Turnaround is complete for Clairton girls
By DEAN DELLAMALVA JR.
MVI Sports
It has been five years since the Clairton girls basketball team hit rock bottom. The 2015-16 hoops season saw the Bears go 0-22, ending a three-year stretch with just one section win and four overall.
The arrival of head coach Carlton Wade in 2016 brought a seven-win season. Add seven more in 2017-18, 16 in 2018-19 and 20 last season. The Bears (20-5, 9-1) made a trip to the WPIAL semifinals, where they fell to eventual WPIAL champion Rochester. They qualified for the PIAA playoffs for the first time in 16 years, but lost to Blacklick Valley in the first round.
Being co-champions of Section 3-A with Greensburg Central Catholic was a far cry from where anyone thought the Bears would be. However, Clairton players were determined to succeed.
“We were not expected to win at Clairton, especially our girls team,” Wade said. “We haven’t won for so long, (the team) bought into what we were doing and played together. It was a great year for the team.”
A big reason for the Bears’ success in recent years was 1,000-point scorer Iyanna Chapman, who graduated and took her 16 points per game average with her. Chapman’s departure leaves a huge void in the Clairton starting lineup.
“Losing Chapman will really hurt us,” Wade said. “She did everything for us; leading scorer, leading rebounder, it is going to be tough to replace her leadership.”
However, the Bears’ cupboard is not empty. Chapman was the only senior on the roster, so there are several players returning with playing experience.
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