Led by Julian Semplice, top-seeded Chartiers Valley used all its horsepower to rally from 12 points down with five minutes to play for a 69-66 victory over No. 9 Shaler in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals Friday night.
Semplice finished with 29 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Semplice scored 16 of his points in the last five minutes as Chartiers Valley ended the game on a 21-6 run.
“We were down 12 in the fourth quarter, but it’s our senior year,” Semplice said. “We’ve been playing together our whole lives. We weren’t going out like that. We were going to do whatever it took.”
Semplice was all over the court, grabbing rebounds, driving to the hole, drawing fouls, and most importantly, playing defense.
“That’s my guy,” Chartiers Valley’s Julius Best said. “I’ve known him since middle school. I’ve always known he’s a dog, and he proved it tonight. He’s a scorer, a leader — he’s everything for us.”
Down 60-48, Semplice led a 12-4 run, scoring all 12 of those points to cut it to 64-60.
With Shaler leading 64-63, Chartiers Valley’s Luca Federico blocked a Deron Nixon shot. Semplice grabbed the ball, went coast to coast and drew a foul, making both free throws to give the Colts their first lead of the game at 65-64 with 58 seconds to play.
“It takes a lot of perseverance,” Semplice said. “We were down basically the whole game, so when we finally went up by one, it felt amazing. We just fed off each other’s energy after that.”
He earned three steals in the fourth quarter.
Best, who finished with 11 points off the bench, notched a steal and layup to go up 67-64.
“I knew it was kind of a habit pass, so I just jumped it and went and got it,” Best said. “In a moment like that, you just react and make a play.”
“He’s the best sixth man in the WPIAL. Every game off the bench, he gives us a huge boost,” Semplice added. “Look at him tonight — he stepped up again. He’s done that for us all year.”
Semplice wasn’t the only one playing defense.
Federico added 15 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks, including the block that directly led to the Colts’ first lead.
“Luca is huge for us,” Semplice said. “He blocks shots, gets steals, can score at every level. He guards the rim so well.”
Best sees unlimited potential.
“He’s the best sophomore out there,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what he does by his senior year, but right now, he’s that guy.”
Danny Slizik posted eight points and seven rebounds.
Shaler had one more chance as Nixon made a layup with three seconds left, but Semplice iced it at the line as Chartiers Valley went on to win 69-66.
It was all Shaler to start as the Titans missed just two 3-pointers on seven attempts in the first quarter, making eight in the first half.
Nixon tallied 22 points and six rebounds. Trey Kostorick mustered 15 points with three 3s.
Zac London and Nick Perez added nine points each, combining for 15 rebounds.
Chartiers Valley switched defenses and pressured the ball, preventing the three-ball.
London missed a contested layup, grabbed his own miss and went up strong for an and-one layup to give Shaler a 58-48 lead. Jordan Epps drew a foul and made both free throws to extend it to 60-48.
That’s when Semplice went off. A layup, a 3 and then an inbound off a Shaler defender’s back for an and-one layup made it 62-56.
Semplice swiped another steal and layup to make it 62-58.
Kostorick extended the lead back to 64-58 on a layup.
Semplice made another layup after a timeout and the Colts forced a turnover. Slizik drew a foul and made one free throw to cut it to 64-61.
Federico forced a turnover and a layup to make it 64-63 with a little over two minutes to play.
That led to Federico’s block and Best’s timely steal.
Shaler coach Brandon Sensor loved what he saw from his team, taking it to Chartiers Valley with an opportunity to knock off the top seed.
“I’m very proud of them,” the former Colts coach said. “I told them in the locker room we’ve been preaching for two years about playing this way — playing together, playing hard, trusting each other — and they did that tonight. They did it Tuesday, too. I don’t have any complaints. I’m just proud of how hard they’re competing and what they’re doing.”
Shaler came out with confidence and emotion.
“We shot the ball really well in the first half, and I’ve been telling them all week to just have fun and enjoy the moment,” Sensor added. “Don’t play nervous — play confident. I thought they did that tonight. They didn’t play like an underdog. They played with belief, they played together, and it was a total team effort.”
Sensor has enjoyed coaching his seniors seeing them develop into men, but he wants to see how they do in a state playoff run.
“That’s what this is all about,” Sensor said. “When you talk to former players four, eight, even 10 years later and see the good things they’re doing in life, that’s what makes you proud. You hope basketball and being part of a team prepares them for that. These seniors are going to do great things. I wish we could’ve gotten it done tonight because I think they deserved it — they played hard — but we’re not finished. The season’s not over yet, and we’re going to keep working.”
For the Colts, they are one win away from making it back to the Petersen Events Center.
“We’re taking it one game at a time,” Best said. “That’s our focus. But we’re ready. We’ve prepared for this. We’ll see what happens.”