Seton-La Salle beats Bishop Canevin for WPIAL AA title
Seton-La Salle seniors pose with the WPIAL Class AA championship trophy they won after beating Bishop Canevin, 51-35.
Cassidy Walsh drives to the basket during WPIAL Class AA championship action. She scored nine points and added nine rebounds in Seton-La Salle’s 51-35 victory over Bishop Canevin.
Sarah Green drives between Cassidy Walsh and Shaunay Edmonds but has the ball stripped away by Cassidy Walsh and Shaunay Edmonds.
Natasha Rajakovich, Erin Joyce, Gina Vallecorsa and Sarah Green pose with the WPIAL Class AA runner-up trophy for girls’ basketball. Bishop Canevin lost the title to Seton-La Salle, 51-35.
For the fourth time in five years and seventh time in school history, Seton-La Salle captured a WPIAL championship in girls’ basketball. The Lady Rebels did so by beating their chief rival Bishop Canevin, 51-35, in the Class AA title game played at the Petersen Events Center.
The Rebels used sharpshooting and a swarming defense to stymy the young Crusaders and coast to victory. Nicolete Newman’s 16 points staked SLS to a 38-10 halftime lead. The Rebels led, 15-8, after the first frame.
In the second half, Cassidy Walsh, who will play at Pitt next season, picked up the scoring mantle. She scored all nine of her points as SLS stretched its advantage to 38-22 by the end of three quarters.
Walsh and Morgan Henderson each grabbed nine rebounds. Henderson finished in double digits, firing in 11 points for the Lady Rebels, who improved to 19-7 overall.
For the Crusaders, who scored only two points, both on free throws, in the second stanza, Sarah Green led with 17 points and eight caroms. Brianna Allen followed with 11 markers and Gina Vallecorsa pulled down nine rebounds.
The teams are familiar foes having met 17 times in the past five years. The Rebels have won 15 of those encounters but in 2013 Canevin beat SLS in the district final and went on to capture a PIAA title. The Rebels are the defending state champions. The Crusaders have no seniors on their roster,
Both teams embark on PIAA tournament play March 6.