Semis sweet for WPIAL girls’ basketball teams
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Olivia Ziegler breezes past Allison Podkul during Peters Township’s WPIAL Class 6-A girls’ basketball playoff game against Hempfield. The Indians defeated the Spartans, 48-40, and gained a berth in the PIAA state tournament. They played Bethel Park on Feb. 27 for the right to compete in the WPIAL championship game set for 7 p.m. March 3 at the Petersen Events Center.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Haley Sabol drives to the basket during WPIAL playoff action. With wins against Penn Hills and Norwin, Mt. Lebanon gained a berth in the PIAA state tournament. The Blue Devils battled North Allegheny in the semifinals and the winner advanced to the WPIAL championship game set for 7 p.m. March 3 at the Petersen Events Center.
Regardless of the results in their WPIAL Class 6A Final Four girls’ basketball games, Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park and Peters Township experienced the sweet success that the semifinals signify. They all survived to play another day beyond Feb. 27 as they all qualified for the PIAA tournament.
“The kids are aware of how fragile the playoff experience can be,” said BP floor boss Jonna Burke. “They want to continue the season and they are willing to fight for it.”
Bethel Park (17-5) fought off Latrobe, 70-50, to extend its season beyond the district tournament.
In the WPIAL quarterfinal clash played Feb. 23 at Gateway, the Hawks led by 10 points, 38-28 and 49-39, at halftime and at the end of third quarter before they outscored the Wildcats, 21-12, in the final eight minutes to ice the victory.
Maria Cerro led the way with 19 points.
“Maria did a great job, as she has all season, controlling the ball and getting to the hoop and converting at the foul line,” Burke said.
Olivia Westphal followed Cerro’s lead. The freshman fired in 17 points and dished up four assists.
“To be honest, I don’t even think of Olivia as a freshman,” Burke said. “She has never played like one. She played poised. If she was nervous it did not show.”
Kamryn Lach experienced last year’s run up to an appearance in the WPIAL finals. The senior, who will continue her career at Carlow, contributed 10 points against Latrobe.
“Kam is so steady,” Burke said. “She’s our leader and had hit so many big shots over the last two seasons.”
In the win over the Wildcats, BP also received contributions from Maddi Dziezgowski and Emma Papalia. A sophomore, Dziezgowski pulled down 10 rebounds. Papalia came off the bench to score nine points.
BP’s victory set up a showdown with section rival Peters Township (20-3) in last night’s (Feb. 27) semifinal.
The Indians, who had beaten the Hawks twice this winter to capture the Section 3 crown, dispatched Hempfield, 48-40, in their quarterfinal playoff game at Baldwin.
Makenna Marisa scored 20 points while Isabella Mills and Lillian Young followed with 13 and 11 tallies for the Indians. Though a junior, Marisa is one of the top performers in the league. She averages 23 point per game and garners high praise from her coach as well as opposing managers.
Lebo has played some of its best basketball when it comes to tournament time. To date, the Blue Devils have defeated Norwin, 53-40, and Penn Hills, 31-30, in the playoffs.
“In both games, our team had to battle through adversity and weather the storms,” said coach Dori Oldaker. “Our girls never got rattled and just kept battling.”
While playing a tough regular season schedule has done nothing to embellish Lebo’s 13-11 overall record, it has prepared the Blue Devils for post-season play, including Tuesday’s date with No. 1 ranked North Allegheny (23-0) in the semifinals.
“We have played an extremely tough schedule this year,” agreed Oldaker “We believe in the process and worry about getting better, not about wins and losses. We had some big wins down the stretch that solidified a playoff spot. I am so incredibly proud of our team and how far they have come.”
For example, Haley Sabol has come far. The sophomore led the Blue Devils with 16 points against Norwin.
“It’s hard to believe that Haley is only a sophomore, she’s playing like a seasoned senior,” Oldaker said. “She’s always working on her game and she’s never satisfied. I am really proud of her development. She’s committed to making herself better, but more importantly, she committed to making her team better.”
Alyssa Hyland’s play made the Blue Devils better in both playoff wins. She fired in 11 points against the Knights. She led with 15 against Penn Hills. Nora Kogan chipped in 10 tallies in the win against Norwin, who led by one point at halftime before the Blue Devils went on a 20-9 tear.
Upper St. Clair, like Lebo, was excited to have the opportunity to play North Allegheny in the playoffs. After their 45-26 loss, the Panthers’ post-season fate is in the paws of the Tigers. NA would have to successfully defend its WPIAL title for USC to qualify for the PIAA tournament. Only the top six teams in Class 6A of the WPIAL advance into the state playoffs.
Against NA, which held the Panthers scoreless in the second stanza, Kate Groninger led USC with 10 tallies. Rachel Martindale, who averages 15.5 points per game, fired in 19 markers, nine off 3-point field goals.
Class 5A
Chartiers Valley advanced to the semifinals in the Class 5A playoffs with a 49-42 win against West Allegheny. The Section 1 rivals split their regular season contests but the Indians had won the section banner.
The Colts will play Gateway at 8 p.m. Feb. 28 at Baldwin for the right to defend their WPIAL title. The Class 5A championship game will be played at 3 p.m. March 3 at the Petersen Event Center.
Against West-A, Megan McConnell exploded for 27 points while Mackenzie Wagner supplied 21 tallies. The pair rank among the scoring leaders in the league with averages of 19.4 and 17.4 respectively.
Defense also spearheaded the Colts’ effort as they limited leading scorer Hannah Lindemuth to two points. They also held the Indians to four points in the second stanza and nine in the third quarter, turning a 15-12 first quarter deficit into a 34-28 advantage by the end of three frames.
If the Colts beat Gateway and Oakland Catholic defeat Mars, then the WPIAL Class 5A girls’ final will be a repeat of the 2017 championship contest. Last year, CV defeated the Eagles, 52-37, for the title.
Class AAA
Bishop Canevin commenced defense of its WPIAL 3A title by dispatching Laurel, 57-32, in a quarterfinal game played Feb. 24 at Geneva College.
Brionna Allen fired in 22 points, including 12 in the first half as the crusaders opened up a 31-11 advantage. Diajah Allen and Gillan Gustine chipped in 15 and 12 points respectively.
The Crusaders (18-4) play Mohawk (19-4) at 8 p.m. Feb. 28 at Moon in the Class 3A semifinal. The winner will face the victor between East Allegheny (23-0) and Newshannock (20-3) at 11 a.m. March 3 at the Petersen Event Center.
East Allegheny dispatched Seton-La Salle, 60-41, to reach the semifinals. In the game played at Gateway, Alyssa Pollice and Layni Ziegler tossed in 17 and 11 points for the Rebels (10-14). The duo finished in double digits with 19 and 19 points respectively in SLS’s first-round playoff win against Riverside, 50-48.
In other playoff action, Keystone Oaks dropped a 62-46 decision to Central Valley.
Jaylen Hoffman (15), Gillian Piccolino (14) and Keagan Brownlee (11) led the Golden Eagles, who finished 17-5 overall.