Unprecedented 3 teams have eyes on perfect finish
Two girls teams winning WPIAL championships with undefeated records in the same season is rare. Last season, it happened for only the third time.
What could take place at Petersen Events Center this weekend wouldn’t just be rare.
It would be unprecedented. Chartiers Valley, Southmoreland and West Greene haven’t just been good this season. They’ve been perfect. All three are 24-0. Only 18 girls teams have claimed WPIAL titles with unbeaten records, but these three perfectionists could increase that number to 21. Never before have three teams accomplished the feat in the same season.
“That is crazy and wild to think about,” said Southmoreland coach Brian Pritts.
West Greene and Southmoreland play Friday, the Pioneers in the Class 1A final against Rochester at 3 p.m. and the Scotties in the Class 4A final against North Catholic at 7 p.m. Chartiers Valley takes on Trinity in the Class 5A final Saturday at 3 p.m.
None of the three undefeated coaches said they expected to still be without a loss at this point, but if there was a likely candidate among the trio, it was Chartiers Valley, which, along with Peters Township, went unbeaten last season. The Colts returned two starters from a team that won WPIAL and PIAA titles. Senior point guard Megan McConnell is a Duquesne recruit and sophomore guard Aislin Malcolm the team’s leading scorer with 16 points per game. The Colts have won 54 games in a row, two shy of the WPIAL record.
“We’re doing this with four sophomore starters. For them to step up, credit to them,” coach Tim McConnell said.
For the third time this season, McConnell will go headto-head with his sister, Trinity first-year coach Kathy McConnell-Miller. Chartiers Valley beat Trinity by six and 17 points in the regular season.
“I could kick myself because I’m the one who recommended her to the principal at Trinity,” McConnell said, tongue-in-cheek. “It’s going to be fun. One of the McConnells is going to win the 5A championship.”
Trinity, which is shooting for its first title, is led by senior guard-forward Riley DeRubbo, a Fordham recruit averaging 16 points a game.
Southmoreland expected to be one of the top teams in Class 4A. The Scotties lost only one senior from a team that went 18-6 and advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals a season ago. Still, this is a team that had never reached a WPIAL final and whose top scorers are a sophomore (Gracie Spadaro) and freshman (Olivia Cernuto). The Scotties also had a key player transfer out less than a month into the season.
“I don’t know if being undefeated so far has really sunk in,” Pritts said. “It’s cool, but we’re focused on the next game.”
That next game just happens to be against a team that has won more WPIAL titles (19) than any other school. North Catholic (23-1) is the No. 1 seed and three-time defending champion. The Trojanettes can become only the sixth team to win four consecutive titles. They feature Division I-bound senior guards Tess Myers (Duquesne) and Kylee Lewandowski (Richmond).
West Greene reached the final the past two seasons, but many expected the Pioneers to take a step back this season after graduating three 1,000point scorers. Instead, the Pioneers are once again a win away from claiming their first title. They are led by junior guard Jersey Wise (17 ppg).
“We thought we’d be good, but maybe 17-5 or something like that,” said West Greene coach Jordan Watson. “But we did think we could make it back to the Pete.”
West Greene will get another shot at Rochester (23-1), which beat the Pioneers, 62-56, to win its first title last season. The two are meeting in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Rochester, the No. 1 seed, has an outstanding backcourt led by junior guard Alexis Robison (19 ppg) and a strong post player in 5-11 senior forward Jasmine Mack.
Class 6A
First to 40 wins? Points will likely be at a premium when top seed Bethel Park (21-2) takes on North Allegheny (213) Saturday.
These are the top two defensive teams in Class 6A. Bethel Park gives up 36.9 points per game and has won its playoff games by scores of 33-29 and 36-29. North Allegheny surrenders 38.6 and beat Upper St. Clair, 39-27, in the semifinals.
“We’re pretty locked in defensively, but watching film on Bethel, they really are, too,” said North Allegheny coach Spencer Stefko.
Bethel Park has a strong 1-2 punch in senior guard-forward Maddie Dziezgowski (16 ppg) and junior guard Olivia Westphal (15 ppg). Dziezgowski is a St. Bonaventure recruit and Westphal has some Division I offers. Bethel Park’s only losses were to Mt.
Lebanon on a buzzer-beater and North Catholic
North Allegheny’s Lizzy Groetsch is a talented junior guard-forward who averages 17 points a game. She recently committed to Penn. Another top player is freshman guard Jasmine Timmerson, who is averaging nine points and five rebounds a game.
North Allegheny, the No. 2 seed, is playing in the final for the fifth year in a row. The Tigers won back-toback titles in 2017 and 2018 before falling to Peters Township in overtime in last season’s final. Stefko has won four titles, two at North Allegheny and two at Seton LaSalle.
You could call this the rubber match between Stefko and Bethel Park coach Jonna Burke. The latter guided Bethel Park to its only WPIAL title against Stefko-coached Chartiers Valley in 2013. Four years later, Stefko led North Allegheny to a title win against Burke and Bethel Park.
Class 3A
A first-time WPIAL champion will be crowned Saturday. Mohawk (21-3) is making its championship debut. Beaver (21-3) made its only other appearance two seasons ago when it fell victim to a last-second shot by North Catholic’s Tess Myers.
“It’s a big accomplishment,” Beaver coach Greg Huston said of returning to the final. “It feels really good, but at the same time we want to finish it off. Last time we got about as close as you can get.”
Beaver and Mohawk split the Section 1 title and their head-to-head matchups ended with nearly identical scores — Mohawk beat Beaver, 55-44, and Beaver topped Mohawk, 54-44.
While there are similarities, there are also differences. A big one is tempo. Mohawk likes to play fast and shoot a lot of 3-pointers. The Warriors averaged a Class 3A-best 65.1 points per game. Beaver plays a more methodical style and boasts the No. 1 scoring defense in the WPIAL, giving up just 29.9 points a game.
“They present some matchup issues,” said Mohawk coach Mike O’Lare. “They’re much bigger than we are. We like to control tempo and move up and down. Which team can control the pace?”
Mohawk averages 11 3-pointers a game. Senior guard Karly McCutcheon connected on eight in the quarterfinals. McCutcheon (17 ppg) and junior guard Nadia Lape (18 ppg) are Mohawk’s leading scorers, but it was junior guard Paige Julian who scored 33 points in the semifinals. Beaver is led by junior guard Emma Pavelek (17 ppg), who scored 25 points in Beaver’s 46-37 semifinal win against another Section 1 team, Avonworth.