Tigers win first state title
Morningstar, Groetsch power NA to historic victory
HERSHEY, Pa. — As eighth-graders, Lizzy Groetsch and Paige Morningstar sat side-by-side in the crowd at Giant Center, watching North Allegheny fall one win short in its quest for a first PIAA championship.
The two said that night they hoped they could someday help bring the Tigers a title, something they had a chance to do Friday as seniors.
“Today we talked about it again and said, ‘Hey, let’s not make that same mistake,’” Morningstar said. “Let’s come out like we have all year from the start. In these huge games, it comes down to who wants it more and I think all of our kids did.”
When it comes to winning state titles, NA is no longer MIA.
Groetsch scored 22 points and Morningstar 16 to lead North Allegheny to a 5540 win against previously undefeated Spring-Ford in the PIAA Class 6A championship at Giant Center.
The win allowed North Allegheny (271), winners of four WPIAL titles in the past five years, to reach the state summit after a number of near-misses. In addition to losing in the 2017 final, the Tigers saw their season end in the semifinals in 2014, 2016 and 2018. A year ago, they had advanced to the quarterfinals when COVID-19 brought a premature end to the season.
“We’ve been so close every year,” said Groetsch. “At the beginning of the year, we knew we had the pieces. It feels great. I’m kind of speechless.”
And so was North Allegheny coach Spencer Stefko.
“I have nothing to say because what they just did said everything about who they are,” said Stefko, who won his second PIAA championship.
When Stefko coached Seton La Salle to a state title in 2014, the final win came against an undefeated team, just like Friday. North Allegheny put the clamps on District 1 champion Spring-Ford (24-1), limiting the Rams to their second-lowest point total of the season. The Rams shot just 23% (12 of 51) from the field, including
6 of 29 from behind the arc. The Tigers held Lucy Olsen, a Villanova recruit and Spring-Ford’s all-time leading scorer, to 15 points on 3-of -4 shooting. Teammate Emily Tiffan added 14.
“I just thought we did a good job helping each other out. We knew that Lucy was a great player, so every time she came off a screen, we were there to stop her. I think we just battled,” said Groetsch, a Penn recruit who will encounter Olsen in some Big Five battles in upcoming seasons.
Groetsch and Olsen fought through foul trouble. Groetsch picked up two fouls in the first quarter and her third midway through the second, sending her to the bench with North Allegheny leading, 19-12. Spring-Ford cut its deficit to 22-21 before Groetsch returned and connected on two free throws with a minute left to send the Tigers into the half with a three-point lead.
Olsen then went to the bench after committing her second and third fouls in the first two minutes of the third quarter. The Tigers made Spring-Ford pay, beginning the third on 8-1 run go go ahead, 32-22. Groetsch scored six points during the stretch courtesy of a pull-up jumper and two driving layups.
North Allegheny led, 38-31, to start the fourth when Morningstar showed her versatility by turning freshman Kellie McConnell’s steal into a 3-pointer and then scoring on a put-back to give the Tigers a 43-31 advantage with 6:21 left. Spring-Ford got no closer than nine the rest of the game, as the Rams shot 16% (3 of 18) from the field in the final quarter.
Cam Phillips added six points (two 3pointers) and Jasmine Timmerson five points and seven rebounds for North Allegheny, which shot 38% (16 of 42) for the game.
It was another big performance for Groetsch, who was 8 of 9 from the field and added a team-high eight rebounds. Groetsch finished her career with 1,509 points.
“She played at a different gear today,” Spring-Ford coach Mickey McDaniel said. “She plays at a high gear to begin with, but I’m just saying she took it up to another gear. And she wasn’t doing it alone. It was a really solid team effort on their part.”
Those teammates included Groetsch’s close friend Morningstar, who picked up her fifth PIAA gold medal. She won four, including one in the fall, as a key player for North Allegheny’s volleyball team. She’s going to play that sport at Louisville.
Tears of joy streamed down Morningstar’s face as she spoke after the game.
“They all mean a lot, but this one is huge,” she said. “Senior year, this is all I wanted. I wanted to win a WPIAL and state in both sports and I did. That’s all I wanted, and I’m just so happy.”