For the second year in a row, the Chartiers Valley girls basketball team saw its season come to an end at the hands of Baldwin in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.
A year after a veteran Colts team gave the Highlanders all they could handle in a 73-72 first-round loss, this year’s younger and less experienced Colts team once again suffered an early defeat, losing 52-37 to Baldwin in the opening round Feb. 13.
For a lot of the Chartiers Valley players, it was their first playoff game. The message going into the Baldwin game was to have good possessions, good ball control and not give up easy buckets off turnovers.
“We’ve struggled with Baldwin because they’re a high-energy team that gets you into a frantic pace, do a good job of speeding you up,” said Colts coach Mike Semplice prior to the playoff game. “You can’t give them a lot of turnovers and free possessions. It’s about being relaxed in the moment and trying to maintain composure.”
Even with the playoff loss, the season was looked upon as a success for a team that had only two seniors on the roster and went through a season of growth and learning.
Chartiers Valley (8-15, 7-5) experienced adversity right out of the gate in 2025-26.
The Colts played a tough nonsection schedule, squaring off with nine teams that would eventually make the playoffs.
The season opened with consecutive games against four of those teams: Canon-McMillan, Thomas Jefferson, Mt. Lebanon and Pine-Richland.
Other future playoff teams the Colts played were Quaker Valley, Trinity, Peters Township and North Allegheny. The Colts went 1-8 against those playoff teams.
“Despite losing those games, I could see that we were playing well in situational basketball,” said Semplice. “We were getting better possessions, better looks and the girls were making, for the most part, the right decisions.”
At the end of that opening four-game stretch, the Colts lost sophomore forward Alyssa Davis to an ankle injury. She averaged 15 points per game to lead the team.
During Davis’ absence, the Colts suffered growing pains as they tried multiple players at different positions. Players saw more playing time and got more reps than usual.
“Alyssa brought a sense of calm to the team with her size, play and athleticism,” said Semplice. “We looked a little frantic and too fast at times. We struggled to get good possessions or good looks. It put a lot of pressure on our guards to play with a little more poise and a sense of the situation and controlling the ball. I felt like it helped them grow a lot.”
The Colts dropped three of their next four games, with the only win being a 36-34 victory against Montour in that stretch.
Davis returned in the next game against Upper St. Clair, and the message to the girls was to remain gritty, be tough and respond positively in the face of adversity.
That helped the Colts get out of their funk as they went 4-4 in their next eight games, securing section wins against Montour, Moon and New Castle.
Chartiers Valley also closed out its tough nonsection slate in that time with a hard-fought 46-45 overtime win against North Allegheny.
The Colts struggled with a lack of positional size, and teams took advantage of that. But defensively, the Colts were scrappy and competitive all year. They followed that defensive game plan in their wins.
“If you look at all those games, our goal is always to try and keep people under 45 points,” said Semplice. “We always felt if we keep it under that number, we have a pretty good chance of winning.”
The Colts scored an average of 41.5 points per game and held opponents to 46.6 points, which showed that despite their offensive struggles, Chartiers Valley was going to give its opponents a fight no matter what.
Playing through the section slate for the second time, the Colts finished 4-3. Playing well and getting wins was something Semplice said the team needed to do in order to have a chance at a playoff spot.
What the team improved on the most as the season went along was quality of possessions. The first couple of games, they were turning the ball over a lot by traveling, feeling hurried and throwing away passes
“I saw the team really start to gel around the halfway point of the season. We played South Garrett in Maryland and I was really impressed with how we played down there,” said Semplice. “We lost by eight, but I started to see the growth.
“Just visibly watching the games, it was super exciting for me. I was extremely proud of our girls because the growth was evident in their style of play and even games we lost in that stretch, they were all played the way we wanted them.”
Davis not only led the team in points, but was the Colts’ best player in all aspects of the game.
“She affected the stat sheet in every category — deflections, steals, rebounding and scoring,” said Semplice. “I couldn’t be prouder of her. She’s had an outstanding season.”
One major development for the Colts was the emergence of freshman point guard Mckenna Helfrick.
“She was a good player for us in terms of setting up the offense, helping to break pressure,” said Semplice. “She’s been really steady at that position, and I can’t be prouder of the way she played this year.”
Another freshman, Tenley O’Connor, came in off the bench and was a really solid sixth man because she brought a lot of energy, physicality and athleticism.
Of O’Connor, Semplice said: “She has a huge upside because she has a great burst, can get off the floor and is strong. She played against bigger, stronger girls, but gave them all she could.”
Upperclassmen like Alex Horr and Jenna Sexton did exactly what the team needed them to do from a playmaking standpoint in helping the team gather wins.
Added Semplice: “It didn’t always have to be from points. Just making the right play, getting the shooter a good look at the right time or winning possessions on a loose balls. I was impressed with a lot of them.”
Semplice viewed the season as a success as the Colts were able to achieve the major goal of making the playoffs. With how young the Colts are, optimism is high for the coming years.
“I think this group did a great job of always coming back ready to work and willing to grow after tough losses,” Semplice said. “I’ve been really proud of them as far as their ability to be coachable and trying to accomplish our goals.”