No. 10 Monessen went into its WPIAL Class A girls basketball playoff game Feb. 16 at Sewickley Academy with high hopes, only to see its sails deflated by a strong defensive effort by the home team.
The seventh-seeded Panthers immediately jumped out to a 13-0 first-quarter advantage en route to a 64-41 win and a quarterfinal-round game Feb. 18 with No. 2 Serra Catholic (15-6).
“We came out strong in the first quarter,” Sewickley coach Rob Shazer said. “Throughout the first half, we continuously shared the ball, which we stress every day. It was fun to watch the girls execute what we have been working on.
“I thought the game was all-around competitive and fun to watch. It was a real team win. I’m proud of every one of them. It was also pretty cool that the community came out tonight and supported these girls. They’ve really earned it. The gym was packed and the atmosphere was electric. It was a great playoff win.”
Sewickley improved to 14-9 with its third straight victory and fifth in sixth games while the Greyhounds ended up 7-15 overall.
Sewickley is a young squad with six “feisty little freshmen” on its 11-player roster. Four of the freshmen were in the starting lineup against Monessen.
Guards Charlotte Morton and Nina Caputo and forwards Athena Ameredes and Mikeala Mbandi were joined by Grace Jardini, a junior guard/forward, to start the game.
And the Panthers’ first two reserves were Caralena Quisenberry and Alana Spencer, both freshman forwards.
“This season has been great on and off the court,” Morton said. “I was fortunate to have gotten the chance to get to know new teammates and coaches this year, who truly made the season an amazing experience. I’m excited to see how we progress as a team throughout the years to come.”
Sparked by the 5-foot-8 Morton, Sewickley held leads of 16-3 and 29-8 after the first and second quarters. Morton scored 13 first-half points including two triples.
“I think everyone came out with a lot of energy from the start,” Morton said. “We all played as a team and got everyone involved in the play, and I believe that really benefited us throughout the game, especially toward the end.
“It was a hard-fought game, and everyone gave everything they had for the team. I think if we keep up that same energy throughout the playoffs, we will make it far.”
The visitors were not able to score a point until the 1:50 mark of the initial stanza.
Caputo took over offensively after halftime with a 13-point spree on offense as the Panthers outscored the visitors 35-30 in the second half.
Four players ended up in double figures for Sewickley — led by the 6-foot Mbandi’s 16 points. Morton finished with 15, Caputo followed with 13 and Ameredes chipped in with 12.
Mbandi also ended up with 15 rebounds and two blocked shots. Caputo dished out six assists and had three steals while Morton accounted for four assists and two steals. Ameredes pulled down nine rebounds and registered three steals.
“I think our pressure up top really helped us get out in transition and get some easy buckets to help maintain our lead,” Shazer said. “We struggled shooting, but I thought Mikela did a great job giving us second- and third-chance opportunities.
“Charlotte also was huge for us. She was a menace on both ends of the floor, and she really got us going early, along with our bench. I thought they gave us great minutes.”
The game’s leading scorer was Monessen’s flashy senior guard Madison Johnson, who poured in 29 points and hit four treys.
The Greyhounds outscored the home side 18-15 in the third period as Johnson racked up all of the points for her team.
Sewickley’s biggest advantage on the scoreboard was the 23-point difference at the end of the game. Prior to that, the Panthers held leads of 31-11, 37-17, 60-40 and 62-40.
“I thought the atmosphere was great,” Morton said. “We saw a lot of fans from both teams, and there were tons of energy in the gym. I believe this was also a big factor in our win, considering it was a new experience for us, and seeing people come out to support us just made the experience even better.”
Four girls — Jardini, Quisenberry, Spencer and Bella Walsh, a sophomore guard — rounded out the night’s scoring for Sewickley. Jardini had seven assists and Walsh netted her only field goal in the game’s final seconds to the delight of her teammates.
Serra Catholic and Sewickley were scheduled to meet Feb. 19 on the Eagles’ home floor. Serra won 10 times after the start of the new year before suffering a 56-40 loss to Winchester Thurston.
The Eagles tied Geibel Catholic at the top of Section 2 at 13-1. Geibel was undefeated until a 51-50 loss to Serra late in the season.
Serra’s sophomore guard Bella Dombrowski averaged 22 points per game prior to the playoffs.
The winner of the Sewickley-Serra matchup opposes the winner from the Union-West Greene game in the semifinals.
The top six teams in Class A qualify for the PIAA tournament.