Tough in the clutch: Horne, Rohanna come through to propel Waynesburg girls into PIAA playoffs
Waynesburg Central’s Kaley Rohanna uses a screen by teammate Josie Horne (12) on Mohawk’s Alexa Kadilak to get free during Tuesday night’s WPIAL Class AAA consolation game at Waynesburg. Rohanna would return the favor by assisting on Horne’s game-winning shot in the final seconds to give the Lady Raiders a 44-43 victory and a spot in the PIAA playoffs. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Waynesburg Central coach Chris Minerd (right) raises his fist in triumph and assistant coach Natalie Blair (middle) applauds as the Lady Raiders players celebrate in the background after a 44-43 win over Mohawk thanks to a last-second shot by Josie Horne in Tuesday night’s WPIAL Class AAA consolation game at Waynesburg. The win propelled the Lady Raiders into the PIAA playoffs. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Waynesburg Central’s Avery Davis (35) scores on a drive to the basket against Mohawk during Tuesday night’s WPIAL Class AAA consolation game at Waynesburg.
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Waynesburg Central’s Kaley Rohanna takes a jump shot as Mohawk’s Deyani Revis (20) defends during Tuesday night’s WPIAL Class AAA consolation game at Waynesburgh. Rohanna scored a game-high 16 points in the Lady Raiders’ 44-43 win which propelled them into the PIAA playoffs.
Waynesburg Central's Emma Kindervater (2) attempts a shot as Mohawk's Madisyn Cole (24) defends during Tuesday night's WPIAL Class AAA consolation game at Waynesburg.
Waynesburg Central's Kaley Rohanna heads up court for a layup after making a steal against Mohawk during Tuesday night's WPIAL Class AAA consolation game at Waynesburg. Rohanna scored a game-high 16 points in the Lady Raiders' 44-43 win which propelled them into the PIAA playoffs.
Waynesburg Central coach Chris Minerd talks to his players during a timeout in Tuesday night's WPIAL Class AAA consolation game against Mohawk at Waynesburg.
WAYNESBURG — When a game is on the line the Waynesburg Central girls basketball team invariably turns to Kaley Rohanna.
The 1,000-point scorer has hit plenty of big shots in her career but the junior star would not make the winning basket on this night in the closing seconds of Tuesday’s WPIAL Class AAA consolation game against Mohawk.
It’s OK though. Rohanna was just as happy to provide the game-winning assist.
With the clock ticking down, the Lady Raiders trailing by one point and the Lady Warriors’ defense collapsing on her, Rohanna stumbled slightly before zipping a pass to Josie Horne along the baseline.
Horne didn’t hesitate. The 5-foot-8 junior grabbed the ball and swished a pressure-packed, game-winning jump shot with one second left as the Waynesburg crowd erupted in celebration of a thrilling 44-43 victory.
By time the ball fell through and bounced into the hands of Mohawk’s Alexa Kadilak all she could do was hand it to the official and dejectedly walk off the court with her teammates.
The Lady Warriors’ season was suddenly over. The Lady Raiders, however, are headed to the PIAA playoffs for the second year in a row.
“I wanted to go to the states so bad,” Horne said. “We all did.”
The Lady Raiders will begin play in the state tournament on March 10 against the District 10 champion with the site, time and opponent to be determined.
Rohanna scored a game-high 16 points and Horne turned in a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Addison Blair also grabbed 10 boards and Peyton Cowell contributed nine points and seven rebounds for Waynesburg (21-5) which now has won a section championship and qualified for the PIAA playoffs two years in a row.
Kadilak paced Mohawk (15-11) with 10 points, including two clutch 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter.
Mohawk led 29-27 going into a roller-coaster final frame and a 3-pointer by Madisyn Cole put the visitors up by five.
Waynesburg answered with a 7-2 run capped by Horne’s 3-pointer to tie it at 34-34 with 4:27 left, but a three-point play by 6-foot-2 center Erynne Capalbo lifted the Lady Warriors to a 37-34 lead.
The Lady Raiders fought back again. Emma Kindervater hit a short jump shot after grabbing an offensive rebound and Rohanna came up with a steal and layup and then made two free throws to give Waynesburg a 40-37 advantage with 2:08 remaining.
Kadilak tied it with a 3-pointer, Rohanna countered with a jump shot to put Waynesburg ahead by two with 55 seconds left, but Kadilak nailed another 3-pointer with 35 seconds on the clock and Mohawk was back on top, 43-42.
Rohanna missed a jump shot with 27 seconds left but Avery Davis snagged the rebound for Waynesburg and passed to Cowell who also missed. Blair tracked down the loose ball before Mohawk knocked it out of bounds with 14 seconds left.
Kadilak tipped the ball to midcourt on the inbound play but Cowell gathered it in and got the ball to Rohanna as the clocked ticked down.
“I thought about calling a timeout when the ball went out of bounds but then decided not to, although I almost did when we had trouble with the ball at half court,” Minerd said. “But then we got control of it and I just thought, well, let them go, just let it happen, and if we ended up losing, I would’ve been happy with the effort.”
Then Rohanna and Horne worked their magic.
“I had three girls on me and I saw Josie in the corner,” Rohanna said. “She was making that shot all week at practice. I said that’s easy, I’ll pass it to her.”
“I have confidence from that spot,” Horne said. “Kaley made a perfect pass. I knew there wasn’t much time left so I had to shoot it. I just thought if it doesn’t go in, well, we left it all on the court.”
The ball did go through and Horne’s teammates mobbed her in celebration.
“I never made a buzzer-beater so it was a surreal moment,” Horne said. “Having the team all jump on me like that … it was a big moment for me, and for my team.”
It also was a first for Minerd, who had an extremely successful stint as California’s girls coach and is in his first season at Waynesburg.
“In all the years I’ve been coaching that’s the first time my team ever won a buzzer-beater,” Minerd said with a smile. “I always have nightmares about losing on a buzzer-beater.”
Minerd praised his team’s performance.
“I’m proud of them. I’m proud of the effort they gave,” said Minerd whose eighth-seeded team is now 2-2 in the postseason after losing in the quarterfinals to top-seeded Shady Side Academy and a first consolation game to fifth-seeded Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
“They had something to prove. We felt we had the toughest road in the bracket getting the eighth seed and having to play the one in the second round.”
Rohanna admitted her team did have a chip on its shoulder.
“I think it proves a lot for our program that we’ve done it two times in a row now,” Rohanna said. “It’s fun to be going to states. I’m excited.”
Following Kadilak in the Mohawk scoring column were Capalbo with nine points and Cole and Deyani Revis each with eight points.
“I give Mohawk a lot of credit, traveling all this way and playing their hearts out,” Minerd said. “I know they’ve got a great coach (Ron Moncrief) and I knew they were going to play hard.”
Minerd lauded his team for its work on the boards.
“Almost every game we played we were undersized and again tonight they had a 6-2 girl out there,” Minerd said. “My biggest girl is 5-9. I tell the girls you’ve got to play with heart. You’ve got to find a way to outrebound people.
“Peyton had a heck of a game for a freshman. She was guarding No. 25 (Capalbo) who she’s giving five or six inches to.”
Minerd said he was pleased with every one of his players’ efforts against Mohawk.
“I always preach balance,” he said. “It’s nice to have a player like Kaley who you can lean on and depend on, but the other girls have got to step up in times like this and they did that tonight.
“Emma Kindervater did a great job on defense. Addison Blair did a good job. So did Avery. Everyone contributed.”