Sophomore lifts Gateway
Williams heeds coach’s challenge, takes over game in fourth quarter
Gateway coach Curtis Williams lit a fire under Lexi Jackson, just as Chartiers Valley went cold. As a result, the No. 7 seed Gators are headed to a WPIAL championship as one of the hottest teamsaround.
Jackson scored 15 points, Mary Kromka added 12 and Gateway rallied past No. 6 seed Chartiers Valley, 44-42, in a Class 5A semifinal Wednesday night at Baldwin High School. Stuck on seven points after the third quarter, Jackson, a 6-foot-3 sophomore center, dominated in the fourth, scoring five consecutive points to tie the score at 37 with 5:17 left after Gateway had trailed the entire second half until then.
“I challenged her at the end of the third quarter,” said Williams, in his third season at Gateway. “I told
Class 5A girls
her we’re not gonna win this game unless you decide that we’re gonna win. You need to make a conscious decision that we’re gonna win this game. Quit being nervous and just play basketball.”
She responded in a big way, helping the Gators win their 14th game in a row and reach their first WPIAL title game since the 1982 team lost in the Class 3A final. Gateway (22-3) went ahead, 41-39, on an inside basket from Jackson midway through the fourth and never lost the lead.
Chartiers Valley (18-7) had won 10 in a row and held a 24-21 edge at halftime, but couldn’t hit a 3-pointer in the final frame until Megan McConnell drilled one to make it 43-42 with 1:50 remaining. By then, Jackson’s damage in the paint was done.
“I was just thinking about size difference and how I could dominate in the post,” she said.
Trailing, 43-42, Chartiers Valley fouled Gateway point guard Jordan Edwards with 20.7 seconds left to send her to the free-throw line for a one-and-one. Problem was, standout junior Mackenzie Wagner fouled out on the play. Edwards made the first but missed the second, and the rebound went out of boundsto the Colts.
The Gators had two fouls to give, the first coming against McConnell as she raced upcourt with 14.9 seconds to go. Lauren Wagner was then fouled before trying to score on the left block, but it was called on the floor. Chartiers Valley got the ball to Alexandra Farrella in the key, but her short shot bounced and rimmed out with two seconds left, and Gateway corralled the reboundas time expired.
Lauren Wagner scored 13 points and McConnell added 11 to lead the Colts.
Other semifinal
OaklandCatholic earned a spot in the title game with a 48-44 victory against Mars at NorthHills.
“We talked a lot at the end of the regular season about a clean slate,” said Shannon Kearney, coach of the eighthseededEagles. “You just have to make the playoffs. From there you just never know whatcan happen.”
What happened to Oakland Catholic (19-6) was the Eagles had a stellar first half, so-so second half, but enough to win in the end. Mars came back from a 34-20 halftime deficit and tied the score, 3838, on Lauren Waslyson’s 3pointerwith 38 seconds left in the third quarter. But Oakland Catholic scored the first five points of the fourth quarter and Mars couldn’t recover.
Junior guard Jayde Boyd had 16 points for Oakland Catholic and sophomore forwardCierra Christian 15. For Mars (19-6), sophomore forward Bella Pelaia had 13 points.