Blackhawk’s success is guarded

Blackhawk’s M.O. is putting the ball in the hands of its two future Division I guards and letting them beat teams with their shooting and playmaking abilities.

That pair of M.A.’s have the Cougars once again looking like a WPIAL championship contender.

Mackenzie Amalia and Mady Aulbach are a dynamite guard tandem for a team that has had quite a few stars at the position over the years. The two are off to great starts. Amalia, a sophomore, is averaging 18.1 points per game and Aulbach, a junior, is averaging 17.1. They combined to score 51 points in one game last week. It’s no coincidence that the Cougars are 7-0 and the Post-Gazette’s No. 2ranked team in Class 4A.

“I think they’ve been phenomenal. I think it would be hard to find a better guard combo in the WPIAL,” Blackhawk coach Steve Lodovico said. “They’re doing so many things well. They’re very unselfish. They’re getting others involved and that’s opening up things for them.”

Initials aren’t the only things Amalia and Aulbach have in common. They are each 5 feet 5 and outstanding shooters, particularly from long range. They are also copoint guards — one plays the point and the other the twoguard in the first half before switchingspots in the second.

They may be underclassmen, but they have been on the radar of college coaches for a number of years. Aulbach had several Division I offers before verbally committing to Youngstown State in March. Amalia is one of the top sophomores in the WPIAL. She was offered by Duquesne as a seventhgrader and also has offers from Robert Morris, Kent State, Valparaiso, St. Bonaventure, Niagara and Vermont.

Aulbach is not only skilled, but also a ball of energy, and does a great job of creating offense with her hustle on defense.

“She’s like an Energizer Bunny,” Lodovico said. “Great defensive player. Can really score in multiple ways. Has really developed her outside shot. Gets to the rim. Just her presence and her leadership is what really sticks out.”

Amalia has followed in the footsteps of her sister, Madison, who is a freshman at St. Thomas Aquinas College in New York. Both were starters on last year’s Blackhawk team that finished as the WPIAL runner-up. Lodovico pointed to the younger Amalia’s terrific court vision as being one of her greatest strengths.

“She can see the floor better than maybe any point guard that I’ve had,” said Lodovico, who a few years ago coached current Duquesne star Chassidy Omogrosso. “Smart player. Can make reads that most people can’t make. Her range from the 3point line can extend. Can score getting to the rim. She’s also a good defender for us.”

Blackhawk has another talented guard in senior Taylor Lambright, who will play collegiately at Carlow.

Leechburg

She doesn’t have a name as recognizable as, let’s say, star teammate Mikayla Lovelace, but Leechburg senior guard Cameron Davies has made a mark in her own way — the 3-point way.

Davies reached an impressive milestone recently when she connected on the 200th 3-pointer of her career. Heading into this week, Davies had increased that number to 203. A four-year starter, Davies has scored the majority of her points on 3-pointers. She has 835 career points, 609 of them (73 percent) coming on shots from behind the arc.

“To me, it’s extremely impressive,” Leechburg coach Joel Ceraso said of Davies’ 3point shooting milestone. “With Cameron, what’s really nice about her is that it’s not just the 19 [feet], 9 [inch] range. Even as a freshman she could shoot from 20 or 22 feet and make a high rate. The last couple of years there’s been more of a focus on her, but we find different ways to get her the ball.”

Top competition

Defending WPIAL champions Bishop Canevin (Class 3A) and Chartiers-Houston (Class 2A) played nationally ranked opponents in out-ofstate tournaments last week. Bishop Canevin upset No. 24 Montverde Academy, Fla., 44-41, in the Holiday Basketball Classic of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla. Chartiers-Houston didn’t fare as well, losing to No. 12 Hoover, Ala., 63-21, in the Rock Holiday Classic in Orlando, Fla. Hoover is the No. 1-ranked team in the state in Alabama’s largest class.