Seneca Valley's boys basketball team set out in the WPIAL Class AAAA to continue their dream season, having won the Section 3 title, their first in school history. Fox Chapel aimed to pull off an NCAA Tournament-like "13-4" upset in the league brackets.
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But in a game of peaks and valleys, Seneca Valley took over late in the first half and didn't look back as the Raiders outlasted the Foxes, 49-38 at North Hills Friday night. Seneca Valley 6'4" senior forward C.J. Brown led all scorers with 18 points, while Fox Chapel's Harrison Smith scored 15.
Fox Chapel had 12-10 lead after the first quarter behind senior guard Alex Vargo and 6'7" senior center David Martin, scoring six points apiece. But in the second, senior guard Dan Rohm came off the bench for Seneca Valley to contribute in a big way with three first-half three-pointers, including back-to-back shots midway through the second.
With Martin and Smith both carrying two fouls in the first half, both players sat for the majority of the second quarter, and the Foxes felt the effect as they labored five minutes without a field goal. Behind Rohm's nine first-half points and Brown's eight, the Raiders had a 19-16 lead at the break.
The second half started as Rohm, Brown, and sophomore Christian Durbin combined for an 11-point outburst that left Seneca Valley ahead 35-26 at the end of the third. Meanwhile, Fox Chapel's dynamic duo of Vargo and Smith struggled for the majority of the game, shooting a combined 9-for-20 from the field for 24 points.
Fox Chapel pulled within four with about four minutes remaining, but Seneca Valley took advantage of their bonus foul situation, knocking down clutch free throw after clutch free throw down the strecth to keep the game out of reach. The Raiders will move on to face Saturday night's winner between Penn Hills and Upper St. Clair next weekend.
