Holloway hits 1,000 points as Freeport tops Fox Chapel in battle of playoff-bound teams

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, February 4, 2020 | 9:13 PM

Both the Fox Chapel and Freeport girls basketball teams suffered close section losses Monday, and opportunity presented itself Tuesday for one of them to quickly get back in the win column as the teams went head to head in nonsection play at Fox Chapel.

Yellowjackets senior Harley Holloway scored the 1,000th point of her varsity career, and freshman Melaina DeZort tallied a team-best 24 points in a 59-54 victory in a matchup of playoff-bound squads.

“That was a big win for us,” said Holloway, who started the game needing 11 points to reach the milestone and got it with a pair of clutch free throws in the fourth quarter.

“We all hung in there and played as a team.”

Holloway scored nine of her 11 points in the first half. In the first 16 minutes, the game was a back-and-forth affair, and Freeport led 26-23 at halftime.

That was the margin as the teams went to the fourth quarter. The Yellowjackets led by as much as 10 with a minute to play.

Freeport improved to 14-6 overall and rebounded from Monday’s one-point heartbreaking loss to Section 1-4A rival Knoch in a battle of teams that were situated in second place in the section behind undefeated North Catholic.

“We weren’t sure how they were going to respond, but I commend them for their effort,” Freeport coach Fred Soilis said. “We played with the passion we need every game. Fox Chapel is a good 6A team with a lot of talented players, and the girls showed how they can compete.”

DeZort had just two points at halftime, but she exploded in the second half. She hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 10 of Freeport’s 12 third-quarter points.

In the fourth quarter, DeZort hit two more from beyond the arc and was 6 of 6 from the foul line.

After missing 6 of 7 from the free-throw line in the first half, the Yellowjackets, as a team, went 10 for 10 from the line in the fourth.

Samantha Clark also reached double figures in scoring with 11 points. Madeline Clark scored eight points, and Sidney Shemanski tallied five to move within seven points of 1,000 for her varsity career.

Fox Chapel, which lost 51-47 to Section 1-6A rival Seneca Valley on Monday in a battle for third place, fell to 12-8 overall.

“Freeport boxed out really well, they shot well, and they played tough,” Fox Chapel coach Marty Matvey said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. I had been watching Freeport for years while at South Park, and we knew what we were getting into. They just out-executed us and wanted it more.”

Junior forward Ellie Schwartzman was a force inside for the Foxes with a game-best 26 points.

Limited to six points in the first half, she scored eight in the third and 12 in the fourth to keep Fox Chapel in the game.

Senior Domenica Delaney added 10 points for the Foxes, who wrap up section play Thursday at home against section co-leader Norwin.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Freeport