Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Player of the Week for Feb. 15, 2021

By: Don Rebel
Monday, February 15, 2021 | 9:48 PM

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When Chartiers Valley lost big at home to New Castle on Jan. 19 in a battle of then-undefeated teams, Colts senior Brayden Reynolds didn’t sugarcoat his performance.

“Honestly it was just one of those nights against,” he said. “It was one of, if not the worst night of shooting in my four years at Chartiers Valley.”

In the return showdown at New Castle, Reynolds more than made up for his poor shooting performance in the first game.

“After that first game, I was not happy with my performance at all,” Reynold said, “so I made sure that when the second game rolled around, the results would be different.”

Indeed they were.

Reynolds shot 71% from the field and scored 42 points and also added 15 rebounds in a dominating performance that lifted Chartiers Valley past New Castle, 77-59 on Friday.

The win lifted the Colts into a tie for first place in Section 2-5A and also leap-frogged the Red Hurricane back to No. 1 in the HSSN Class 5A rankings.

“Thirty-two minutes of energy and effort,” Chartiers Valley coach Brandon Sensor said. “He played hard for himself and his teammates, staying in attack mode and playing the right way. You see he had 42 points, and that’s all everyone talks about, but if you watch the game, he is sharing the ball and making his teammates better, playing defense and rebounding. He’s not chasing points and over-shooting and taking a ton of terrible shots.

For the game, Reynolds was efficient, shooting 14 of 20 from the field and 6 of 9 from 3-point range.

Sensor was asked if his star senior guard had been more driven since his off night in the first New Castle meeting in which he was “held” to 19 points.

“I think he has, yes, and to be honest, I think he was putting too much pressure on himself of late,” Sensor said. “Sometimes you just have to relax, go and play hard and have fun with your friends. When you do that and have confidence, that’s when you can play your best.”

Reynolds and Chartiers Valley entered the second New Castle game on a roll.

The Colts had won eight in a row since the loss to the Red Hurricane. That included a section victory over Moon last week.

“I felt like we started off sluggish,” Reynolds said, “but we came out and dominated the second half.”

Chartiers Valley outscored Moon 50-16 in the second half to cruise to a 44-point victory. In the game, Reynolds had a game-high 32 points.

“Beginning of the year, me and Brayden talked about putting together a complete game with high energy and effort for 32 minutes,” Sensor said. “We revisited that conversation early last week. I think the Moon game was his first step in doing that. He gave consistent effort the entire game.”

The two section victories over Moon and New Castle improved Chartiers Valley to 7-1 in the section, tied for first place with New Castle. The Colts are now 15-1 overall.

Sensor feels that the wins were great last week for the record, but the victories, especially at New Castle, do a world of good for his team.

“They’re a quality opponent and a top-ranked team in 5A,” he said. “More so than the rankings, I think it just adds some confidence as we move into the tail end of the season. We have to enjoy the success but also continue to enjoy the process and the work it’s going to take to continue to get better.”

In years past, great players have risen to the occasion, cementing their legacy with outstanding performances, especially come playoff time.

“Brayden’s mindset is in a good place right now,” Sensor said. “He’s loose, confident and playing the game the right way. He has a good team around him and has confidence in them.

“I don’t know if I’d say he is taking his game to another level. I think it’s more so just keeping his foot on the pedal for 32 minutes, having fun and just playing the game he loves.”

Reynolds says his and his team’s best basketball is full steam ahead.

“I think my coach would be able to tell you this, but I’ve only scratched the surface of playing my best basketball,” he said. “The best is yet to come.”

2021 Trib HSSN Player of the Week

Week 4 – Damon Astorino, Ambridge

Week 3 – Jackson LaRocka, Burgettstown

Week 2 – Vinnie Cugini, Aquinas Academy

Week 1 – Jackson Juzang, Winchester Thurston