WEXFORD — Fox Chapel had a dismal shooting performance early on Tuesday night, making just a single basket in its 11 attempts in the first quarter.

The Foxes more than made up for it over the final three periods.

Cold shooting turned into a blistering 60 percent (15 of 25) in the final 24 minutes of the game as the Foxes earned a 58-45 decision over Seneca Valley in a WPIAL Class 6A first round boys basketball playoff game at North Allegheny High School.

“We told our kids that the basket has no memory, just keep shooting,” said Fox Chapel coach Zach Skrinjar. “I think nerves played a part early, but then you hit a couple of shots in a row and the basket seems to get bigger.”

As impressive as the Foxes' offense turned out to be, Seneca Valley coach Kevin Trost was more focused on his team's play at the other end of the floor.

“We just couldn't score for long stretches,” he said. “That's what did us in.”

The Raiders had an opportunity to take command of the game in the first quarter. But while the Foxes struggled and put up just four points, SV managed just 10.

“We're always confident that we can play defense,” said Skrinjar. “We didn't allow them to get a big lead and that had a lot to do with the outcome.”

Fox Chapel (16-7) hit its stride on offense in the second quarter, making five field goals — all of them 3-pointers — and led 20-17 at the break.

The Raiders wanted to get the ball inside to 6-foot-7 senior center Marcus Might. While he did lead SV with 14 points in the game, Trost knew it wasn't enough.

“They did a good job with help defense on Marcus,” he said. “We didn't make enough outside shots (3 of 19) to get them out of that and they continued to sag on us.”

The third period proved frustrating for Trost and his team. While the Raiders made all three of their 2-point attempts in the quarter, they made just one of their six attempts from beyond the arc and Fox Chapel's lead swelled to 37-28.

Freshman guard Eli Yofan was the catalyst for the Foxes, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the period and thwarting a pair of SV scoring chances with steals.

The Foxes led 43-28 with 5:30 left in the game and the Raiders' offense came out of its lull. Gabe Lawson's trey, followed by a bucket from Mason Bush, pulled the Raiders to within 48-39 with two minutes remaining.

But junior guard Arnold Vento, who finished the game with 20 points and four treys, teamed with Sam Brown to drain a combined 10 free throws to keep the Raiders at bay.

Zac Zajacs chipped in 11 points for the Raiders.

In Trost's first year of leading the Raiders, the team finishes the season with an overall record of 11-11.

“I took over exactly six months ago and we accomplished a lot,” he said. “What I'm most proud of are the relationships I built with the players.”

SENECA VALLEY 45

Tre Rosell 0 2-2 2, Gabe Lawson 3 2-2 9, Trey Berringer 0 2-2 2, Marcus Might 6 2-2 14, Mason Bush 3 0-2 7, Zac Zajacs 5 0-0 11, Brendan Koken 0 0-0 0, Connor Lyczek 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 8-10 45.

FOX CHAPEL 58

Eli Yofan 6 2-2 16, Noah Marks 1 0-0 3, Sam Brown 2 6-8 10, Ryan Kerr 2 0-0 6, Arnold Vento 5 6-8 20, Will Livingston 0 3-4 3, Kent Baldauf 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 17-22 58.

Seneca Valley 10 7 11 17 — 45

Fox Chapel4 16 17 21 — 58

3-point goals: Seneca Valley 3 (Lawson, Bush, Zajacs); Fox Chapel 9 (Vento 4, Kerr 2, Yofan 2, Marks).