City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
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The PIAA state playoffs begin this weekend, with more than 70 teams from the Philadelphia area still in the hunt for state trophies. All week long, CoBL’s staff will be taking a look at the teams to watch — local and not — who can compete for titles in all six boys and all six girls’ brackets. 

Here’s a look at the girls teams (who aren’t from District 1 or 12) who could challenge for titles on the girls’ side:

Class 2A

Shenango (7-1)
The Wildcats are playing their best basketball of the season with a 13-game winning streak and a WPIAL title under their belt. Emilee Fedrizzi (15 ppg) had 13 points and surpassed 1,000 career points in the win over Freedom Area to claim the program’s first district title in its first appearance ever in that game. Janie Natale also had 13 points and Kylee Rubin had eight of her 17 points in the fourth quarter of that title game victory.

Freedom Area (7-2)
Several key players on Freedom Area’s roster were members of the 2022 PIAA Class A girls soccer championship team and are hoping for a second title this season. Junior Shaye Bailey (21 ppg) will be out for this state tournament run after breaking her collarbone before the playoffs but 5-10 senior forward Julz Mohrbacher stepped in admirably in her absence going for 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and seven steals in that WPIAL final. Sophomore guard Olivia Henderson had 12 points on four three-pointers in that game and should be a key contributor moving forward.

Class 3A

Avonworth (7-1)
The Lady Lopes won their first WPIAL title since 2018 behind the strong play of their defense as they only give up an astonishing 35 points per game. Greta O’Brien, a 5-8 junior guard who averages 15 ppg, is the catalyst behind the recent ascension of the program as she tallied 10 points and seven rebounds in the district final over Laurel. Junior Rebecca Getz is a versatile player who can play multiple spots and the 6-foot forward had 13 points in the title game.

Shady Side Academy (7-3)
Jonna Burke was an outstanding player at Bethel Park High School, scoring 1,625 career points then moving on to Pittsburgh where she was Big East Rookie of the Year and finished with 1,807 points and 954 rebounds in becoming an All-America selection as a senior. She hasn’t been too shabby in the coaching department either, having won over 500 games and engineered a major turnaround at Shady Side last season as the program only won one game the year prior to her taking the job. Two freshmen have taken Burke’s squad to new heights this season as 5-11 guard Maggie Spell (20 ppg) and 5-6 guard Karis Thomas (17 ppg), who has a Duquesne offer, are potent options and can get going in a hurry. Cameron Capel, daughter of the Pittsburgh Panthers men’s head coach, is a sophomore starter for Shady Side.

Neshannock (7-4)
The Lancers advanced to the last two PIAA 2A finals, winning last year’s championship with a victory over Southern Columbia and they’re looking to add to their esteemed résumé. Head coach Luann Grybowski has won over 700 games in her career — a feat only two other WPIAL coaches have accomplished — in 43 years and she oversees an impressive lineup starting with 6-1 senior guard and Seton Hill commit Mairan Haggerty (22 ppg). Megan Pallerino and Aaralyn Nogay are viable second options for the Lancers.

Class 4A

Wyomissing (3-1)
Winning the third district title in program history is just the start for the Trojans and everything they do begins and ends with Amaya Stewart, who had 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in the district title win over Delone Catholic. The 6-1 sophomore forward, who holds an offer from Temple, avg. 15.3 points and 11 rebounds and led the Spartans to their first Berks County title. Head coach Aaron Anders, the Berks County Coach of the Year, in line for one of its best seasons in team history.

North Catholic (7-1)
The Trojanettes come into the state tournament riding a 16-game winning streak and are fresh off their 22nd WPIAL title, the most all-time following a 51-35 win over Blackhawk. Head coach Molly Rottman won her 11th district title, tying her old coach Don Barth for the most WPIAL crowns as a coach. Alana Rocco (17 ppg), a 5-11 junior guard and Harvard commit, had 16 points in the district title and 5-10 junior guard Ava Walker added 13 points. Dacia Lewandowski, a 5-11 senior and Akron commit, gives Rottman another scoring option on the outside as the Trojanettes look for their first state title appearance since 2019.

Blackhawk (7-2)
Despite the loss to North Catholic in the district final, the Cougars are still very much in the mix for a state title. Alana Fusetti scored her 1,000th career points in that loss and enters the state playoffs avg. 17 ppg. Blackhawk will be without Quinn Borroni, who was injured prior to the postseason, but Aubree Hupp had 12 points in the WPIAL title game in Borroni’s place.

Class 5A

South Fayette (7-1)
The Lions have only lost two games all season and have won the last two WPIAL titles. Villanova commit Maddie Webber is avgeraging 17 ppg this season and the 5-11 senior guard poured in 16 points in the district title win over Oakland Catholic. She is joined by 6-3 senior forward Ava Leroux, whose father François played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-4 junior guard Lainey Yater, who has an offer from Saginaw Valley State, in the starting lineup. Leroux had a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds in the WPIAL final. The Lions also beat North Allegheny in February as Burke (17 points) and Yater (13) led the way.

Oakland Catholic (7-2)
Eddie Benton took over the Oakland Catholic program after serving as an assistant at Mississippi State for four seasons there. Benton is a Pittsburgh native and played Perry Traditional Academy before going on to Vermont, where he remains the all-time leading scorer in Catamounts history with 2,474 career points.  His team is led by 5-7 North Florida commit Alexa Washington, who avg. 16 ppg and also scored 16 in the district final. Rachel Haver chipped in 15 points in that title game.

Class 6A

Cedar Cliff (3-1)
Cedar Cliff (26-0) won its first-ever district title and comes into the state tournament with an undefeated record after advancing to the state semifinals last season. Scott Weyant has been the Colts head coach since 2014 and has won 290 games. His daughter, Sydney is the program’s all-time leader in three-pointers made and committed to Susquehanna University. Sophomore Olivia Jones, a 5-10 sophomore with an offer from Monmouth who avg. 13.6 ppg as a freshman, had 18 points in a win over Reading during the regular season.

North Allegheny (7-1)
The Tigers are two years removed from their first state title in program history and the pieces are in place to do it again. Head coach Spencer Stefko has compiled a 197-24 record with seven district titles in his career and his team is powered by 5-7 Pittsburgh recruit Jasmine Timmerson (17 ppg), who had a career-high 30 points in the WPIAL final against Upper St. Clair and a 1,000-point scorer. She is joined by 5-3 junior guard Kellie McConnell, T.J.’s cousin, and 5-11 junior forward Lydia Betz, who scored 17 points in the district title. 

Upper St. Clair (7-2)
The Panthers have not made the state final since they won it all in 1999 but 5-9 sophomore guard Rylee Kalocay (19 ppg) is hoping to change that. She sank five three-pointers and finished with 24 points in the WPIAL title against North Allegheny and has offers from La Salle and Quinnipiac. Kate Robbins, a 6-1 senior forward and Marist commit, had 10 points in the district final. Upper St. Clair will be without starting guard Sam Prunzik, who broke her arm in the district semifinals.