Havelka, Burgettstown dominate, take over 2nd place in section
By Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown’s Avery Havelka goes in for a layup during Thursday’s Class 2A Section 3 game against Chartiers-Houston.
By Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter
Emily Prasko of Burgettstown releases a floating shot while drawing contact from Chartiers-Houston’s Zamierah Edwards during a Class 2A Section 3 game Thursday night.
By Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown’s Avery Havelka, front, and Emily Prasko defend Chartiers-Houston’s Dominique Mortimer during the first half of Tuesday’s section game.
By Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter
Burgettstown’s Avery Havelka tries to run down an intended pass to her in the first half of a Class 2A Section 3 game against Chartiers-Houston Thursday night.
HOUSTON – Avery Havelka put her head down and went on a full-court sprint.
Caught behind the play after a Burgettstown turnover by a teammate at the top of the key, the Blue Devils’ guard raced back to break up what would have been an easy layup for Chartiers-Houston.
Already with a game-high 17 points, Havelka put her hands on her head, in disbelief over the foul that was called on her, and looked up at the scoreboard.
The Burgettstown girls basketball team was up by more than 30 points with less than 30 seconds left in regulation. There was no letting up on this night by the Blue Devils.
A nonstop effort from start to finish from Havelka and the rest of the Blue Devils made all the difference Thursday night. Using suffocating defense from start to finish, Burgettstown handily defeated Chartiers-Houston, 55-23, in a battle of teams fighting for second place in Class 2A Section 3.
“That’s something we stress before every game,” Burgettstown coach Megan Zitner said. “I tell them that hustle and effort is the only thing we can control. That can make the difference.”
It certainly did on this night, keeping Burgettstown (4-1, 9-4) one game back and within striking distance of section leader Bishop Canevin. Chartiers-Houston (3-2, 6-6) drops to third place. Both teams have played the Crusaders tough, most recently C-H, which lost by four points earlier this week.
“Our overall effort was so much better Monday,” said C-H coach Laura Montecalvo. “We really wanted it. I saw belief in themselves and each other. Tonight, we looked like deer in headlights.”
Burgettstown made the Bucs look rattled from the start, turning to its pressure defense to score the first 10 points of the game.
Every defense the Blue Devils turned to gave C-H a headache. After a three-pointer by Emma Smith with 1:28 left in the first quarter, the Bucs failed to score another point until Kaydan Buckingham made a jumper at the 4:43 mark of the third quarter.
The 21-0 run for Burgettstown that lasted over 12 minutes extended its 12-5 lead to 33-5.
“Playing good defense really impacts our entire game,” Havelka said. “All we’ve been talking about is getting back to the playoffs, being second or first in the section. We hope we get there. That’s what we’re working for.”
The Blue Devils entered the night with the fewest points per game allowed in Class 2A (31.3), a number they improved with their suffocating defense.
“We have been young the past few years so it’s finally nice to feel like we have a veteran team,” Zitner said. “Some of these defenses we’ve been doing for years and others we’ve just added this year. We just have to be aggressive.”
Zalayah Edwards was the highest scorer for C-H, finishing with eight points.
Maddy Kozares and Celeste DiVecchio each scored 10 points to balance the offense for Burgettstown.
“Some teams have a girl that averages 20-some points per game. We don’t have that,” Zitner said. “But we are lucky to have five or six girls who are averaging (six to 11 points). It’s pretty balanced. We have several people who can make a difference on any given night. You never know who is going to step up.”