South Fayette tops Mars to clinch 4th straight trip to WPIAL finals
MT. LEBANON – If Cierra Rexrode and Alexa Ankrum were told as freshmen that they’d be part of a team that went to four consecutive WPIAL girls basketball finals, they wouldn’t have believed it.
Fast forward to the present and as the only two seniors for South Fayette, they found the notion much more plausible.
Now it’s a reality.
They’ll have an opportunity to leave high school with four WPIAL gold medals.
Top-seeded South Fayette advanced to its fourth straight WPIAL Class 5A championship with a 67-32 victory over No. 13 Mars Saturday at Mt. Lebanon High School.
“I don’t think we ever accepted that we weren’t going to go back,” Rexrode said. “Just based on all the hard work we’ve put into the season and the years before this.”
The three-time defending champion Lions (24-1) will face No. 2 Peters Township in the finals, 7 p.m. Friday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center. Mars (15-10) will play Thomas Jefferson in the third-place consolation game before continuing into the state tournament.
The Lions swept Mars in Class 5A, Section 3 play. They won comfortably in both, winning 70-25 the first time and 77-41 in the second meeting.
Any worries the third matchup would be any different, were put to bed early.
Vita Vargo hit a runner on the Fightin’ Planets’ first possession and then they didn’t score again until Grace Zatezalo made two free throws at the 4:33 mark of the second quarter.
In between the Lions went on a 27-0 run, including 19 straight points to end the first quarter, which gave them a 21-2 lead.
“We talked about it, because I didn’t think we were focused for our first playoff game,” South Fayette coach Bryan Bennett said of a potential letdown. “You can look at the score (of the first playoff game), but we didn’t play to a standard that we’re capable of playing. The kids refocused for the Baldwin game and that same level of focus was there (Saturday). I talked to our captains. We have great leadership and they told me to not worry and that we’d be fine.”
Lailah Wright scored 14 of her game-high 16 points in the first half. Ryan Oldaker had 14 points and Juliette Leroux scored 10.
Wright found Leroux with a pass inside for a layup on South Fayette’s first possession of the third quarter, which put the game into mercy rule.
The starters got to enjoy a rest for most of the fourth quarter because of the Lions’ substantial lead.
All three of the double-digit scorers are underclassmen as well as another starter, Haylie Lamonde
“When we came into high school, we were with Division I players like Maddie (Webber) and Ava (Leroux) and it’s really cool to have a junior class with this much talent,” Rexrode said. “We know when we’re gone, they’re going to continue to push the team and hold everyone accountable.”
Ankrum finished with eight points off the bench, including a pair of three-pointers. Once a member of the scout team, she’s established a role with the Lions and is excited to step on the floor at the “Pete” again.
“We would come in as freshmen and film varsity games and it’s so crazy that we’re at the top now,” Ankrum said. “Now we’re teaching the young freshmen how to make it back their next three years.”