year,” Montecalvo said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the progress she’s been able to make, even in the last two months since Alexa got hurt. She’s embraced the role of being the leader of the team and not only on the floor, but off the floor, too. She’s a scorer, but she’s also encouraging to her teammates and is loved by everybody, which is something you have to have if you want to be successful.”

Leadership is often measured in the face of adversity, which is where Chartiers-Houston found itself in January after losing back-to-back games to Brentwood and Wash High. That’s when Montecalvo challenged her players to either throw in the towel or find a way to make another playoff run.

The next game was against Bishop Canevin, which eliminated the Bucs in the PIAA quarterfinals last March. That’s when Walker scored 16 points to help the Bucs upset the Crusaders, instilling a sense of belief in not only C-H, but herself. Since that night in late January, Walker has created open looks for teammates, appears composed leading the Bucs down the floor and is rarely in foul trouble, thanks to those extra workouts with Montecalvo.

“When we lost Alexa, we weren’t used to it,” Walker said. “Everyone was getting the feeling of not having her there. Somebody had to step up and take over. I’m finally getting used to playing point guard and being a leader.”

The Bucs enter the state playoffs allowing just 36 ppg and have plenty of confidence knowing they are one of just three WPIAL teams to defeat Bishop Canevin, which won the Class A title at the Petersen Events Center last weekend.

Though West Middlesex, which has won 14 consecutive games, will enter Friday’s game as the overwhelming favorite, it will have to stop Walker to put an end to the Bucs’ postseason.

“She’s a kid who was willing to set aside a lot of time to work on her ball handling and to get it where it needed to be for her to be a successful point guard,” Montecalvo said. “She’s embraced the role and accepted the challenge of becoming a point guard, which isn’t an easy thing if you haven’t been one as a young player.”