Winchester Thurston puts end to C-H’s big season
By Dave Whipkey
Contributing writer
HOUSTON – There was a packed house Monday night at Chartiers-Houston High School anticipating a playoff win for the home-standing Buccaneers boys basketball team.
Unfortunately for them, the 10th-seeded Winchester Thurston Bears spoiled the evening and took home a 56-42 win over the seventh-seeded Bucs, ending the hosts season at 18-5 while the Bears (16-7) advance to a Thursday night date with second-seeded Sewickley Academy.
As for Chartiers-Houston, their season ends, but not before winning a share of their conference crown, which will serve as a building block to come for coach Rich Tranquill’s youthful team.
“We have only one senior,” Tranquill noted. “The atmosphere here tonight was awesome. It’s a testament to what we are building here. We have a good young group and will be back.”
Sophomore guard Wes Yeater led all scorers with 18 points for the Bucs. Freshman forward Ethan Farnham came off the bench to provide stability inside while scoring nine points.
The Bears’ offense had a little more balance as they were led by Mike Hammerling’s 16 points, most of which came from drives into the lane. Anthony Pipkin came alive in the second half as he scored all of his 15 points after halftime.
Winchester Thurston began to get to its game by getting out in transition and getting easy baskets. Pipkin was the benefactor as he scored eight points in the frame.
The Bears lead ballooned to 42-30 late in the third before Noah Doyle made an off-balance three to cut their deficit to nine going into the final quarter.
Chartiers-Houston cut it to 42-40 by virtue of a 10-0 run that spanned the end of the third and into the early phase of the fourth quarter. A Yeater steal and basket served as the final punch in the run that forced a Bears timeout with 5:43 to go. But the Bears simply shrugged and went to work, sealing the game with a 14-2 run. Pipkin was the main cog in the final push as he went five for six from the foul line to push the Bears across the finish line.
“I thought we did a better job in the second half getting into our offense,” Tranquill said. “I’m proud of our guys on how they battled tonight and all year.”
The first quarter saw the two squads engaged in a back-and-forth affair as the Buccaneers took a 12-11 advantage into the second stanza. Yeater kept the Bucs afloat with eight points in the first quarter, two of those field goals were from behind the three-point stripe, giving the home fans a reason to cheer.
Winchester Thurston came out smoking in the second frame as the Bears went on an 8-0 run to take control. Hammering and Bullock scored 10 and nine points respectively as the visitors lurched out to a 28-22 halftime lead.
The Bears’ shape-shifting zone defense seemed to give Chartiers-Houston fits as the first half wore on, creating numerous turnovers and forcing bad shots. Threes by Yeater and Doyle along with four points off the bench in the quarter by Farnham kept the hosts within shouting distance as the second quarter melted into halftime.