Slow start haunts TJ in semifinal loss
By ASHLEY CHASE
MVI Sports
A blistering hot start by Chartiers Valley was too much for Thomas Jefferson to overcome as the Jaguars quest for a WPIAL 5A girls basketball title fell short 65-43 Wednesday night at Mt. Lebanon High School.
The Colts raced ahead 19-0 without Duquesne-bound senior Megan McConnell scoring a single point.
Senior Alyssa DeAngelo sunk a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left in the first to finally put the Jaguars on the board.
“They came out and knocked down shots and we had some open looks and didn’t. When you get down by double digits against a team with that type of talent, it’s hard to come back,” said Jaguars head coach Lisa Fairman.
“We just had to settle them down,” said Fairman, of her message to the team after the first.
“I told them to relax and start shooting with confidence and play their game. They know that they can hang with them. Tonight, we just fell short on the scoreboard, but we never fall short on our heart, our drive and our competitiveness.”
Thomas Jefferson (18-7) wouldn’t go down without a fight. The Jaguars went on a 9-2 run to open the second quarter, eventually cutting the Colts (24-0) lead to single digits. DeAngelo hit the first field goal of the game for the Jags in the first 10 seconds of the second.
The Jaguars hit three 3-pointers as part of a 12-4 run to pull within nine points, with treys from DeAngelo, Graci Fairman and Julia Berberich.
“Rebounding and transition were a big thing. We gave them a lot of second-chance opportunities in the first that we didn’t give them in the second. Change of pace really helped us,” said Fairman.
Despite outscoring Chartiers Valley, 15-13, in the second, the Jaguars trailed 32-17 at the half.
The teams were even at 12-12 in the third, but the Jaguars couldn’t get stops they needed to work close to even.
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