Neshannock gifts a title for its coach
Top-seeded Lancers KO unbeaten Serra for 2nd crown in three seasons
Cupcakes and balloons.
That’s what Neshannock players gave longtime coach Luann Grybowski for her birthday Thursday.
Grybowski said she appreciated it, but admitted she wasn’t content.
“What would complete my birthday would be a gift of gold,” said Grybowski, one of the WPIAL’s all-time winningest coaches.
Friday, her players delivered that, too. Neshannock celebrated for the second day in a row after claiming its second WPIAL title by defeating previously undefeated Serra Catholic, 54-44, in the Class 2A championship at North Allegheny.
“We got her cupcakes and a WPIAL title,” standout point guard Neleh Nogay said afterwards.
Megan Pallerino scored 19 points and Nogay added 14 for No. 1-seeded Neshannock (17-2), which captured its second WPIAL title in three seasons. No. 2 Serra (16-1) was trying to become the 20th girls team to win a WPIAL championship with an unbeaten record.
While Pallerino and Nogay were the big scorers, it was two unheralded players who played big parts in getting Grybowski her 683rd career win and fifth WPIAL title (she won the first three at New Castle). Sophomores Aaralyn Nogay (Neleh’s sister) and Hunter Newman didn’t score a point the first 27 minutes, but came through in crunch time, scoring 11 of Neshannock’s final 16 points.
Nogay and Newman’s biggest points came when Serra made a spirited push in the fourth quarter after trailing since late in the first half. Serra pulled within 39-38 on Cate Clarke’s layup with 5:05 to go, but Nogay scored her first points on a foulline jumper to push Neshannock’s lead to 41-38. Serra’s Rylee Campbell responded with a bucket to cut the Neshannock advantage down to one again, but Newman tallied her first points on a runner that made it 43-40. Nogay then added a 3pointer. Serra didn’t get within six points the rest of the game.
“You talk about different kids stepping up and you talk about it being a team game and winning as a team, they are the epitome of that,” said Grybowski. “Everyone
accepts their role and when it’s their time, they step up and get the job done.”
Neshannock got it done with a young starting lineup that included two juniors and three sophomores.
Serra was just 6 of 18 from the field in the fourth quarter, missing all five of its 3point attempts.
“We didn’t have good possessions and had some breakdowns when we didn’t need to have breakdowns,” Serra coach Bill Cleary said.
This was a rare matchup of coaches with more than 650 career wins. Cleary, who has spent all 34 of his seasons at Serra, has 657 wins. He and Grybowski are two of only four girls coaches in WPIAL history with more than 600 wins.
Serra, which was seeking its fifth
WPIAL title, got a team-high 15 points from sharpshooting guard Nicole Pawlowski, all on 3-pointers. Chloe Honick had nine and Clarke, a freshman, chipped in seven.
Turnovers hurt Serra throughout, particularly in the first half when the Eagles had as many miscues as points — 15. The Lancers mixed up zone defenses, playing some 1-2-2 and 2-2-1, and used traps to make Serra uncomfortable.
Neshannock led, 23-15, at the intermission after closing the half on an 8-0 run. Neleh Nogay scored four points in that stretch, including a layup just before the buzzer.
“I knew coming out in the second half they were going to be more prepared for the trap,” Grybowski said.
She was right. Serra got six points from Pawlowski and five from Honick
in the third quarter to cut its deficit to 35-31. The Eagles forced eight Neshannock turnovers in the third, which helped them stay close despite starting guard Grace Navarro fouling out with 3:11 left.
In the fourth, Serra had to have been feeling good after Clarke’s layup three minutes into the frame. Then, 18 seconds later, Neshannock’s leading scorer Mairan Haggerty fouled out after being held to two points. She came in averaging 19.
That’s when Haggerty’s and Nogay’s supporting cast stepped up, providing Grybowski with a belated birthday gift — another WPIAL crown.
“Same feeling,” Grybowski said of winning her fifth title. “In fact, it gets better. It really does.”