Pine-Richland standout in search of title
Kalin a top athlete who is without a basketball crown
Tri-State Sports & News Service
One of the best all-around athletes the WPIAL has seen in the past decade knows her high school career is nearing its end.
Amanda Kalin has been a big-time scorer in basketball and among the area’s top soccer players for four years. But as great as the Pine-Richland star has been, one thing has eluded her, and it continues to drive her.
For Kalin, a WPIAL title would mean everything.
“It’s what you work for during the summer. Yes, you work on getting a scholarship, but you want to win a WPIAL title,” said Kalin, a Duquesne recruit. “That’s a lot of my motivation. I’ve spent a lot of hours in the gym for that reason. And this is my last shot being a senior.”
The WPIAL playoffs will get underway in two weeks, and Pine-Richland is expected to be there until the end. They were undefeated until last week and went into last night tied with North Allegheny for the Class 6A Section 1 lead. The Rams (18-1) could win their first section title in 19 years.
Kalin, of course, is one of the biggest reasons why Pine-Richland might also win its first WPIAL title. The 5-foot-7 guard has been nearly unguardable. Kalin, the Post-Gazette Female Athlete of the Year in 201516, is averaging 24.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals a game. She’s shooting 56 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from behind the arc.
“Her game has gone to another level,” coach Tom Reighard said. “She’s shooting well. She shot the ball very well last year, too. This year she’s really getting to the basket well, slicing through defenses, and her body control is amazing.”
Winchester Thurston
The favorite to win the WPIAL Class 1A championship doesn’t have just one big-time scorer, it has two.
Winchester Thurston (150) is undefeated and clinched its first section title earlier this week. No team has been able to get the best of the Bears, who boast one of the WPIAL’s highest scoring duos. Gia Thorpe, a 5-9 junior point guard, averages 20.5 points per game and 6-1 junior forward Ayanna Townsend averages 19.1. No other WPIAL team has two players both scoring more than 17 a game. Thorpe also averages 9 assists and 7 steals a game, while Townsend averages 12 rebounds and 5 steals.
Thorpe and Townsend are teammates for the first time. Thorpe played her first two seasons at Shaler. Her father, Gene, led Fox Chapel to WPIAL and PIAA titles in 1977. Townsend was recently selected to play for the Adidas U.S. Select team that will travel to Italy this summer.
“Their chemistry on the floor is crazy, the way they know each other even though this is the first year they’ve been playing together,” coach Monica Williams said. “Gia really knows where Ayanna is at all times, and Ayanna knows how to get the ball to her point guard. They play a great two-man game.”
Avonworth
Hunter and Hayden Robinson made a name for themselves on the track last spring. The sisters are making an impact on the court, too.
Hunter, a junior, and Hayden, a sophomore, are both starters for Avonworth, which is headed to the WPIAL playoffs for the 26th year in a row. Hayden is the center and leads the team with 15.7 points and 11 rebounds a game. Hunter plays guard and forward and chips in 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds a game.
The Robinson’s family moved to the Pittsburgh area from Georgia before the 2015-16 school year. The siblings were instant hits on the track, both winning two gold medals at the WPIAL 2A championships. Hayden and Hunter finished 1-2 in the 100-meter dash. Hunter won the 400 at the PIAA championships. Their father, Troy, was a football standout at Avonworth in the late 1980s and went on to play at Kent State.
“They’re amazingly talented,” said first-year coach Mark D’Alessandris. “Talented from their floor speed, their agility, and even mentally they’re so well developed. They know what’s going to happen before it happens. It’s been an honor coaching them. They’re so special. They have a sister [ Harris] coming in next year, too.”