Norwin is making quite an impression
It was “youth night” at Norwin when the Knights played host to North Allegheny Jan. 29. Younger players from the other school and community programs were invited to see Norwin battle unbeaten North Allegheny in a key Class 6A Section 1 matchup.
Talk about making an impression.
The Knights beat a Tigers squad that had not lost to a regular-season opponent in more than two years. Norwin won the game, 44-43.
“It was our youth night and we were trying to show them some good, quality basketball,” said Norwin coach Brian Brozeski. “It was a great win overall for a lot of different reasons. NA is a great team and a nice program and we’re trying to build a good program.”
Jayla Wehner knocked down the winning shot with 6.3 seconds remaining. Jessica Kolesar then poked the ball from Lizzy Groetsch on the other end to thwart a lastsecond attempt for the Tigers.
North Allegheny came into the game riding a 50-game regular-season winning streak dating back to Jan. 5, 2017. The Tigers and Peters Township, currently 20-0 and last season’s WPIAL runnerup to North Allegheny, were the front-runners to meet again for the WPIAL Class 6A title. Norwin’s upset was an emphatic, “Not so fast.”
After all, the Knights (18-1, 11-1 Section 1) have one of the best coaches around in Brozeski and were WPIAL champions as recently as the second of back-to-back titles in 2016. That squad featured Alayna Gribble, who went on to play at Pitt. This year’s team has Gribble’s younger sister, Olivia.
Olivia Gribble is a junior guard averaging 13.7 points per game. Against North Allegheny, she knocked down six 3-pointers for her 18 points. Gribble has long been an accurate shooter, but she has added more wrinkles to her game as the season has gone along.
“It’s always going to jump off the page when you see her shoot,” said Brozeski. “When she gets a chance to lock in on that rim, she’s deadly. She’s shooting 50 percent from behind the arc. What she’s really grown at, though, is other aspects of the game like handing the ball, rebounding, playing defense.”
Norwin has several others making key contributions. Kolesar, as she demonstrated in the clutch, is an excellent defender.
Emily Brozeski leads the team in rebounding at a clip of six per game and also is the second-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game. Abby Best is the team’s top post defender and also stretches the court on the offensive end with her ability to knock down 3s. Wehner is the point guard who does a good job of keeping the pace. And the bench players take their job as a scout team seriously during practice so the Knights are ready come game time.
“What’s beautiful about our team is we have so many people doing their role,” Brozeski said. “When we step on the court, we know that we will have an opportunity and a chance to win.”
Fab Freshmen
The WPIAL boasts some pretty talented seniors. There’s Penn State recruit Makenna Marisa at Peters Township, Akron recruit Rachel Martindale at North Allegheny and University of Massachusetts-Lowell recruit Shamyjha Price at Bishop Canevin, to name a few.
When those players head off to their respective schools, the district will be in good hands for years to come. A crop of talented freshmen are already making waves.
Reilly Sunday of Moon was still in middle school when she received a scholarship offer from Duquesne. She has lived up to the hype by scoring nearly 20 points per game for the Tigers. Rochester’s Corynne Hauser is another top scorer in her first season. She puts in more than 15 points per game for the Rams.
The Crusaders have a wealth of talent to surround Price. One of them is 6-foot freshman Emma Theodorsson. She netted a career-high 31 against Frazier Jan. 22. Robert Morris has already offered her a scholarship.
Deer Lakes guard Reese Hasley made a splash when she knocked down eight 3pointers en route to 28 points Jan. 21 against Valley.
In Class 6A, the largest classification, it can be more difficult to earn playing time, especially at some of the best programs. A handful of players have bucked that trend. Journey Thompson, a 6-1 center, has established herself in the starting rotation for undefeated Peters Township.
Norwin’s Breanna Zayjack, a 5-9 guard, was in the game during crunchtime in the Knights’ upset of North Allegheny. She coupled with Kolesar on a trap for the game-sealing steal in that game.
Vincentian
Just when this season was starting to look like a rebuilding year, Vincentian went on a run to clinch a playoff spot in Class 1A.
Through Monday, the Royals (9-10, 7-4 Section 1) have won five of their past six. VIncentian also has run off six consecutive section wins.
Vincentian won the Class 2A title last season and padded it’s WPIAL title count to 11. North Catholic is the only girls program with more titles. The Trojanettes have 18.