Fox Chapel Stays Unbeaten

Two teams came into Thursday night's doubleheader at Challenger K-8 with unbeaten slates.

Only one left that way, with the Fox Chapel varsity squad handling the Lady Navigators, 35-26. Earlier, the junior varsity Lady Tigers handed Challenger's JV its first loss, 19-17.

In varsity action, Fox Chapel (4-0) jumped out to an early advantage, leading 21-10 at the half, and cruised most of the way.

Brianna Johnson, the Lady Tigers' chief ballhandler, scored a game-high 16 points, including six in the tone-setting opening quarter.

Sarah Robinson added seven points, 14 rebounds and three steals. Marisa Welch had five points to go along with five steals, while Lauren Grimsley contributed four points and eight boards.

"We've been working on defense," Fox Chapel Head Coach Dave Schlechter said. "They're aggressive, work hard and hustle and that's what the girls do without me having to ask them.

"They get along great. They treat each other with respect and no one thinks they're better than anyone else. They have each other's back."

Syclair Jones tallied 15 points, six rebounds, six steals and three assists to pace the Lady 'Gators. Anna Poholek and Natalya Caraballo each posted four steals.

"I thought we played with a lot of hustle," Challenger Head Coach Roe Foley said. "We fought until the last second.

"...We're getting better with each game. Whatever happens in the game, we're making adjustments in practice. They work hard. All a coach can ask for is to improve each game."

JV: Lady Tigers rally

When Challenger's JV held its Fox Chapel counterpart scoreless in the opening quarter, it seemed as though these Lady 'Gators would add another victory to their total.

But the Lady Tigers (2-1) rallied back, out-scoring Challenger (4-1) 15-8 over the second and third periods and holding off the Lady 'Gators in the final quarter.

"Our girls get very nervous at the beginning of the game," Fox Chapel JV coach Mike Adams said. "We work on a game plan over and over and sometimes before they get a rhythm going it takes a while to get them into a rhythm.

"But our full-court press is what got us back. Our full-court press has gotten everybody so far."

Heather Collins of Fox Chapel led all scorers with 12 points. Destiny Key added five for the Lady Tigers. Sierra Ruiz and Nicole Morolla each scored seven to pace Challenger.

Varsity
FOX CHAPEL 35, CHALLENGER 26
Qtr. Scoring 1 2 3 4
Fox Chapel 10 11 5 9 - 35
Challenger 5 5 6 10 - 26
Fox Chapel (35): Johnson 7 2-2 16, Grimsley 2 0-0 4, Robinson 3 1-2 7, Welch 2 1-3 5, Allen 0 1-2 1, Ferrer 1 0-0 2, Steff 0, Ramos 0, Masters 0. Totals 15 5-9 35.
Challenger (26): Deller 1 0-0 2, Jones 7 1-2 15, Hoogland 0, Caraballo 1 0-0 2, Poholek 2 1-4 5, Moynihan 1 0-2 2, Bishop 0. Totals 12 2-8 26.
Three-point field goals: none.
Total fouls: FC 12; CHA 10.
Technical fouls: none.
Fouled out: none.
Records: Fox Chapel (4-0), Challenger (2-3).

JV
FOX CHAPEL 19, CHALLENGER 17
Qtr. Scoring 1 2 3 4
Fox Chapel 0 7 8 4 - 19
Challenger 4 4 4 5 - 17
Fox Chapel (19): Collins 6 0-3 12, Key 2 1-1 5, Onicha 0, Worden 0, Hurtado 1 0-0 2, Brewdermann 0, Thiess 0, Plenzick 0, Sauto 0, Holloway 0, Dennis 0. Totals 9 1-4 19.
Challenger (17): Ruiz 2 3-6 7, Laing 0, Leonard 0 1-2 1, Morolla 3 1-3 7, Witherell 0, Jarque 1 0-0 2, Jones 0. Totals 6 5-11 17.
Three-point field goals: none.
Total fouls: FC 16; CHA 14.
Technical fouls: none.
Fouled out: Key (FC); Witherell, Ruiz (CHA).
Records: Fox Chapel (2-1), Challenger (4-1).