By:
Sunday, December 22, 2024, TRIB-LIVE
The Fox Chapel girls basketball team outlasted Kiski Area, 44-39, in a game that featured nine lead changes to kick off the Pittsburgh Holiday Classic on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena.
Down 26-18, the Cavaliers went on a 15-6 run to retake the lead early in the fourth quarter 33-32.
Nonetheless, Fox Chapel senior Natalia Schaffer’s 25 points put the Foxes past the Cavaliers.
After Rikiya Garcia made a layup on a dime from Gianna DeVito to give Kiski Area a 33-32 lead in the fourth, Bailey Sacco responded with a layup making it 34-33. DeVito went right down the floor and took the lead right back 35-34.
The ninth lead change of the game came off of a layup from Schaffer, making it 36-35 Foxes. After a key stop with less than five minutes to play, Emily McKee extended the lead to 38-35. Fox Chapel’s Bella Urso went 1 for 2 from the free-throw line to make it 39-35 with a little more than three minutes to play.
The Foxes’ small-ball lineup came up in the clutch, putting a lot of pressure on the Cavaliers. The ninth lead change was the final one as the Foxes held off the Cavaliers, getting a key stop when up 41-39.
“They’re resilient, they’re adaptable and they understood that,” Foxes coach Marty Matvey said. “We treated this like a playoff game for us. We missed the playoffs by three games in two years. Our seniors have been through a lot, and they wanted this game on this stage because 99% of kids won’t get to play in this opportunity. They just wanted to finish it and do it the right way, and I couldn’t be more proud of that.”
Schaffer led the charge, notching a double-double.
“She does everything so simply,” Matvey said. “She makes it look so effortless. It’s just not a surprise that she gets those points. To me, the most impressive thing about Natalia has been her leadership and the fact that she’s been playing out of position for us all year. She’s a shooting guard. She has a great shot. She’s playing inside for us. … I’m just so grateful to have such a great senior leader like that. She sets the tone, and I’m just glad that she’s getting the recognition that she deserves.”
Added Schaffer, who had a 13-point first half: “There was a little bit of pressure going into the game, but I think once we got out there, I just kept going. It just was kind of natural, and I just kept it coming.”
Urso was another senior leading the charge. She had 13 points, including 10 in the first half. Urso and Schaffer notched the Foxes’ first 23 points.
“A lot of my teammates helped set me up for success,” Urso said. “It’s hard to get open, but they helped get us up and give me the ball. Lots of rebounds from Natalia really helped.”
Kiski Area continued to battle back. Maddie Joyce made a layup to cut it to 39-37. Nevertheless, Schaffer earned her way to the free-throw line, making both attempts with two minutes left.
Kiski Area’s Ali Pencak scored to make it 41-39 with 1 minutes, 50 seconds left.
Urso was fouled with less than a minute left. She converted one free throw, making it 42-39.
Garcia made it to the line but missed both free throws with 25 seconds left. Schaffer made 1 of 2 free throws. After a missed layup from Joyce, Urso made one more free throw for a 44-39 win.
Matvey was amazed at his team’s defense to close out the game and its efforts to hold Kiski Area to five points in the second quarter.
“Emily McKee did a great job coming off the bench,” Matvey said. “Defensively, Ella Shevchuk, Bailey Sacco, a freshman, made some big plays when we were a little stagnant. Lyla Jablon made some big plays. That lineup, I call it the death lineup because it’s everyone under 5-8 , but they’re all fast and they call pressure to the heck out of the ball … They did a good job pressuring, and I was really proud of our defense.”
As for the Cavaliers, Joyce tallied 12 points, and DeVito had 11.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with five lead changes. Schaffer tallied seven points, and Urso notched six points in the first quarter. Kiski Area and Fox Chapel ended the first tied 13-13.
Schaffer (six points) and Urso (four) continued their scoring runs in the second quarter. DeVito scored seven first-half points, and the Cavaliers stuck in there, trailing 23-18 at halftime.
Jablon hit a 3-pointer for a 26-18 lead to start the third quarter. Nonetheless, Kiski Area’s offense surged behind the efforts of Joyce, who scored seven points on a 13-6 run to cut it to 32-31 going into the fourth. The Cavs defense held Urso scoreless in the third.
The Foxes outscored Kiski Area, 12-8, in the fourth quarter to take home the win.
“We needed that win,” Schaffer said. “It’s great. Right before Christmas, too.”
Although Urso said it was nerve-wracking, she was glad to win it as a senior in front of her family at PPG Paints Arena.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Urso said. “Family and friends came out and watched us play down in the city. It was a good time.”