With the holiday nearing, Chartiers Valley star Jayden Davis was asked what sits in the No. 1 spot on his Christmas list.
“Probably clothes,” he said.
Friday night, Davis and the Colts used a dominant final 10 minutes of action to clothesline the defending WPIAL Class 5A champions on their home court.
Davis scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the second half to propel Chartiers Valley to a 60-44 win at Moon in a Section 4 showdown.
The win helped Chartiers Valley (7-1, 2-1) bounce back from its first loss, a 66-60 defeat to Montour three nights earlier. Moon (4-2, 1-1) dropped its first game since the season opener.
“It was a huge boost of confidence after that tough loss on Tuesday,” Davis said. “We came in here trying to bounce back and regain our energy as a team.”
Regain it they did. In what was a tight contest for the better part of three quarters, the Colts and Tigers were tied, 34-34, late in the third. That’s when Davis and the Colts began to run away with things, going on a 19-2 run that culminated with a Julius Best bucket with 3:18 left in the game that put the Colts ahead, 53-36. Davis, a senior guard who averages a team-best 22 points per game, scored 8 points in the run.
“Jayden knows that we have full belief in him. He stepped up,” Chartiers Valley coach Corey Dotchin said. “Us being down Julian tonight, he stepped up and made a lot of big plays. But the big thing is he trusted his teammates, and the guys around him stepped up and made big shots.”
Chartiers Valley played without junior guard Julian Semplice, the team’s second-leading scorer who Dotchin said is expected to miss the next 2-3 weeks with a back injury. Fellow junior Julius Best started in his place Friday and scored 6 points. The Colts were given a big spark by freshman forward Luca Federico, who finished with 12 points off the bench, including 7 in the final quarter.
“Sky’s the limit for the kid,” Davis said of Federico. “He’s got a lot of potential. I expect a lot out of him for the rest of the season.”
Michael Santicola tallied 13 points to lead Moon, but the talented Nova Southeastern recruit did not score after the 6:05 mark of the third quarter. Amir Turner chipped in with 12 points.
Other boys games
• Damian Harrison’s basket just before the buzzer helped New Castle (7-0, 3-0) stay unbeaten courtesy of a 62-60 win at Butler (5-3, 0-3) in Class 6A Section 1. Kai Cox scored 20 points and Ralphie Blundo 18 to lead New Castle, while Stainton Forbes and Andrew Gettinger each scored 17 for Butler.
• Jason Jackson’s 24 points helped Albert Gallatin (6-2, 2-1) win for the fourth time in its past five games, 63-50, at McKeesport (3-5, 2-1) in Class 5A Section 1. The Colonials led by 2 points at the half before outscoring McKeesport, 16-6, in the third quarter. Lamont Perkins led McKeesport with 22 points.
• Gavin Orosz and Tyson Wright scored 17 points apiece to help South Fayette (6-0, 3-0) remain unbeaten after a 71-61 win at Thomas Jefferson (5-4, 1-2) in Class 5A Section 3. The Lions outscored Thomas Jefferson, 41-31, in the second half. Justin Fry led Thomas Jefferson with 19 points and Noah Kaszer added 17.
• Baldwin (7-0, 2-0) remained perfect after a 56-45 home win against Trinity (4-3, 1-2) in Class 5A Section 3. Nate Wesling scored 16 points for the Highlanders, who held a 40-31 scoring advantage in the second half. Jacob Dunkle had 16 points to lead Trinity.
• Colton Straight converted eight 3-pointers among his 32 points to help host Montour (5-0, 2-0) double up Blackhawk (2-6, 0-3), 84-42, in Class 5A Section 4. Ama Sow added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Montour, which led, 39-22, at the half.
• Nathaniel Moore’s 27 points propelled Deer Lakes (7-1, 3-0) to its fifth consecutive win, a 72-52 home triumph against rival Burrell (3-4, 1-2) in Class 4A Section 1. Collin Rodgers added 15 points for the Lancers, while Tucker Bitar led Burrell with 26 points.
• In a battle of unbeaten Class 4A Section 2 teams, Isaiah Jeter scored 11 of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to help Central Valley (7-0, 1-0) edge Beaver, 54-49. The Warriors outscored Beaver, 16-13, in the final quarter. Brady Mayo led Beaver (7-1, 0-1) with 23 points.
• Stanley Rajkovich poured in 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help Derry (6-2, 3-0) remain perfect in Class 4A Section 3 courtesy of a 67-61 overtime win against visiting Belle Vernon (5-3, 2-1). Derry outscored Belle Vernon, 10-4, in the extra period. John Wasnick chipped in with 19 points for Derry, while Trevor Kovatch and Jude Minniti paced Belle Vernon with 12 points apiece.
• Luke Scarff poured in a game-high 31 points to drive South Park (6-1, 1-0) to its fourth consecutive win, 57-50, against visiting Seton LaSalle (2-5, 0-1) in Class 3A Section 3. The Eagles outscored Seton LaSalle, 17-10, in the third quarter. Freshman Noah Sear paced Seton LaSalle with 24 points.
• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (6-1, 2-1) raced to a 9-point lead after one quarter and went on to roll in a 78-53 win against visiting Union (7-2, 2-1) in Class 2A Section 4. Jake Johnson led OLSH with 16 points, while Union was paced by Lucas Stanley’s 25 points.
• After Chartiers-Houston went ahead by two points with three seconds left, Lane Allison made a shot that traveled the full length of the court to help West Greene (5-2, 3-0) stun visiting Chartiers-Houston (6-2, 2-1), 52-51, in Class 2A Section 3. Allison, a senior guard and the starting quarterback on the West Greene football team, finished with a game-high 29 points.
• Courtney Wallace’s triple-double of 25 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists propelled Neighborhood Academy (7-0, 1-0) to a 72-46 win against visiting Monessen (3-2, 0-1) in Class 1A Section 2. Monessen got 14 points from Dennis Hawkins.
Girls games
• Peters Township (6-1) coughed up a double-digit halftime lead on the way to being handed its first loss of the season, 57-56, by Ohio power Strongsville (7-0) in the Tampa Bay Invitational. Natalie Wetzel scored 24 points and Taylor McCullough added 13 for the Indians, who led, 40-28, at the half before being outscored, 29-16, in the second half.
• Chartiers Valley (6-2, 3-0) claimed its sixth win in a row, 35-33, at Moon (3-3, 1-1) in Class 5A Section 3. Rachel Boehm paced Chartiers Valley with 13 points, while Maria Depner’s 15 points led Moon.
Three stars
*** — Liam Gallagher, Greensburg Central Catholic Gallagher drilled six 3-pointers and scored 22 points, all in the first half, to propel host Greensburg Central Catholic (7-0, 3-0) to a 96-37 win against California (1-6, 0-3).
**— Dane Woods, Waynesburg. Woods finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists to lead host Waynesburg (1-7, 1-0) to its first win, 69-41, against Brownsville (1-7, 0-1) in Class 3A Section 4.
* — Jackson Maddix, Bishop Canevin. Maddix scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to help Bishop Canevin (2-5, 1-0) open section play with a 61-59 win at Washington (2-4, 0-1) in Class 3A Section 2.
Hot from deep
Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Colton Straight, Montour, 8; Taris Wooding, Clairton, 6; Liam Gallagher, Greensburg Central Catholic, 6; Marlo Mellish, Armstrong, 5; Calvin Vento, Central Catholic, 5; Ralphie Blundo, New Castle, 5; Brady Mayo, Beaver, 4; Dajuan Flenory, Beaver Falls, 4; Zach Pollaro, North Hills, 4; Nathan Schanbacher, North Hills, 4; Eli Catalano, Pine-Richland, 4; Stainton Forbes, Butler, 3; Andrew Gettinger, Butler, 3; Isaiah Jeter, Central Valley, 3; Logan Helfrick, Chartiers Valley, 3; Jackson Kerr, Ellwood City, 3; Dave Wachinski, Greensburg Central Catholic, 3; Jonas Cupps, Hampton, 3; Stone Markham, Jeannette, 3; Drew Navetta, Mars, 3; Austin Wroblewski, Mars, 3; David Kwiat, Neshannock, 3; Logan Lyons, Rochester, 3.
Boys scores
WPIAL Class 6A
Section 1
Fox Chapel 66, Woodland Hills 62
New Castle 62, Butler 60
Pine-Richland 61, North Allegheny 56
Seneca Valley 63, North Hills 55
Section 2
Central Catholic 52, Hempfield 39
WPIAL Class 5A
Section 1
Albert Gallatin 63, McKeesport 50
Gateway 41, Franklin Regional 32
Latrobe 61, Laurel Highlands 47
Section 2
Hampton 50, Kiski Area 44
Penn Hills 65, Armstrong 32
Shaler 63, Plum 51
Section 3
Baldwin 56, Trinity 45
Bethel Park 60, Ringgold 52
South Fayette 71, Thomas Jefferson 61
Section 4
Chartiers Valley 60, Moon 44
Mars 62, West Allegheny 51
Montour 84, Blackhawk 42
WPIAL Class 4A
Section 1
Deer Lakes 72, Burrell 52
Knoch 74, Highlands 36
Section 2
Central Valley 54, Beaver 49
Section 3
Derry 67, Belle Vernon 61 (OT)
Elizabeth Forward 63, Greensburg Salem 44
West Mifflin 56, Yough 34
WPIAL Class 3A
Section 1
Aliquippa 85, Freedom 20
Ellwood City 68, New Brighton 54
Riverside 55, Beaver Falls 51
Section 2
Bishop Canevin 61, Washington 59
Keystone Oaks 77, Sto-Rox 66
Section 3
South Allegheny 65, Shady Side Academy 43
South Park 57, Seton LaSalle 50
Section 4
Ligonier Valley 71, Mount Pleasant 51
Southmoreland 52, Charleroi 45
Waynesburg 69, Brownsville 41
WPIAL Class 2A
Section 1
Clairton 78, Frazier 45
Greensburg Central Catholic 96, California 37
Jeannette 66, Riverview 34
Springdale 63, Bentworth 41
Section 2
Brentwood 72, Propel Braddock Hills 58
Northgate 81, Eden Christian 45
Section 3
Jefferson-Morgan 75, Mapletown 29
West Greene 52, Chartiers-Houston 51
Section 4
Neshannock 71, Rochester 39
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 78, Union 53
Shenango 61, Laurel 21
WPIAL Class 1A
Section 1
Aquinas Academy 92, Summit Academy 73
Section 2
Neighborhood Academy 72, Monessen 46
St. Joseph 58, Environmental Charter 38
Tournaments
Gil Reynolds Classic (at Burlington, N.C.)
Upper St. Clair 76, Central Carolina Prep, N.C. 58
KSA Pre-Holiday (at Kissimmee, Fla.)
Uniontown 74, McGuffey 35
Queen City Classic (at Cincinnati)
McNicholas, Ohio 62, North Catholic 56
Seahawk Classic (at Hilton Head Island, S.C.)
Mt. Lebanon 56, Sumter, S.C. 46
Non-section
Beth-Center 71, Fort Cherry 58
Peters Township 62, Norwin 49
St. Peter’s, N.Y. 63, Allderdice 55
Girls scores
WPIAL Class 5A
Section 1
Penn Hills 44, Armstrong 38
Shaler 60, Plum 41
Section 2
Kiski Area 38, Greensburg Salem 25
Latrobe 71, McKeesport 13
Section 3
Chartiers Valley 35, Moon 33
Section 4
Trinity 49, Baldwin 33
WPIAL Class 1A
Section 1
Western Beaver 48, Leechburg 31
Non-section
Bentworth 36, Mapletown 23
Tampa Bay Invitational, Fla.
Strongsville, Ohio 57, Peters Township 56
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.