Lyla Jablon is tasked with doing much more than scoring for the Fox Chapel girls basketball team. The senior guard has been asked to try and set the tempo for a team with a young roster hoping to make a run at the playoffs in Section 1-5A.

Jablon hit the 1,000-point mark during the Foxes’ loss to Penn Hills on Jan. 16 on the road.

“She does a lot of things that don’t always show up in the box score, but matter so much,” Fox Chapel girls basketball coach Marty Matvey said. “Coming to the ball, settling us down, resetting the offense and setting the tone defensively. She’s our best on-ball and off-ball defender, and she plays with a grit and edge that our teams feed off of.”

Jablon recently committed to Case Western, where she will play basketball and pursue a degree in medicine.

Fox Chapel (9-8, 5-3) has found success this season while turning the program around behind high-pressure defense.

Jablon averages more than 14.0 points per game for the Foxes, who are tied for third place with Penn Hills.

Matvey said Jablon was happy to hit the milestone, but still has more work ahead.

“The scoring milestone is meaningful because it’s a testament to her work, but also to her teammates,” Matvey said. “You don’t get there alone. To score at that level, at that size, you need strength, toughness, relentlessness and persistence, all of that comes from the work she’s put in.”

Fox Chapel boys basketball has tough road ahead

In Section 1-6A, it seems that you are either in first place or tied for third. The Foxes are one game away from getting involved with the current four-team logjam for a playoff spot. Seneca Valley, Pine-Richland, Woodland Hills and Butler are all tied for third place with a 4-5 mark in section.

Fox Chapel is 3-6 with five section games left to play. The Foxes lost their rematches with the Raiders and Rams after beating them the first time. Fox Chapel’s second look at Woodland Hills will be played without Wolverines’ standout Scoop Smith.

Smith chose to enroll early at Miami (Ohio) to start prepping for football and won’t finish the season with the Wolverines.

In a 56-44 loss to Pine-Richland on Jan. 20, John Rehak had 17 points, and Grant Fenton added 10 for the Foxes. Eli Catalano and Grant Spacciapolli each had 19 points to lead the Rams, who held a 36-27 advantage in the second half.