T.J. McConnell finally can call himself a WPIAL champion.
The Chartiers Valley senior earned the title he had pursued with persistence throughout his record-setting high school basketball career at Chartiers Valley. McConnell scored 34 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, as the top-seeded Colts toppled Hampton, 63-50, in the Class AAA title game Friday at Palumbo Center.
"This is probably the happiest day of my life," T.J. McConnell said. "I honestly couldn't be happier."
The Chartiers Valley fans stood and cheered as the gold medal was draped around McConnell's neck by his father, coach Tim McConnell.
"That makes it a little extra special, the fact that he's my son," Tim McConnell said. "I'm going to brag, I'm sorry, but the year he's having is just a tremendous year. This is just icing on the cake."
McConnell scored nine consecutive points for Chartiers Valley during a third-quarter span, stretching the Colts' lead to double figures for the first time. The 6-foot guard also made seven of nine free throws in the fourth quarter to stall any Hampton rally.
Sophomore Wayne Capers scored 16 points while starting in place of injured teammate Matt Noszka, the Colts' second leading scorer. Steve Burda added 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
Noszka injured his knee during Chartiers Valley's semifinal victory over West Allegheny.
"I probably don't give my teammates enough credit," T.J. McConnell said. "We couldn't have done this without them."
This was only the third game for Capers, who missed almost the entire season with his own injury. Capers injured his foot and needed surgery during football season, where he's the Colts' starting quarterback.
"It could have been a career ending injury," T.J. McConnell said. "He's one of the toughest kids I know."
This was the fifth WPIAL basketball title for Chartiers Valley (25-1) under Tim McConnell and the first since 2004, when the Colts won the Class AAAA championship. Hampton (21-3) was the defending WPIAL Class AAA champion, but the Talbots spent most of this season perceived as the underdogs.
Bill Luther led Hampton with 16 points, and Tim Donegan added 14.
Chartiers Valley took a 10-0 lead in the first three minutes, with five points each from Capers and Burda.
Hampton finished the first quarter with an 11-2 run, which included seven points by Luther, cutting Chartiers Valley's lead to one point, 12-11. Hampton took the lead with a layup by Nathanael Sayles just second into the second quarter.
Hampton's lead reached five, but Chartiers Valley rallied just before halftime, including a game-tying 3-pointer by McConnell with 2:30 left in the half. Nobody scored during those final 150 seconds, and the score was tied, 20-20.
In the third quarter, McConnell provided his own run, scoring nine consecutive points for Chartiers Valley, stretching the Colts' lead from six points to 13 during that span. With 1:50 left in the third, Chartiers Valley led, 41-28.
In the fourth, Hampton cut the lead to six points with a turnaround jumper by Donegan with 4:08 left but could get no closer.
"This is his house," the Chartiers Valley student section chanted for McConnell.
And, for once, it finally was.
McConnell had come close to winning a WPIAL title three other times, including as a freshman when McConnell's Colts lost the championship game here at Palumbo Center. As a sophomore and junior, Chartiers Valley was top-seeded but lost in the semifinals.
"I thought a little bit about how it felt when we lost here," McConnell said, "and I didn't want that to happen again."
