Top WPIAL basketball teams grab Almanac Elite Eleven top honors
Brionna Allen
Shamyjha Price
Megan McConnell
Mackenzie Wagner
Alexa Williamson
Sam Kosmacki
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Makenna Marisa
Kate Sramac
Kenzie Bushee
Cheyenne Trest
To the victor belongs the spoils. That adage rings true as The Almanac announces its Elite Eleven for girls’ basketball. All but three members of the all-star squad played on championship clubs. Not surprising, Bishop Canevin and Chartiers Valley lead the list with two selections followed by Bethel Park and Chartiers-Houston with one each.
The Crusaders and Colts, along with the Buccaneers claimed WPIAL titles while the Black Hawks emerged as district runners-up.
When Justina Mascaro returned to the line-up after having had surgery on a torn ACL in her left knee only six months prior, Bethel Park regained its form and reeled off nine consecutive victories to reach the WPIAL finals for only the second time in school history. For her integral role in BP’s turnaround from a 9-6 team to an 18-8 championship-caliber club, Mascaro has been named Almanac MVP.<URL destination=”http://www.thealmanac.net/20170403/bethel_parkx2019s_mascaro_garners_mvp_honors”> (See related story.)
BC’s dynamic duo
Brionna Allen along with Shamyjha Price played pivotal roles leading Bishop Canevin all the way to Hershey to compete in their second state championship contest in four years. The Crusaders finished 23-6 overall after falling to powerhouse Neumann-Goretti, 62-56, in the PIAA Class AAA final played at the Giant Center. Canevin cruised to its seventh section banner and fourth WPIAL championship appearance, whipping Neshannock, 65-36, at the Petersen Events Center to secure the district crown.
A junior, Allen averaged 14.2 points and eight rebounds per game for the Crusaders. While she dished up plenty of assists, Allen excelled as well on the defensive end of the court. For example, she limited Amani Johnson to eight points in Canevin’s second-round state playoff game against East Allegheny. In the 51-25 triumph, Allen held the WPIAL’s leading scorer to two points over the first three quarters of the game.
“Brionna took pride in her defensive ability,” Canevin floor boss Tim Joyce said. “She always guarded the other team’s best player.
“She was our hardest worker and our most consistent player,” added Joyce, who noted Allen almost never came off the floor. “I believe she is the best all-around player in the WPIAL.
Price is not too far behind Allen. The sophomore swing player managed 12.8 points per game to go along with a 5-rebound average.
“Shamyjha is an electric offensive player,” Joyce said. “She gets to basket as well as anyone. She spearheaded our press on defense. Shamyjha is only going to continue to get better.”
Youth at CV, too
The Colts, likewise, are only going to get better as they graduate just one senior from a team that posted a 20-8 overall record and won its first-ever WPIAL title for girls’ basketball. CV defeated Oakland Catholic, 52-36, in the district final and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs before falling to Trinity, 50-37, to end its season.
Two huge reasons why CV’s future is promising are Megan McConnell and Mackenzie Wagner.
Though only a freshman, McConnell played a key leadership role by keeping her teammates engaged and playing top-notch defense against the premier players in the league. For example, she contained Sierra Kotchman, holding her scoreless, as the Colts upset Trinity, 47-35, in the WPIAL semifinals.
McConnell claimed Almanac Rookie Of The Year laurels as well as all-section acclaim for those reasons as well as her 11.3 scoring average. In fact, during CV’s 11-game winning streak that culminated in the WPIAL title and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the PIAA tournament, she upped that putout to 16 points.
“Megan may only be a freshman,” CV coach Dan Slain said, “but she plays with the poise and the confidence of a senior. She has the talent and the toughness of her brothers (TJ & Matty) and the basketball smarts of her dad (Coach Tim McConnell). The hotter the lights, the brighter she shines as a fiery competitor.”
Meanwhile, Wagner led the Colts in scoring with a 14.6 average. This two-year starter also shot an amazing 16-for-17 from the free throw line during a district semifinal win against Trinity and was 12 of 12 from the charity stripe during the WPIAL championship win against Oakland Catholic. A team captain, Wagner earned first-team all-section honors by the Western PA Big 56 Athletic Conference. Though a sophomore, she has already been offered full scholarships to St. Bonaventure and Robert Morris universities.
“Mackenzie is an excellent playmaker who can drain ‘3s’ from outside the arc and who can also get to the basket with strong finishing moves,” Slain said. “She is ‘money’ at the free throw line and her game continues to evolve upward as she is on her way to becoming a complete player.”
Double trouble
Alexa Williamson posed double trouble for opponents. The Chartiers-Houston junior averaged nearly a double-double a game, sometimes a triple-double. She averaged 23 points per game to go along 12.5 rebounds an outing. She also blocked four shots a game.
Those numbers enabled the Bucs to rack up a 24-3 record and captured their first-ever WPIAL title for girls’ basketball. In that championship contest, a 47-35 win against Vincentian Academy, Williamson fired 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. In her final showing of the season, an 80-66 loss against Bellwood Antis, she exploded for 35 points and 12 rebounds.
Williamson, who missed most of her sophomore season to a knee injury, is already a 1,000-point scorer for her career.
“Alexa made a fantastic comeback this year,” said C-H floor boss Laura Montecalvo. “She has used talent and a lot of hard work to overcome adversity. She was a driving force in our run to a WPIAL championship.”
Kosmacki stars again
South Fayette reached the Final Four in the PIAA Class 5-A tournament and Sam Kosmacki was a big reason why the Lions succeeded this season. The junior led the team with a 13.5-point scoring average. She paced the Lions to a share in the section title and a 20-7 overall record.
“Sam is a very versatile player that can score in transition and be disruptive on the defensive end,” said SF skipper Matt Bacco.
For two seasons, that has been Kosmacki’s MO. The 5-11 forward is a two-time Almanac all-star as well as all-section selection. She helped the Lions win their first WPIAL title in 2016.
Marisa on the move
As a freshman, Makenna Marisa started every game for Peters Township and helped the Indians advance to the WPIAL playoffs. This winter, she did not suffer a sophomore slump. She just got better.
After averaging 10.4 points per game in grabbing Rookie of the Year honors in 2016, Marisa zoomed to first-team honors by increasing her points’ output to 17. She also improved her rebounding numbers, pulling down six a game. Marisa also picked up two steals per game.
In addition, Marisa earned all-section acclaim as she led the Indians to the runner-up slot in the league behind Mt. Lebanon. Peters finished 8-2 in Section 3 and posted an overall record of 14-9.
Lebo’s 1-2 punch
Mt. Lebanon edged out Peters Township for Section 3 honors in Class 6A and advanced to the WPIAL Final Four and PIAA playoffs because of the one-two punch provided by Kate Sramac and Kenzie Bushee. This dynamic duo led the Blue Devils to a 19-7 record.
Sramac kept the Blue Devils on track by directing the offense. She dished up six assists a game, many of them to Bushee, her 6-foot center. On her own, Sramac pitched in 11.8 points per game. She also averaged 2.5 steals an outing and grabbed 6.3 rebounds.
“She is the engine that makes our team run,” Lebo skipper Dori Oldaker said. “Without her we would have never made it to the Final Four in the WPIAL or the Sweet 16 in the PIAA.”
Without Sramac, the Lebo lacrosse team would not run either. She contributed 30 goals and 30 assists to the last year’s WPIAL championship club. Sramac, who also plays hockey and was selected for the U18 USA ice hockey development camp, will continue her basketball career at Cornell University.
Meanwhile, Bushee is bound for Stony Brook in New York. The senior forward led the Blue Devils in scoring with a 15.3-point average. She also led in rebounding with 8.9 boards per game. Plus, she blocked 129 shots for an average of five per game.
“Kenzie quietly dominated the paint both offensively and defensively for us,” Oldaker said.
Trest repeats
At Canon-McMillan, Cheyenne Trest dominated the action. As a junior, she helped turn the program around and the Lady Macs claimed the first section banner in school history and won its first-ever playoff game. This winter, Trest did not miss a beat but, although the Lady Macs qualified for the playoffs, they did not experience the same success. They finished 8-15 overall.
Trest led the Lady Macs in scoring, assists and steals. Plus, she managed nearly five rebounds a game. She scored more than 1,100 points in her career and ranks in the Top 5 all-time among scorers in school history.
“Cheyenne has a great basketball IQ,” said Lou Waller, who recently resigned as the Lady Macs’ coach. “She sees things others can’t and anticipates what happens next. She’s an all-around good offensive and defensive player and team leader. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”
While Trest excelled in soccer, assisting on 23 goals as Canon-McMillan won its first state championship last November, will play basketball in college. She is committed to Seton Hill University, where she will play point guard for the Griffins, who compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and at the Division II level. She will major in health sciences and within six years become a physician’s assistant.
Joyce top coach
While Dan Slain and Laura Montecalvo guided their respective teams, Chartiers Valley and Chartiers-Houston to their first-ever WPIAL titles with talented players, only Tim Joyce took his squad one step farther as Bishop Canevin reached the state championship game with only nine players, just two of them seniors. Of those rostered players, seven saw the majority of action, especially during the post-season.
The Crusaders cruised to an undefeated section banner and to the Class AAA crown in the WPIAL. Canevin dropped a 62-56 decision to Neumann-Goretti in the state finals. Against the three-time state champions, the Crusaders jumped out to a 16-4 lead before the Saints came marching back to victory. For his efforts in compiling a 23-6 championship season, Joyce has been named Almanac Coach of the Year.