Colts Upset North Allegheny in Playoffs

Chartiers Valley guard Wayne Capers hasn’t played a regular season basketball game since he was a freshman due to multiple injuries. But the junior shook off the rust and scored 15 points to lead the Colts to a 51-43 upset victory against third-seeded North Allegheny in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

“If I’m going to have him, I want to have him in the playoffs instead of the regular season if he’s going to play like that,” coach Tim McConnell said. “I couldn’t be more proud of that kid.”

The Colts took a six-point lead entering the fourth quarter, and on Chartiers Valley’s first possession, Capers nailed a 3-pointer from the corner to extend the lead to nine. The guard hit another 3-pointer from the same spot less than three minutes later to put the game out of reach for the Tigers.

Capers tore his ACL early in the Chartiers Valley football season, and said he believes his teammates have rallied around his return.

“It’s always exciting when you have a teammate coming back, knowing that they can contribute,” Capers said. “They knew as soon as I was back that we definitely have a shot at this. We rallied around it and pulled together, and we’re on our way now.”

Capers wasn’t the only Colts player that stepped up, however, as senior forward Matt Noszka scored a game-high 18 points. But maybe more importantly, Noszka held North Allegheny star swingman Anthony Dallier to two points through the first three quarters, and 11 for the game.

“Matt has risen to the challenge for us,” McConnell said. “We told him that he was going to face a kid getting recruited by Duquesne and I hear Michigan. But Matt went out and showed that he can play with the big boys today.”

Chartiers Valley (19-5) controlled the game from the start. The Colts held a 19-17 lead with just under two minutes left in the first half when Anton Constantino gave North Allegheny its first lead of the game by hitting a 3-pointer. The Tigers would take a one-point lead into the second half, but Noszka hit a 3-pointer on Chartiers Valley’s opening possession of the third quarter to give the Colts the lead for good.

Waiting in the semifinals for Chartiers Valley is Section 4 rival Mt. Lebanon, which beat the Colts in both meetings this season. The semifinals game against Mt. Lebanon is schedule for Wednesday night at a site and time to be determined.

While McConnell hopes his team can continue to advance in the WPIAL playoffs, he is excited that his team has qualified for the state tournament, giving his team at least another few weeks together.

“That’s exciting to me,” McConnell said. “To keep practicing and do something that I really love and knowing that our season is going to continue. Knowing that we’ll be practicing until the middle of March, that’s gratifying for me as a coach, and for these players.”