When Peters Township last paid a visit to Chartiers Valley 11 months ago, the Indians came in reeling, having lost nine of 10 games.
You could say that the Indians’ fortunes have changed a bit since then.
Thursday, Peters Township topped the Colts to improve to 14-0 this season.
Gemma Walker scored 18 points and Natalie Wetzel added 15 as Peters Township led wire-to-wire, holding on for a 53-49 win at Chartiers Valley in a battle for first place in Class 6A Section 2.
Peters Township improved to 5-0 in section play, putting the Indians one game ahead of Chartiers Valley (10-2, 4-1), which saw its seven-game win streak come to an end. The 14 wins by the Indians are their most since the 2018-19 team finished 30-0.
“This is clearly one of the most challenging games on our schedule, so to come in here and get a win the first time through the section is really big,” Peters Township coach Steve Limberiou said.
One of only three unbeaten teams in the WPIAL (Oakland Catholic and Lincoln Park are the others), Peters Township was pushed to the brink courtesy of a gutsy effort by a Chartiers Valley team missing leading scorer Ella Cupka, who is sidelined with a foot injury. Trailing, 51-49, the Colts had two opportunities in the final minute to go ahead. However, Iyla Ozbey missed two foul shots with 26 seconds remaining and Ava Shazer was long on a 3-point attempt with a second left. Wetzel grabbed the rebound and converted two free throws to seal the win.
“Being able to close out a really close game is really huge for us because we weren’t able to do that last year,” Wetzel said.
A season ago when Peters Township went 13-11, seven of its losses were by five points or fewer. Another big improvement has come defensively. After the Indians surrendered 51.7 points a game last season, that number has dropped to 41.2 this season. No team has scored more than 50 points against them.
A pair of future Division I players once again led the way. Walker, a 5-foot-10 senior guard and St. Francis recruit, tallied 10 of her points in the first quarter. Wetzel, a 6-3 junior forward whose list of offers includes Pitt and Arizona State, scored nine points in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer that she banked in. Wetzel averages a team-best 16 points per game.
“I think their games are different, but I think they complement each other,” Limberiou said. “It’s really hard to focus on one because the other one is capable of beating you. I think the two of them are a great pair, and I’m certainly lucky to coach them.”
Daniela Radulovich, a 6-3 junior forward, added 12 points for Peters Township, while junior guard Lilah Turnbull paced Chartiers Valley with 20 points. Turnbull scored 14 points in the second half.
Other girls games
• Caroline Henderson’s 18 points helped host North Allegheny (9-1, 3-1) put an end to Seneca Valley’s 10-game win streak with a 59-46 defeat of the Raiders (10-3, 3-1) in Class 6A Section 1. North Allegheny trailed the Raiders, 42-36, after three quarters before outscoring them 23-4 in the fourth. Natalie Hembly led Seneca Valley with 19 points, including five 3-pointers.
• Maddy Hertzler scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the first half to propel host McKeesport (11-1, 5-0) to a 51-38 win against Penn-Trafford (7-5, 2-3) in Class 5A Section 3. The Tigers limited Penn-Trafford to four field goals and 16 points in the second half.
• North Hills (8-6, 5-0) held Mars (7-5, 3-1) scoreless in the fourth quarter on its way to a 55-38 win in Class 5A Section 2. Gia Sturdivant tallied 20 points for North Hills, which outscored Mars, 13-0, in the fourth quarter. Cecelia Christy led Mars with 15 points.
• Trinity (11-1, 4-0) won its 10th game in a row, outlasting South Fayette (7-5, 2-2), 64-57, in overtime in Class 5A Section 4. Maddy Roberts paced Trinity with 20 points and Aggie Niccolai added 17. Lainey Yater scored 12 points for South Fayette.
• Kalleigh Nerone scored 19 points and Shelby Wojcik had 18 to lead host Highlands (9-3, 4-1) to its fifth win in a row, 54-47, against Greensburg Salem (11-3, 3-2) in Class 4A Section 1. Blessing Gantt led Greensburg Salem with 15 points.
• Mallory Daly’s 28 points propelled Seton LaSalle (9-3, 3-0) to a 63-44 win at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (9-5, 1-3) in Class 3A Section 2. Tiara Curry chipped in 15 points for the Rebels, while Morgan O’Brien led the Chargers with 20.
• Waynesburg (13-1, 4-0) used a big second half to defeat host South Park (7-4, 3-1), 48-36, and remain atop Class 3A Section 4. Addison Blair made four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 13 points for Waynesburg, which outscored South Park, 35-15, in the second half.
• Aliquippa (10-1, 5-0) fought back from a 10-point halftime deficit and went on to win at Freedom (5-8, 3-2), 47-45, in overtime in Class 2A Section 1. The Quips held a 7-5 edge in overtime. Carla Brown and Evanna Lay each scored 12 points for Aliquippa, while Shaye Bailey scored 20 for Freedom.
• Erica Gribble scored 33 points and Avery Davis added 25 to lead Greensburg Central Catholic (8-4, 4-0) to a 78-60 win against visiting Clairton (9-2, 3-2) in Class 2A Section 3. WPIAL scoring leader Iyanna Wade led Clairton with 31 points.
Three stars
*** — Bella Antonacci, Indiana. Antonacci set a career high for the second game in a row, this time scoring a game-high 22 points to push host Indiana (10-2, 5-0) to a 43-31 win against Woodland Hills (2-8, 2-3) in Class 5A Section 1.
** — Amelia McMichael, Butler. McMichael’s 19 points helped Butler (3-10, 1-3) end an eight-game losing streak with a 67-55 win against visiting Hempfield (7-7, 0-4) in Class 6A Section 1.
* — Henry McComb, Winchester Thurston. McComb scored 15 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lead Winchester Thurston (7-5, 2-1) to a 68-36 home win against Geibel Catholic (0-13, 0-3) in Class 1A Section 2.
Hot from deep
Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Natalie Hambly, Seneca Valley, 5; Caroline Henderson, North Allegheny, 4; Addison Blair, Waynesburg, 4; Olivia Henderson, Freedom, 3; Shyan Tindall, Laurel, 3; Maddy Hertzler, McKeesport, 3.
Boys scores
Albert Gallatin 70, Belle Vernon 67
Winchester Thurston 68, Geibel Catholic 36
Girls scores
Albert Gallatin 37, Connellsville 36
Aliquippa 47, Freedom 45 (OT)
Aquinas Academy 43, Bishop Canevin 11
Avonworth 54, East Allegheny 9
Beaver Falls 62, Ellwood City 57
Blackhawk 65, Quaker Valley 21
Burrell 47, Apollo-Ridge 29
Butler 67, Hempfield 55
Carlynton 49, Sto-Rox 31
Fort Cherry 52, Northgate 19
Freeport 52, Derry 39
Greensburg C.C. 78, Clairton 60
Hampton 43, Shaler 38
Highlands 54, Greensburg Salem 47
Jeannette 48, Hillel Academy 6
Knoch 61, Valley 12
Laurel 41, Riverside 29
Lincoln Park 59, Montour 31
McGuffey 57, Yough 31
Monessen 57, Mapletown 32
Mount Pleasant 35, Ligonier Valley 31
North Allegheny 59, Seneca Valley 46
North Hills 55, Mars 38
Norwin 52, Pine-Richland 28
Penn Hills 52, Riverview 36
Peters Township 53, Chartiers Valley 49
Rochester 59, New Brighton 11
St. Joseph 67, Leechburg 19
Serra Catholic 67, Winchester Thurston 44
Seton LaSalle 63, OLSH 44
Southmoreland 42, Ringgold 30
Trinity 64, South Fayette 57
Union 41, Harbor Creek 29
Waynesburg 48, South Park 36
West Greene 52, Jefferson-Morgan 38
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.