By Jose Negron
After losing to Dax Thomas State Farm in the regular season finale last week, Monessen Florist head coach Chad Carroto didn’t lose any sense of confidence in his team.
Instead, knowing a playoff rematch with State Farm was on the horizon, Carroto asked his group of girls one simple question prior to Monday night’s postseason opener.
“You guys have any plans on Wednesday?” he asked, referring to a potential championship game appearance.
Carroto’s confidence appeared to be contagious as third-seeded Monessen Florist rolled to a 52-36 upset win over No. 2 State Farm Monday night in a Mon Valley Independent Summer Basketball League girls division semifinal matchup at Marx’s Court Time Sports Center.
Monessen Florist (6-5) will face top-seeded AMD Industries in Wednesday’s championship game. AMD defeated No. 4 Lee Supply in the other semifinal game Monday.
“A couple of the girls had some things to do, but I had to make sure they cleared their schedule for Wednesday because I had a good idea we were going to win this game,” Carroto said. “Our girls are peaking at the right time and doing the right things at the right time.”
Monessen Florist led by five points at halftime and saw its lead trimmed to two less than two minutes into the second half before a significant spurt put them ahead by double figures.
With her team leading 22-20 with 13:54 on the clock, Penn Hills freshman Hannah Pugliese took over, scoring seven points during a 9-0 run to give Monessen Florist a 31-20 cushion before a timeout by State Farm.
Pugliese had a monster second half, pouring in 14 of her game-high 20 points in the frame.
“When I drafted Hannah, all I saw was her shooting foul shots, but I saw her shoot and I thought I would take a chance on her,” Carroto said of Pugliese, who added 11 rebounds for the double-double. “Thank God I did. She is the real deal.”
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