Brayden Reynolds’ big fourth quarter helps Chartiers Valley bury West Allegheny
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Friday, February 7, 2020 | 11:31 PM
Chartiers Valley’s Brayden Reynolds celebrates after scoring and being fouled during the fourth quarter against West Allegheny Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.
Chartiers Valley’s Brayden Reynolds celebrates with fans after hitting a fourth quarter three-pointer while being fouled against West Allegheny Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.
Chartiers Valley’s Brayden Reynolds celebrates after hitting a fourth quarter three-pointer against West Allegheny Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.
West Allegheny’s Jackson Faulk calls timeout under pressure from Chartiers Valley’s Marcello Legister and Louie Kearney Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.
Chartiers Valley’s Jared Goldstrom shoots a three-pointer against West Allegheny Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.
West Allegheny’s Jackson Faulk celebrates a three-pointer against Chartiers Valley Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.
Chartiers Valley’s Brayden Reynolds scores against West Allegheny Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.
Chartiers Valley’s Sean Banas scores against West Allegheny Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.
Chartiers Valley’s Brayden Reynolds collides with Sean Banas next to West Allegheny’s Kam Kruze during their game Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.
West Allegheny’s Kam Kruze drives to the basket against Chartiers Valley’s Sean Banas Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, at West Allegheny High School.
Mother Nature dumped enough snow on the region early Friday to force the cancellation of classes at several schools, including West Allegheny.
But that is nothing like the avalanche of points Chartiers Valley junior Brayden Reynolds dropped on West A in the fourth quarter.
Reynolds scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the final five-plus minutes of the game as the Colts knocked off the Indians, 63-47.
The win was the 11th straight for Chartiers Valley, which won the Section 2-5A section championship by three games over Thomas Jefferson.
“I thought they did a good job on (Reynolds) early in the game,” Chartiers Valley coach Brandon Sensor said. “We were trying to get the ball inside for some mismatches, and he just couldn’t get in a rhythm.
“Nothing was said. He just knew it was time to put up or shut up. He got some steals, turned them into points, hit some threes and got to the foul line a lot.”
Reynolds’ flurry began with a steal and a layup, followed by a Jared Goldstrom steal, a lead pass to Reynolds and another layup that put the Colts up, 42-37.
Five unanswered by the Indians tied the game at 42-42, but Reynolds and the Colts took over, starting with a four-point play by Reynolds on a three and a foul with 4:14 left in the game.
“We did a nice job on Reynolds for most of the game,” West Allegheny coach Andrew Tsangaris said. “It got away from us quick. I should have called a timeout after that four-point play.”
Sparked by Reynolds’ offensive explosion, Chartiers Valley outscored West Allegheny 21-5 the rest of the way.
The game was a grind throughout with both defenses stepping up their defensive games while yielding little space and few scoring opportunities.
After a 14-14 first quarter, West Allegheny was held to only 10 points in the second quarter while Chartiers Valley was limited to six third-quarter points as the Colts carried a 37-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
“It wasn’t pretty at all,” Sensor said. “We couldn’t get a lot of rhythm on offense. Towards the end, we hung on and pulled away. We’ve been playing that way all year, it seems.”
Senior Jared Goldstrom scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half. Fellow senior Legister Marcello also had a big first half by scoring 11 of his 13 points in the first two quarters.
Senior Jackson Faulk led the Indians’ balanced attack with 13 points.
The loss for West Allegheny (7-7, 12-10) ended a four-game winning streak and has the Indians on the bubble for their playoff hopes.
The Indians are now big South Fayette fans. If South Fayette beats Trinity on Saturday afternoon, West Allegheny returns to the playoffs. If Trinity picks up the road win, it clinches and the Indians’ season is over.
Sensor was pleased that his team matched the desperation of West Allegheny.
“I’m proud of my guys. It’s hard to get up every game,” he said. “The season is almost over, and they’re anxious to get to the playoffs.”
Tags: Chartiers Valley, West Allegheny
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