South Fayette, Upper St. Clair headline Almanac girls basketball all-stars
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Maddie Webber added another award to her resume as the South Fayette senior was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year in Class 5A girls’ basketball.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Maddie Webber, South Fayette
17.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ava Leroux, South Fayette
11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds per game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Rylee Kalocay, Upper St. Clair
20 points per game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Kate Robbins, Upper St. Clair
11 points, 9 rebounds per game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Natalie Wetzel, Peters Township
18 points, 8 rebounds per game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Lainey Yater, South Fayette
7.2 points, 4.4 assists per game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Mallory Daly, Seton LaSalle
21 points per game
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Payton Collins, Mt. Lebanon
12.2 points per game
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Sam Prunzik, Upper St. Clair
8 points, 5 assists per game.
Bryan Bennett, Coach of the Year
During the first game of the girls basketball season this winter, Pete Serio realized what Bryan Bennett knew all along. Maddie Webber of South Fayette can flat out play.
“She is the best player we faced,” said Serio, whose Upper St. Clair squad lost to the Lions, 45-39, in the season opener back on Dec. 2.
“She can do it all. Score, rebound, pass and defend,” Serio continued. “She is the entire package.”
After a talented freshman year, where she played point guard, Webber blossomed into one of the best players in SF girls basketball history when she moved to the wing position.
After a 14-6 campaign two years ago, the Lions surged into the winner’s circle, thanks to Webber. She guided South Fayette to back-to-back WPIAL Class 5A championships, a 51-8 record and a PIAA state runner-up performance on March 25.
Webber averaged 17.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game in 2023 as the Lions outscored the opposition by an average of 61.4 to 38.3.
“Maddie is a special player who continually tried to improve all aspects of her game,” said Bennett, who guided the Lions to a 28-3 season to claim Coach of the Year honors.
“Maddie helped in our success on both ends of the floor this year. She has the ability to score the basketball from all areas. She also distributed the ball to open teammates and was willing to do the little things like set screens to help set up teammates to get open shots.”
None of her shots were bigger than the 3-pointer she took during the PIAA quarterfinals. Webber sunk the bucket at the buzzer to propel the Lions to victory, 40-37, against Erie Cathedral Prep.
South Fayette went on to beat Oakland Catholic, 58-54, to advance to the state finals for the first time in program history. The Lions lost to Archbishop Wood, 61-54, in the PIAA finals at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Webber scored 11 points in the state championship contest to finish her career with 1,387 points.
“I was happy with the way I played this year,” Webber said. “I thought I definitely improved defensively, improved my rebounding and my ability to score in different ways.”
Webber will continue her career at Villanova. The Wildcats, who had a 30-7 record this season, began recruiting Webber last summer after seeing her at an AAU event.
“I love Villanova’s style of play. It’s a lot like how we play at South Fayette. They run a lot of set plays,” Webber said.
Webber headlines the list of Almanac girls basketball all-stars as Most Valuable Player. She and the team were selected based on a survey among area coaches as well as statistics and games viewed by the staff.
Two join Webber
Two of Webber’s teammate’s join her on the Almanac girls’ basketball all-star list.
Ava Leroux has been a two-sport standout at South Fayette. After helping the Lions reach the WPIAL finals in girls volleyball last fall, she again contributed to a second straight district crown in basketball.
A two-year starter at center, Leroux dominated the glass, pulling down 8.1 rebounds per game. She also pitched in 11.9 points an outing. The Elon University recruit was an all-section and all-district performer.
“Ava was a big part of our success this season,” Bennett said. “She has the ability to post up but can also pull her defender away from the basket and drive the ball on them. Ava is also an outstanding rebounder.”
Lainey Yater directed the SF offense. The junior point guard dished up 4.4 assists per game. She also supplied 7.2 points per game.
“Lainey is a pass-first point guard,” Bennett said. “She is always looking to get her teammates involved. Lainey would pressure the other teams point guard which is one of the reasons we were so successful defensively.”
Trio star at USC
Upper St. Clair also managed three players on the Almanac all-star list. Rylee Kalocay, Kim Robbins and Sam Prunzik helped the Panthers reach the WPIAL Class 6A finals for the third year in a row. USC posted a 23-4 record that featured a section banner as well as an appearance in the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament.
After a fabulous freshman year, where she averaged 13 points as the first player off the bench, Kalocay assumed a larger role in USC’s starting line-up. As a sophomore starter, she became not only the team’s leading scorer but one of the top scorer in the league’s largest classification.
Kalocay averaged 20 points per game to go along with three steals an outing. She scored 24 of USC’s 45 points in the WPIAL championship loss to North Allegheny.
Kalocay buried 42 3-point field goals and cashed in on 88 percent of her shots from the charity stripe.
”Rylee made a big splash as a freshman for one of the top 6A programs in the district and followed it up with a sensational sophomore season,” said Serio. “She has proven to be one of the best players in all of the WPIAL. When our games were on the line she was our go to player. Rylee was a significant reason we were as successful as we were.”
USC was successful over the past four years, posting a 72-22 record, because of Robbins and Prunzik.
A 1,000-point scorer, Robbins is a Marist College recruit. The 6-1 forward averaged 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds a game. She finished her career as one of the Top 5 rebounders in school history.
”Kate has been our post presence and an anchor for this team for the last four years,” Serio said. “She has been a focal point of opposing teams game plans.”
”Kate has patrolled the paint and has always put the team first. She is leaving her mark on this program. Her hard work and dedication is the reason for her great accomplishments.”
Prunzik toiled on the court as well as the pitch for the Panthers. A standout soccer player, she managed eight points per game while dishing up five assists a game before breaking her left arm in the WPIAL semifinals. Though just 5 feet, 5 inches tall, she ranked second on the team in rebounding. She also guarded the opposing team’s best player.
”Sam was our unquestioned leader,” Serio said. “In my eyes, she is an all star.
”She made it difficult for anyone to press us and she got our offense rolling. She impacted our team in ways most people couldn’t see.”
PT duo excel
The future at Peters Township is bright because the 1-2 punch of Natalie Wetzel and Gemma Walker not to mention newcomer Bri Morreale.
Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Wetzel blossomed into one of the team’s leading scorer with an 18-point average. An all-section performer, she also grabbed eight rebounds a game and helped PT to a 13-10 record after falling to USC in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL playoffs.
”Natalie has one of the best sophomore seasons in Class 6A in recent memory,” said PT’s first-year coach Steve Limberiou.
Walker surpassed Wetzel in scoring, averaging 20 points per game. She also hauled in four rebounds and dished up three assists a game. She was the leading scorer in all of Class 5 and 6A of the WPIAL.
A freshman, Morreale is The Almanac Rookie of the Year, following in Wetzel’s footsteps. She averaged 9 points a game. She converted 40 percent of her 3-point field goals and assumed the role on the team of guarding the opponent’s best guard.
”Bri was an extremely efficient player,” Limeriou said. “She was one of only two freshman in our section to start and play major minutes. She has a very bright future.”
Unit adds two
Payton Collins of Mt. Lebanon and Mallory Daly from Seton LaSalle round out the list of Almanac girls basketball all-stars.
A sophomore, Collins averaged 12.2 points per game for the Blue Devils, who finished 18-9 overall after falling to North Allegheny, 57-34, in the quarterfinals of the PIAA state playoffs. Collins excelled during Lebo’s come-from-behind win against Chartiers Valley, 47-46, in the WPIAL quarterfinal. She fired in 25 points, 17 in the game’s final 3:30 to capped a 17-point rally.
A junior, Daly averaged 21.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 3.3 assists for the Rebels, who posted a 13-10 record after losing to Waynesburg in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. Daly surpassed the 1,000-point plateau.
Almanac Girls Basketball All-Stars
First Team
Rylee Kalocay Upper St. Clair Soph. Guard 20 ppg. 3 steals
Ava Leroux South Fayette Senior Center 11.9 ppg. 8.1 rebounds
Gemma Walker Peters Township Junior Guard 20 ppg. 3 assists
Maddie Webber South Fayette Senior Guard 17.1 ppg. 2.9 assists
Natalie Wetzel Peters Township Soph Forward 18 ppg. 8 rebounds
Second Team
Payton Collins Mt. Lebanon Soph Guard 12.2 ppg
Mallory Daly Seton LaSalle Senior Guard 21.7 ppg. 10.3 rebounds
Kate Robbins Upper St. Clair Senior Forward 11 ppg. 9 rebounds
Sam Prunzik Upper St. Clair Senior Guard 8 ppg. 5 assists
Lainey Yater South Fayette Junior Guard 7.2 ppg. 4.4 assists
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Maddie Webber, South Fayette
HONORABLE MENTION: Mary Boff, Sophia Nath, Ella Sabatos–Bethel Park; Ella Cupka, Emma Reynolds, Lyla Turnbull–Chartiers Valley; Gina Smith–Mt. Lebanon; Sami Bewick, Bri Morreale–Peters Township; Erica Hall–South Fayette; Mia Brown–Upper St. Clair
COACH OF THE YEAR Bryan Bennett, South Fayette