Everything went wrong for Trinity against CV
Emily and Kaylin Venick
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Emily and Kaylin Venick attempt to keep a stiff upper lip after receiving their silver medals for the second year in a row. Trinity lost to 62-40 to Chartiers Valley in the WPIAL Class 5A championship game.
Courtney Dahlquist receives a hug from Trinity coach Kathy McConnell-Miller during the medal ceremony after the Hillers dropped a 62-40 decision to Chartiers Valley in the WPIAL Class 5A girls' basketball championship game.
Ashley Durig is fouled by Abby Vaites as she attempts to score a basket for Trinity.
Kaylin Venick reacts as the buzzer sounds and Trinity falls victim to Chartiers Valley, 62-40, for the second year in a row in the WPIAL championship girls' basketball game.
Eden Williamson puts a shot up while heavily defended by Chartiers Valley.
Trinity's Alyssa Clutter wrests a rebound from Hallie Cowan and Abby Vaites.
Courtney Dahlquist (13) battles Aislin Malcolm from Chartiers Valley for the loose ball.
Courtney Dahlquist (13) battles Helene Cowan from Chartiers Valley for the rebound.
McMURRAY – So much has changed since last year’s WPIAL championships.
When Chartiers Valley beat Trinity in the 2020 Class 5A girls title game at the Peterson Events Center, COVID-19 existed, but had yet to take over the world.
Nobody had to wear a mask. Sports venues could fill as many as the structures would allow.
Now, masks are everywhere.
The venues can only be filled to limited capacity, and Tim McConnell’s Colts, after winning a state-record 64 straight games, lost three of them, the first one being to Trinity back in January.
Ah, but some things stay the same.
For the third straight year, and for the ninth time overall between boys and girls basketball, Tim McConnell’s team got it done in the district championship game. The Colts got the best of Kathy McConnell-Miller’s Hillers and did so in convincing fashion in 62-40 romp.
Aislin Malcolm, Chartiers Valley’s leading scorer who had just nine points in the first Trinity matchup, scored 19, and Perri Page was right behind with 18. Hallie and Helene Cowan did the rest of the scoring, with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
In a season where just about everything has gone right for Trinity (21-2), almost everything went wrong in its most important game. As a result, the Hillers are still searching for their first WPIAL title. In most years, Trinity would still be able to compete in the state tournament, but in 2021, only district champions can compete for a state title.
Trinity fell behind 20-5 in the first quarter, and never got closer than eight points the rest of the way. Kaylin Venick and Alyssa Clutter each scored in double figures, with 15 and 10 points respectively, but the rest of the team combined for just 15.
Courtney Dahlquist, Trinity’s top offensive threat, managed just four points, and didn’t score her first field goal until there was 1:42 left in the third quarter.
“She was a focus tonight,” McConnell said. “We left her that first game and she made wide-open three-pointers. She’s been making four or five threes a game since then. Perri Page did a phenomenal job or guarding her.”
Dahlquist had 19 points when the Hillers beat the Colts in January and keeping her in check was one of many things Char Valley did well the second time around.
“They obviously played an exceptional game,” McConnell-Miller said. “They’re a great team, and they continue to grow. They’ve improved since the last time we saw them.”
Although McConnell saw the first lost to Trinity as a learning experience, avenging that setback wasn’t a point of emphasis in the build-up to the championship game.
All that mattered was a first-place medal.
“We never talked about revenge,” McConnell said. “It was all about winning a WPIAL championship.”
It was the last ride for Trinity’s five seniors, four of which were regular starters. The class started their high school careers under Bob Miles, and played their upperclassman years for McConnell-Miller, who took over in 2019. Replacing that group will not be easy.
“They bring a work ethic and determination that I just don’t see in girls that age,” McConnell-Miller said. “So to really watch that unfold and to sit back and just evaluate just how hard they work and the intensity, it’s something special. They are a very special group, and I just told them how proud we are of them. As a coaching staff, we’re blessed to be a part of that journey.”
Char Valley, on the other hand, doesn’t have a single senior on its roster. A second state title for McConnell might be imminent and a 10th district championship could soon follow. No matter how many times his teams win, McConnell never gets tired of WPIAL gold.
“I know it wasn’t at (The Peterson Events Center), or the (A.J.) Palumbo Center or Robert Morris, but it never gets old,” he said.