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Sports

Colts Charge Into Quarterfinals

Chartiers Valley defeats Norwin in the opening round of the Class AAAA playoffs.

WHITEHALL - While Norwin boasts one of the highest scoring duos in WPIAL history with guards Matt Palo and Andy Carter, it was Chartiers Valley forward Matt Noszka who had the scoring touch in yesterday afternoon’s, 70-58, Class AAAA WPIAL first round victory at Baldwin.

The senior scored a game-high 22 points, but was more interested in how his team played defensively.

“Overall, I think we played really well on defense and that was our main focus going into the game,” Noszka said. “Throughout the year we’ve had trouble putting teams away, and I think there was a little bit of that tonight. But we fought through adversity and pulled the game out.”

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Noszka missed the previous three games for the Colts while serving a suspension.

Chartiers Valley coach Tim McConnell knows the importance of having Noszka back.

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“Matt’s been a key part of our team. He put himself in a position as an immature young man and he paid the price, missed his three games,” Coach Tim McConnell said. “He sat down with the administration. We did what we felt was necessary, and Matt did everything he needed to come back to this team.

“We’re excited that he’s back with us.”

Noszka isn’t the only key player that returned, as athletic guard Wayne Capers played in his first game after suffering a knee injury early in the football season. Capers entered the game with 4:54 in the second quarter to a loud ovation from the crowd and finished the game with two points.

The sixth-seeded Colts and No. 11 seed Norwin (13-10) came into the game as the two highest scoring teams in Class AAAA, but it was Chartiers Valley’s defense that proved to be the difference, as the Colts were able to hold Palo and Carter to 27 points combined, while the duo normally averages over 52 points per game.

Chartiers Valley (18-5) had a 10-point halftime lead, but Norwin’s Palo banked in a 3-pointer as time expired in the third to cut the Colts lead to one. Knights Coach Lynn Washowich said the halftime deficit created a sense of urgency for his team.

“If that deficit didn’t happen, I don’t know if we come out with that sense of urgency in the second half,” Washowich said. “We had a chance.”

On the very first possession of the fourth, Zach Wallace hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead back to four. The Knights were unable to get any closer the remainder of the game, due largely because of Chartiers Valley’s ability to hit free throws down the stretch, as the Colts made nine of 10 from the line in the final frame.

Chartiers Valley will play No. 3 seed North Allegheny in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 26 at a site and time to be determined.

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