Shady Side Academy freshman Javon Johnston took third in the triple jump at the Butler Invitational. Janosko was told that Johnston set a middle school record at Moon for one of the horizontal jumps is finding ways to live up to his reputation Johnston placed third in the triple jump among a competitive field with a leap of 45 feet He also finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 22-2 ½ “I was in awe of his triple jump,” Janosko said he was hitting his marks and was able to get to 45 He is one of the best horizontal jumpers that I’ve had at SSA.” Janosko wants Johnston to have fun with track but he also wants to see Johnston grow as the season gets closer to the WPIAL Class 2A championships we want him to stay healthy,” Janosko said We want him to tweak things here and there Janosko was also happy with the performance of Will Nury and Harlan Cooper The Butler Invite gave Shady Side Academy an opportunity to test itself against strong competition our kids could compete with some of the 3A teams and 3A athletes,” Janosko said They’ll be better prepared as we move into May.” A number of local athletes did well at Butler Barker picked up an eighth-place finish in the 3,200 run with a time of 11:10.30 Maria Ravotti went 5-2 in the high jump to place ninth Fox Chapel thrower Claire Conti finished third in the discus with a throw of 117-6 She also placed 10th in the shot put (33-6) If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase SHADYSIDE — As the month of April wrapped up with a line of strong thunderstorms blowing through the Ohio Valley Shadyside residents were left assessing the damage done to their property from Tuesday evening’s bad weather Shadyside Village Council member Robert “Bushwacker” Gorrell said that several trees were taken out by the storm with one nearly hitting the newly renovated shelter at the Shadyside baseball field it didn’t miss a resident’s truck “I know there were several trees that fell down there One of them barely missed the new building that they just put up and hit a brand new Ram pickup truck and demolished it,” Gorrell said Shadyside Youth Sports took to social media following the storm adding that its new garage shed made it through unscathed “Crazy storm wreaked havoc on our facilities,” the organization posted “Thankfully no one was injured from the 5 trees that came down a nice gentleman lost his truck while his kids were at the playground We’ve been working diligently since it happened to clean it up and will continue.” for assisting with cleaning up the debris left by the storm offering their hand in helping clear the debris left from the storm Gorrell said that he saw a few houses on 45th and Highland had their roofs blown off He added that on the east side of the street a few houses also sustained roof and porch damage He did say that although property was damaged or destroyed there were no reported injuries anywhere in the village as a result of the storm Today's breaking news and more in your inbox economy shrank at a 0.3% annual pace from January through March CLAIRSVILLE — After a brief but severe storm ripped through the Ohio Valley Tuesday afternoon BARNESVILLE — Village Council members remain hesitant about a contract resolution despite Mayor Jake .. | https://www.timesleaderonline.com | 200 S Pittsburgh Union Progress Clair meets District 1 champion Perkiomen Valley at 6 pm Friday for the PIAA Class 6A championship at Giant Center in Hershey longtime Panthers coach Pete Serio might need to pinch himself to make sure he’s not stuck in a flashback Friday’s game will mark a full-circle moment for Serio and his wife Although Serio has never been to the state title game as a head coach he has made one prior trip to Chocolate Town as an assistant under McConnell-Serio when the pair helped bring Oakland Catholic its first state title together all the way back in 1993 how the roles have changed,” McConnell-Serio said Serio has spent much of his career in the shadow of McConnell-Serio a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame who excelled as both a player and coach in high school McConnell-Serio won four WPIAL titles and three state titles in 14 years as a coach at Oakland Catholic was named WNBA Coach of the Year with the Minnesota Lynx in 2004 then spent six years at Duquesne and five at Pitt until giving up her head coaching career to join her husband’s staff as an assistant in 2019 “This is the only time I’m the head coach so it’s nice to be the head coach for once.” After several years of close calls and near-misses — including three WPIAL runner-up finishes in a four-year span from 2020-23 — Upper St. Clair finally broke through and captured the WPIAL Class 6A title with a 45-40 win over defending champion Norwin The Panthers have since carried their winning ways over into the PIAA tournament rattling off four victories in a row to reach the state championship game for the first time since 1999 and only the second time in school history “You might think it’s a Hallmark movie,” Serio said “I wouldn’t have believed it [32 years ago] Just doing this together — I’m very lucky Clair’s state playoff run may seem like the stuff movies are made of sweat and tears the Panthers have poured out onto the hardwood over the course of the season are very real — and Serio repeatedly emphasized that this journey is about the players “It’s not about me,” Serio said “I’m just enjoying watching the kids have fun and the smiles on their faces Just the joy of their hard work being rewarded There’s a lot of people who can do what I do.” Kent State recruit and former PUP first-team all-star Rylee Kalocay receives the vast majority of the headlines for Upper St The 5-9 senior guard finished among the top-three scoring leaders in the WPIAL during the regular season for the second year in a row and she has elevated her game to a new level during the Panthers’ spirited playoff run Serio even admitted to seeing some similarities between Kalocay and McConnell-Serio — widely regarded as the greatest point guard in WPIAL history “Their competitive nature is pretty close They expect and demand the best,” Serio said “I’ve said this her whole career — nobody steps up in a bigger moment … I’ve seen it since she was a freshman But while Kalocay draws most of the attention Clair’s unsung heroes have each taken turns stepping into the spotlight in recent games Senior guard Meredith Huzjak scored a team-leading 17 points in a 51-35 PIAA quarterfinal win against District 1 fifth-place finisher Haverford then it was senior forward Liv Terlecki who tallied a team-high 19 points for the Panthers in last week’s 53-49 upset win over District 1 runner-up Garnet Valley in the state semifinals it’s Rylee [Kalocay],” Serio said “It’s just so nice to see a different kid [step up].” Clair will encounter its toughest test of all in the form of Perkiomen Valley (27-3) a team that defeated the Panthers on their home court back on Dec “There are no surprises now,” Serio said I think that should take the guesswork out of it.” Clair will take the court for Friday’s rematch as a sizable underdog in the eyes of many with 6-2 guard Grace Galbavy and 6-3 forward Quinn Boettinger teaming up to form one of the top tandems in the country for the Vikings Both tied for the team lead with an average of 15.6 points per game Galbavy is a Wake Forest recruit while Boettinger is committed to Navy Senior guard Bella Bacani also averages double figures at 11.5 ppg “This team has everything you need,” Serio said “I’m pretty sure we know what’s going to happen in this game They’re going to go inside to [Boettinger] or they’re going to let [Galbavy] go to work the Panthers can cement their legacies forever on the biggest stage of them all they have already put together a season that will go down as one of the best in school history while making enough memories to last a lifetime “I’ve had a lot of my best experiences as a coach these last three weeks,” Serio said After avenging a heart-wrenching WPIAL championship defeat with an emphatic 50-36 win against Peters Township in last week’s Western Region final South Fayette has a full week to prepare for the PIAA Class 5A championship game at 6 p.m Saturday — but the Lions don’t have any time to bask in the glow of their victory over the Indians Not with the premier girls basketball dynasty in the state awaiting them in the grand finale I’m going to tell the kids to make sure to embrace this and make it a memorable experience,” Bennett said “When we went up there the first time With Archishop Wood aiming for its 10th state title in its illustrious history and South Fayette seeking its first Saturday’s showdown has all the makings of a rematch for the ages — but this isn’t your typical David vs As if the bar wasn’t already set high enough the Vikings have been especially dominant during their 2025 state tournament run winning their first four PIAA playoff games by an average margin of 34.5 ppg South Fayette has been incredibly dominant in its own right with its four PIAA playoff wins coming by an average of 24 ppg the Lions (28-2) have won 27 games by double-digit points Bennett has no misconceptions about where his team stands in the eyes of the public going into Saturday night “I’m sure on paper everyone is going to look at us as the underdog,” Bennett said “We’re driving up there with the expectation to win and compete our best We’re not just going to let them have it.” Most key players from the initial matchup between the teams have since graduated, including former PUP Player of the Year Maddie Webber and several other South Fayette standouts Junior guard Ryan Oldaker is the only player who saw significant minutes for the Lions in the 2023 title game Joseph’s recruit Emily Knouse is the only remaining starter for Archbishop Wood Knouse is a returning first-team all-state selection for the Vikings while sophomore point guard Ryan Carter is ranked among the top-10 prospects in the country in the 2027 class “[Carter] is a super talented kid,” Bennett said “They have a lot of shooters out on the floor that force you to space out and give her a lot of driving lanes We’ll have to find a way to limit their opportunities.” With a terrific trio of juniors in Haylie Lamonde (12 ppg) Juju Leroux (12.1 ppg) and Oldaker (12.4 ppg) along with a breakout sophomore point guard in Lailah Wright (9.5 ppg) the Lions look like a team with all the potential to be even better next year But why wait for next year with a chance to go down in history right in front of you “We’re excited for the opportunity,” Bennett said “I’m sure when the ball goes up in the air In her 30-year coaching career across three separate stints at Butler Jonna Burke has seen just about everything Burke has won a pair of WPIAL titles — one at Bethel Park in 2013 and another with the Bulldogs last year But she has never coached in the biggest game of them all — until now When Shady Side takes the floor for the PIAA Class 3A championship game against District 4 champion Loyalsock Township (29-2) at 6 p.m the Bulldogs (28-1) will be making their long-awaited state finals debut — and Burke will be doing the same “Usually what I’m doing right now is I’m glued to March Madness and all of that,” Burke said “It’s always been a dream to get to the state championship game To finally have it happen with this group of special kids Coming off a 31-point outburst in a 65-46 win against Imhotep Charter in the PIAA semifinals 6-1 junior forward Alaina Dadzie is a force on the inside for Loyalsock while senior guard Lacey Kriebel is a Lock Haven recruit who can also take over a game at any time for the Lancers Loyalsock is also making its first state championship appearance Despite losing 6-2 junior forward Cassie Sauer to a season-ending injury in a 55-20 win against Riverside in the WPIAL quarterfinals the Bulldogs still advanced to their second consecutive WPIAL championship game before falling to Greensburg Central Catholic in a battle of reigning champions But Shady Side bounced back with four consecutive wins in the PIAA tournament to set up a showdown with the Lancers on Thursday for all the marbles the kids kind of gave me belief,” Burke said “Then the big blow with [Sauer] — when that happened … The supporting players have all stepped up their games just a little bit.” Throughout the team’s state playoff run junior point guard Karis Thomas has risen to the occasion time and time again putting the Bulldogs on her back while solidifying her status as one of the top players in the area Only time will tell if she has one more career-defining performance in store — but it wouldn’t be wise to bet against it “I think if I have Karis Thomas on my team “Good kids make coaches look better.” Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette we're heading back to the town of Shadyside Netflix has released the official trailer for Fear Street: Prom Queen, following the teaser dropped in February the film begins days ahead of the Shadyside senior prom where the competition for the crown is fierce — then the frontrunners start turning up dead 2024 -- The Anne Arundel County Department of Health is seeking anyone who may have come in contact with a raccoon on October 29 on the 6500 block of Shady Side Road in Shady Side If you or your pet had contact with this infected animal, or your pet has unexplained wounds, please contact the Anne Arundel County Department of Health at 410-222-7254 Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or 443-481-3140 after business hours Rabies is spread by the bite or scratch of an infected animal It is also spread when an infected animal’s saliva comes in contact with the eyes mouth or open cut of a person or another animal Preventive treatment might be required for anyone who handled fed or was attacked by the infected animal and preventive treatment (injections) must be started as soon as possible The Department of Health advises county residents to take the following precautions to prevent the spread of rabies: For information about rabies, visit www.aahealth.org/rabies. To get a free fact sheet on rabies, call 410-222-7254 O’HARA TOWNSHIP — OLSH’s magical season came to an end Friday night in the PIAA semifinals to Shady Side Academy “I am super proud of this team,” OLSH head coach Don Eckerle said “To see what this team accomplished throughout the season The loss to end the season is disappointing but when you look at what we did as a group After a strong first quarter where OLSH’s Leah Parker scored eight of the team’s 10 points OLSH's offense could not get into a rhythm in the second quarter with the team scoring just two points both coming off of free throws Shady Side took advantage of the offensive drought outscoring OLSH 12-2 in the second quarter PIAA basketball playoffs: Despite three head coaches, this Sewickley Academy forward has taken the changes in stride “With our shots not falling, we also had a couple of critical turnovers in that quarter that hurt us,” Eckerle said. “When we started the game hitting a couple of shots from the outside, I think we thought that it would be a three-point shooting type of game but we just went cold at that juncture.” After holding Shady Side guard Karis Thomas to just seven points in the first half, the junior was dominant in the second half as she scored 14 points in the final two quarters to finish the game with 19.  Thomas helped expand Shady Side Academy's lead in the final frame as the team went out on a 7-0 run to extend its advantage to a 12 points.  “I thought we did a pretty good job with guarding her [Karis Thomas] but we lost her a couple of times and she made us pay for it by knocking down a couple of long set shots,” Eckerle said. “But overall, I thought that we did a good job especially Libby Gallick. Her speed, ball handling and overall quickness make her a very difficult assignment.” The PIAA semifinal loss marked the end of the road for three OLSH seniors. Claudia Ierullo, Emily Scheller-Gallagher and Elizabeth Gallick, who all played a key role in the team’s success will end their high school careers coming up just one game short of the PIAA Class 3A Championship.  But as Eckerle looks back at what this group accomplished, he knows that they have nothing to hang their heads on. “It was a tremendous year for these girls and not that this run was unexpected, but it is something that when we look back at it from day one, it is hard to imagine being in this position.” Loyalsock Twp.’s Lacey Kriebel battles Shady Side Academy’s Cam Capel for a rebound next to Makiyah Mitchell during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Giant Center in Hershey. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores between Loyalsock Township defenders during the PIAA Class 3A championship game Thursday at Giant Center in Hershey. Loyalsock Twp.’s Alaina Dadzie works against Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford and Cam Capel during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Giant Center in Hershey. Shady Side Academy head coach Jonna Burke watches, as Loyalsock Twp.’s Jaekairah Harden pressures Cam Capel during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Giant Center in Hershey. Loyalsock Twp.’s Alaina Dadzie battles Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford for a loose ball during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Giant Center in Hershey. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford drives past Loyalsock Twp.’s Lacey Kriebel during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Giant Center in Hershey. Loyalsock Twp.’s Alaina Dadzie scores past Shady Side Academy’s Cam Capel during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Giant Center in Hershey. Loyalsock Twp.’s Lacey Kriebel blocks a shot by Shady Side Academy’s Cam Capel during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Giant Center in Hershey. Loyalsock Twp.’s Lacey Kriebel shoots an uncontested 3-pointer against Shady Side Academy during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Giant Center in Hershey. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores past Loyalsock Twp. defenders during the PIAA Class 3A state championship game on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Giant Center in Hershey. Governor Josh Shapiro joins Shady Side Academy captains Makiyah Mitchell, Karis Thomas and Cam Capel for the state runner-up trophy presentation after the PIAA Class 3A final on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Giant Center in Hershey. Loyalsock’s Lacey Kriebel scored 23 points and Alaina Dadzie had 21 as the District 4 champion defeated Shady Side Academy, 55-43, in the PIAA Class 3A final Thursday at Giant Center. Kriebel is a 5-foot-10 senior guard. Dadzie is a 6-1 junior forward. The two formed an inside-outside combination that scored 44 of the team’s 55 points. “We knew that Dadzie inside was going to be a real matchup problem for us,” Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke said. “That was our focus and hoping that they’d have an off night shooting. But they didn’t.” Kriebel went 5 for 9 from 3-point range, and Dadzie converted 9 of 14 shots from inside the arc. “It was like pick your poison basically,” Shady Side Academy junior Karis Thomas said. “It was just a tough time.” The state title was the first for Loyalsock (30-2) in its first appearance. Shady Side Academy’s last lead of the game – 31-30 – came 18 seconds into the second half. Thomas led the Bulldogs (28-2) with 22 points. A fourth-quarter scoring slump dashed Shady Side Academy’s hopes. A layup by Thomas cut Loyalsock’s lead to 44-41 early in the fourth, but the Bulldogs scored only one more basket in the finals seven minutes. They were also limited by a dozen turnovers. “We went on a drought at the absolute worst time of the game,” Burke said. “That just propelled them.” Shady Side Academy was making its first appearance in Hershey. It was also the first for Burke, a coach who won more than 500 games in a career that included stints at Butler and Bethel Park. This was her fourth year at Shady Side Academy. “People don’t understand how hard it is to get to a state championships game,” Burke said, “and I can say that with perspective because I’ve been trying to do it for 30 years.” The score was close throughout. Loyalsock led 14-13 after one quarter, 30-28 at halftime and 43-37 after three. Thomas went 9 for 12 shooting from the field including 3 for 4 from 3-point range. But beyond her points, Shady Side Academy struggled to find much additional scoring. Makiyah Mitchell and Leah Buford added eight points apiece. “I think at times some of us passed up some shots that we could have taken to maybe get the ball in play a little bit more and not looked to Karis as much,” Burke said. “But she’s carried us. She’s gotten us here, so it’s natural to do that.” A mid-February injury cost Shady Side Academy its second-leading scorer, 6-2 junior Cassie Sauer. Losing her hurt the team long before reaching the state finals, but her absence in the middle was obvious against a Loyalsock team with size. “It’s natural to think about it,” Burke said. “You said, their 6-2 kid ate us up. If I have my 6-2 kid out there, could it have been different? You can’t not think about it, but we’ve been playing without her for five weeks now. We had to adjust.” Holding a 44-41 lead, Loyalsock finished the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run. Dadzie and Kriebel combined to score eight of Loyalsock’s final 11 points. “They just proved to be a deadly combination,” Burke said. “We literally switched defenses about four or five times. We never do that, but we had to.” Our Lady of the Sacred Heart coach Don Eckerle always knew senior guard Claudia Ierullo was capable of filling up the stat sheet “She shares the ball,” said Eckerle, who joined the 400-win club earlier this season ‘If you’re going to score 25 points do it in a game we need 25 points in.'” The Chargers (24-4) needed all 25 and then some on Tuesday night Taking on WPIAL Class 3A champion Greensburg Central Catholic in a rematch of a one-sided WPIAL semifinal defeat on Feb OLSH knocked off the Centurions (22-6) with a nail-biting 36-34 win at Peters Township thanks to Ierullo’s game-high 25 points after missing a free throw in the final 10 seconds the Slippery Rock recruit intercepted a pass moments later to seal the Chargers’ win in the second round of the PIAA tournament “She’s got great instincts,” Eckerle said “The steal was absolutely the biggest play But her bank-in [3-pointer] at the end of the third quarter helped as well We went into the fourth quarter and basically turned it over to Claudia and said we’re going to give you the ball as much as we can and see what happens.’ “I think anyone who has played against her realizes she is definitely a talent but tonight definitely put her in the spotlight.” But it was the Chargers who got the last laugh on Tuesday, sending Greensburg Central home and avenging the two previous defeats with an inspired defensive performance. Richmond recruit Erica Gribble tallied a team-high 19 points for the Centurions. “We had used that [triangle-and-two] in the past on them. That was nothing new to them,” Eckerle said. “The last time we played them at the same place, same venue. The result was quite different [tonight].” This isn’t the first time OLSH has avenged multiple losses in the same season against the WPIAL champion in the state tournament under Eckerle. Two years ago, the Chargers eliminated WPIAL champion Avonworth — also in the second round of the PIAA Class 3A tournament — after losing three times to the Antelopes earlier that season. “It’s been brought up to me a couple times this week,” Eckerle said about the similarities to his team’s 2023 PIAA playoff run. “Again, you have to believe you can do this. I give our kids a lot of credit. We put a couple things in with only two days of practice. The kids bought into it and said, ‘OK, this is what we’ve got to do.'” • WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 46-32 win in its rubber match against section-rival Canon-McMillan at Peters Township’s AHN Arena. Kent State recruit Rylee Kalocay led all scorers with 20 points for the Panthers (21-6) to go with 10 from Meredith Huzjak. Faye Saunders finished with a team-high 14 points in the defeat for the Big Macs (16-10). • WPIAL runner-up Neshannock (24-4) saw its season come to an end against two-time defending state champion Kennedy Catholic, 50-36, at Union. Payton Newman led the Lancers with 19 points to go with 11 from Sophia Bonner, while Madison Pfleger scored a team-high 19 points for Kennedy Catholic (20-5) along with 12 from Layke Fields. • DaShae Cochran scored a team-high 12 points for Winchester Thurston (23-5) in a season-ending 66-39 loss against District 6 champion Bishop McCort at Norwin. Cami Beppler and Emma Preuss scored 17 points apiece to lead the way for the Crushers (24-4). Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 36, Greensburg C.C. 34 Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com. Karis Thomas, left, and Leah Burford, right, celebrate following the end of Shady Side Academy’s 43-29 win over OLSH on Friday, March 21, 2025 at Fox Chapel High School in the PIAA semifinals. OLSH’s Annabeth Grayson attempts to slow down Shady Side Academy’s Laila Banner on Friday, March 21, 2025 at Fox Chapel High School. The Bulldogs beat OLSH 43-29 to reach the PIAA Class 3A final. Shady Side Academy junior guard Karis Thomas attempts to find a way past OLSH guard Shae Trombetta. Thomas scored 21 points and the Bulldogs beat OLSH, 43-29, Friday March 21, 2025 at Fox Chapel High School to reach the PIAA Class 3A final. Shady Side Academy’s Laila Banner winces as OLSH’s Claudia Ierullo collides with her Friday, March 21, 2025, during a PIAA Class 3A semifinal Friday night at Fox Chapel. The Bulldogs’ junior guard and her teammates made adjustments on the fly to become a team capable of reaching the PIAA Class 3A final Shady Side Academy hasn’t stumbled since suffering its only loss a defeat to Greensburg Central Catholic in the WPIAL final beating OLSH 43-29 to reach the state championship game for the first time in school history and I look at every one of them as my sister The Bulldogs (28-1) will play District 4 champion Loyalsock Township in the championship game Shady Side Academy had to figure out a plan for how to win without 6-foot-2 forward Cassie Sauer Thomas said all of the Bulldogs felt they had to contribute more Sauer suffered a season-ending leg injury during the Bulldogs’ win over Riverside in the WPIAL quarterfinals “I think we obviously had to get a lot more rebounds,” Thomas said and we all had to use our voices out there.” Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke said the team had to take a pause “We were all shook up about that,” Burke said “We weren’t sure this postseason was going to be what we thought it was going to be But I thought if I had Karis Thomas on my team OLSH (25-5) threw everything it had at stopping Thomas the Chargers sent constant double teams in her direction only making two of its 13 field goal attempts in the first quarter The Bulldogs trailed 10-5 after the first quarter thanks to the strong shooting of Leah Parker The Chargers guard scored eight of her team-high 12 points in the opening quarter OLSH limited Thomas to two points in the first quarter “I thought we did a good job,” Charger coach Don Eckerle said and she made us pay with those set shots.” OLSH’s offense hit a roadblock in the second quarter The Chargers didn’t make any field goals and Shady Side Academy surged ahead with a 10-0 run “We switched out defense because what we started in wasn’t great because (Parker) kept getting loose for 3s,” Burke said “We made a change to a different zone in the second quarter.” Laila Banner made a layup in the middle of the second quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead for good Shady Side Academy took a 19-12 lead into halftime Eckerle said that Parker getting in foul trouble hurt OLSH’s momentum on offense “Her picking up a second foul impacted the second quarter as well,” Eckerle said “We wanted to take her out for a minute or two That slowed down her momentum and ours as well.” Shady Side Academy leaned on its excellent defense to close out the win The Bulldogs limited OLSH to six points in the fourth quarter Leah Buford scored eight points for Shady Side Academy “It’s unbelievable really because I’ve been doing it for 30 years and I played in high school for four years prior to that and it’s always been a dream to get to a state championship game In a low-scoring slugfest between the WPIAL’s top two defensive teams in Class 3A things weren’t looking good early on for Shady Side Academy After falling behind by five against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (25-5) going into the second quarter the Bulldogs came roaring back for a 43-29 win in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals at Fox Chapel Star point guard Karis Thomas shined once again for Shady Side (28-1) scoring a game-high 21 points while igniting the Bulldogs’ comeback on their way to their first state title game in school history “That kid makes everybody around her better,” Shady Side coach Jonna Burke said about Thomas “I call her the ‘Purple Unicorn,’ because I think she is and she’s put the team on her back.” FINAL SCORE: Shady Side Academy 43, OLSH 29.For the first time in school history, the Bulldogs are heading to Hershey!! 🍫Karis Thomas: 21 pointsLeah Parker: 12 points pic.twitter.com/259WnGUYd5 After scoring 25 and 17 points in the Chargers’ previous two PIAA playoff wins the Bulldogs limited OLSH senior Claudia Ierullo to just four points on the evening Ierullo didn’t score until 5:20 remaining in the third quarter although she still found ways to impact the game with her hustle and tenacity on defense while facilitating the Chargers’ offense Leah Parker finished with a team-leading 12 points in the loss “[Ierullo] is so good,” Burke said “I’ve seen her do some things in these state playoffs that were upper-level We were so worried about her that I think we forgot about some of the other players for a little bit.” OLSH jumped to a 10-5 lead at the end of the first but Burke and the Bulldogs made some adjustments to their zone defense that clearly paid dividends going into the second quarter Shady Side’s stingy defense kept the Chargers from scoring for more than seven minutes surging ahead with a 12-0 run until a free throw by Parker with 30.6 seconds left in the half finally ended OLSH’s drought because what we started out in wasn’t great,” Burke said … I think we were able to cover a little bit better [after the first quarter].” With the Bulldogs taking a five-point lead into the break both teams went back and forth throughout the third quarter before Shady Side seized control of the game with a 7-0 run to start the fourth the Bulldogs pulled away to clinch their first PIAA championship appearance with a 43-29 victory “It feels amazing,” Thomas said Coming off its first WPIAL championship in school history a year ago Shady Side lost its leading scorer heading into the season after standout guard Maggie Spell transferred to Thomas Jefferson Burke still steered the Bulldogs to an undefeated regular season while earning a No only to lose 6-2 junior forward and double-double machine Cassie Sauer to a season-ending injury in the WPIAL quarterfinals Shady Side still found a way to advance to its second consecutive WPIAL championship game, only to cough up a late lead in a 56-51 defeat against Greensburg Central Catholic But the Bulldogs have rebounded with four consecutive victories in the state playoffs with several role players stepping up to help fill the massive void left behind in the lineup by Sauer’s absence “We kind of had to regroup after the WPIAL playoffs were over and look at some things we could do differently,” Burke said “We counted on [Sauer] to rebound the basketball so much … I don’t want to diminish what her loss has meant to us I just think some of the other kids have stepped up in little ways.” As a considerable underdog heading on a three-hour journey to James Buchanan High School in Mercersburg to take on District 1 runner-up Garnet Valley in the PIAA Class 6A semifinals “Ever since getting on the bus, it’s been nothing but screaming and laughing,” said Panthers coach Pete Serio. “Just being happy. Genuinely happy. We’re very blessed. This has just been so much fun for all of us.” Typically known for shutting down the opposing team’s top player on defense, Terlecki drained five 3-pointers in her career-best performance for Upper St. Clair (23-6). Kent State recruit and PUP first-team all-star Rylee Kalocay tacked on 13 points for the Panthers, while Lafayette recruit Haylie Adamski led all scorers with 25 points in a losing effort for Garnet Valley (27-3). “I gave [Terlecki] a big hug and I said loudly in her face, ‘Are you kidding me? You saved your career high for the state semifinal?’” Serio said. “Man, did she come through today. I think the other team saw Meredith [Huzjak] make five 3s last game and were trying to shut her down. …  Man, I’m so happy for her. My God, what a great game.” Upper St. Clair will now move on to take on District 1 champion Perkiomen Valley (27-3), which defeated District 12 champion Archbishop Carroll in a battle of Philadelphia powerhouses in the other PIAA Class 6A semifinal, 52-45. “We don’t feel any pressure,” Serio said. “I know we’re going to go out there and try and win. We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing for the last few weeks.” Shady Side Academy announced alum Andrew Geisler as its new football coach on Jan. 31, 2025. A former football team captain, Geisler graduated in 2012 and later played defensive line at Saint Vincent. His coaching resume includes college stints at Cornell, Cal (Pa.) and Thiel, where he worked since 2019. “I’m honored to return home to Shady Side Academy and lead our football program,” Geisler said in a statement. “This community has shaped who I am, and I’m eager to build on its rich tradition and take it to new heights.” Shady Side Academy ended this past season under interim coach Dave Szlachetka. He took over midseason after eighth-year coach Chuck DiNardo resigned. The team went 2-8 overall with a 1-5 record in the Class 2A Allegheny Conference. “Coach Geisler is the right leader to guide our football program into its next chapter,” Shady Side Academy athletic director Sean Simmons said. “His coaching pedigree, leadership skills and deep connection to Shady Side make him the ideal fit. His return marks an exciting new chapter, and we can’t wait to see the impact he will have in shaping the future of football at SSA.” As a four-year starter in high school, Geisler helped Shady Side Academy to a 33-13 record and four playoff appearances. The team reached the WPIAL 2A quarterfinals in 2011 and the semifinals in 2008. He earned all-conference honors on both sides of the ball. In college, Geisler was named Saint Vincent’s defensive player of the year in 2014, and he served as a team captain in 2015. He graduated with a degree in biology. Geisler joined Thiel’s staff six years ago as a defensive backs coach and added co-defensive coordinator duties in 2021. He also served three months in 2021 as Thiel’s interim head coach. “Geisler’s return to Shady Side Academy represents a full-circle moment, as he brings a vision for the future of SSA football that honors its history while fostering growth and excellence,” the school said in its statement. There will be only one WPIAL girls championship game contested Thursday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center with five more to follow on Friday and Saturday — but this year’s slate is starting off with a bang In a rare clash of reigning champions both looking to go back-to-back defending Class 3A champion Shady Side Academy will put its undefeated record on the line against last year’s Class 2A champion After dominating its way to last year’s WPIAL Class 2A title the Centurions bumped up to Class 3A for the current two-year cycle and slotted into Class 3A Section 2 The two high-powered teams met twice during the regular season with Shady Side Academy sweeping the season series on its way to earning the No The Bulldogs won the first matchup at home in lopsided fashion on Jan then they broke open a tie game in the fourth quarter for a 59-48 win at Greensburg Central in the rematch on Feb When they square off for the third time at 7 p.m everything that happened in the first two meetings can be thrown out the window “I’m hoping for a close game,” said Shady Side coach Jonna Burke everybody thought it was heading here.” Despite losing standout guard Maggie Spell who transferred to Thomas Jefferson after finishing as the leading scorer for the Bulldogs last season Shady Side didn’t take a step back like many would have expected the Bulldogs found a way to get even better completing an undefeated regular season while picking up a handful of marquee victories along the way Shady Side defeated four Class 6A foes — Butler Seneca Valley and Woodland Hills — not to mention wins against Class 5A Baldwin and reigning PIAA Class 4A champion Blackhawk And that doesn’t even include the Bulldogs’ domination over a loaded section that included the Centurions and 2023 WPIAL Class 3A champion Avonworth, the team Shady Side dethroned in last year’s WPIAL title game “I have coached for 30 years and I’ve been in a lot of ‘final four’ situations and this will be the sixth time that I’ve had a team advance to the championship game,” Burke said “But there are probably at least 10 or 12 times in there where we lost in the semifinal round … There was a lot of pressure on them all season long too They were able to live up to that standard that was placed on them.” highly touted junior Karis Thomas took over as the Bulldogs’ unquestioned leader and floor general Already one of the most talented players in the area the 5-7 point guard took it upon herself to provide more of a scoring presence on top of her role as the team’s primary ball handler and facilitator Thomas averaged a team-high 18.2 points per game during the regular season — and she just poured in a career-high 46 points in a 69-33 win against Ellwood City on Saturday in the WPIAL semifinals “I don’t believe in all that junk stuff I don’t think that wins games,” Greensburg Central coach Chris Skatell said “We just have to take the challenge on and try to defend [Thomas] better and get her flattened out when we can You just don’t want her to have 46.” Thomas had a trusted sidekick in the form of 6-2 junior forward Cassie Sauer a double-double machine who averaged 15.3 ppg during the regular season But Sauer is out for the remainder of the season after sustaining a hip injury during a WPIAL quarterfinal win against Riverside on Feb a blow like that would simply be too much to overcome especially at this stage of the postseason “Certainly nobody is replacing Cassie,” Burke said “It is kind of a committee situation where everybody has to be responsible for a few more rebounds per game Everybody has to be responsible for a few more points per game What she brings as far as a presence in the paint We’re working hard to try to figure it out right now.” Leah Buford is taking on a bigger role in the frontcourt for the Bulldogs in the aftermath of Sauer’s injury and senior guards Cameron Capel and Makiyah Mitchell will both be relied on to help ease some of the scoring burden on Thomas’ shoulders Burke pointed to 5-8 freshman guard Laila Banner as a player who could be ready for her breakout moment on the big stage against the Centurions on Thursday night “We are going to be a little different now,” Burke said “I’m just anxious to see how we stack up now against them.” Thursday’s game isn’t about avenging the pair of losses the Centurions took against Shady Side earlier this season It’s not about trying to be the team to end the Bulldogs’ perfect season their goal is to win — and if they can find a way to do that the revenge that comes with it will be even sweeter “It definitely helps to have been there There’s no doubt about that,” Skatell said There are certain things you still have to try to get them prepared for “You don’t always get that opportunity “Erica should be playing with a lot of confidence,” Skatell said. “She has had a good year. She has done just about everything I’ve asked her to do and more. … I think she’ll play well, and I know she’ll play hard. “I don’t know what her personal goals are. We haven’t talked about them for Thursday night, other than to try to win.” While Gribble is the driving force behind Greensburg Central’s success, junior point guard Jayla Peterson has emerged as a trustworthy secondary scoring option for the Centurions. Peterson came on strong and earned a starting role toward the end of her sophomore season, but her overall play has improved tremendously as a passer, scorer, rebounder and defender. “She has been very, very good on the point guard side, running the offense and getting us into the offense and trying to keep Erica off the ball as much as we can,” Skatell said. “You can’t ask [Gribble] to do everything.” After losing junior forward Abby Dlugos to a torn ACL early in the season, Skatell wasn’t sure where the rest of Greensburg Central’s production would come from, especially in the frontcourt. Sophomore forward Avery Jones has eased some of those concerns with her steady improvement in the paint for the Centurions, highlighted by a career-high 14 points in a 41-18 WPIAL semifinal win against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Saturday. “I’ve got to be honest, I’m really proud of them,” Skatell said. “No matter what a coach does or says, the coach doesn’t play the game. The kids have to go play. I’m pretty proud of that group, no matter what else happens.” Although Shady Side has already gotten the better of Greensburg Central twice this season, there will be no clear favorite when the Bulldogs and Centurions take the court Thursday night. The only thing fans can count on is a great game between two evenly matched teams, with the winner cementing its spot in history as back-to-back WPIAL champions. “We always want to try to promote the sport and have people come and see it. And I think if they come, they’re going to see a really good basketball game,” Burke said. “You have two champs, and two really premier players playing in [Erica] Gribble and [Karis] Thomas. … I’m just focused on getting the team ready on Thursday night.” Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer against Avonworth on Dec. 16, 2024. Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke talks with Cameron Capel during their game against Deer Lakes on Jan. 6. Shady Side Academy finished with a combined record of 8-25 Jonna Burke stunned many when after the 2021 season she decided to leave her alma mater of Bethel Park and take over the struggling program at Shady Side Academy the Bulldogs finished 9-12 and returned to the district playoffs after finishing tied for third place with Brentwood in Section 3-3A Since junior guard Karis Thomas came into the program the Bulldogs have been to three straight WPIAL semifinals two Class 3A championship games and one district crown captued last year Now Shady Side Academy (28-1) is set to face Loyalsock Township (29-2) in the PIAA Class 3A girls basketball championship game at 6 p.m “I think the most important part of the turnaround of our program is the culture that we’ve been able to establish: the culture of team first setting goals and working hard to achieve them while still having fun,” Burke said There has been a lot of fun at Shady Side Academy the last three years with a combined record of 79-8 with two district runner-up trophies and a WPIAL championship While this Bulldogs team has won 28 of its 29 games this season there have been obstacles overcome by this group that might have derailed other teams the team’s leading scorer the last two years “I think it didn’t change my role I think it changed the whole team’s role,” Thomas said during the Rebel Yell podcast on Trib HSSN play harder and do a little bit more out there.” Thomas took over as the scoring leader for the Bulldogs averaging 18.2 points per game in the regular season Thomas has scored 164 points in seven games for Shady Side Academy for an average of 23.4 points per game “Karis plays consistently because she rarely if ever lets emotions dictate how she plays,” Burke said “She may miss three shots in a row or get beat up driving down the lane but you’d never know it by her expression She just maintains her calm and steady demeanor which I think allows her to push through the difficult stretches of games when people are really keying on her.” Another huge obstacle happened in the WPIAL quarterfinals in a 38-point win over Riverside when 6-foot-2 junior Cassie Sauer was lost for a minimum of six weeks with a fractured hip While the Bulldogs lost to Greensburg Central Catholic in the WPIAL finals they have adjusted to life without Sauer in the PIAA postseason with wins over Cranberry Camp Hill Trinity and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart “The best word to describe them is resilient,” Burke said “Obstacles have presented themselves time and again this season and they seem to be able to adjust and find a way to still be successful.” Now the final hurdle for SSA is District 4 champion Loyalsock Township The Lancers have won seven straight games since their second loss of the season to Central Columbia in the regular season finale The only other loss was to Class 5A state semifinalist Crestwood in early January In the PIAA semifinal victory over Imhotep Charter by 19 points Loyalsock Township got big games from junior forward Alaina Dadzie and senior guard Lacey Kreibel who combined for 51 of the Lancers’ 65 points Dadzie scored 31 points while Kreibel added 20 points and eight assists “Loyalsock is solid top to bottom,” Burke said “They have a tremendous post player in Alaina Dadzie Beyond that they have some dangerous shooters so finding a way to slow down all of them is going to be very challenging.” No WPIAL team has won a PIAA Class 3A championship since the expansion to six classifications in 2017 The last 3A girls basketball state champion from District 7 was 10 years ago when Blackhawk won the 2015 crown This is not only the first trip to the state finals for Shady Side Academy it is also the first time Burke will take a team to the PIAA championship game in her three decades of coaching “This group is so special,” Burke said “They have a great chemistry and truly are happy for each other’s successes I’m so lucky to be their coach.” Shady Side Academy admittedly was devastated after seeing its perfect season come to a pause after a loss in the WPIAL Class 3A championship A repeat WPIAL championship was not in the cards for Shady Side Academy the Bulldogs now are two wins away from a first PIAA title Karis Thomas scored a game-high 17 points and Shady Side Academy was outstanding defensively down the stretch as it used a fourth-quarter rally to advance to the PIAA semifinals for the first time after a 46-43 win against District 3 champion Camp Hill Trinity in a quarterfinal at Altoona High School and this is actually my first time ever getting this far,” said Burke and more special that it’s happening with this group Shady Side Academy holds on to defeat Camp Hill Trinity, 46-43, to reach the PIAA semifinals for the first time in school history! Trinity threw up a wild shot at the end, but it didn’t go. pic.twitter.com/26EFVF5fJu which lost in the quarterfinals the previous two seasons after a putback by Trinity’s Allissa Masci with 4:11 left But that turned out to be the final time that Trinity (21-6) — a team that pumped in 81 and 75 points in the first two rounds — would score Makiyah Mitchell’s layup with 3:53 left gave Shady Side Academy a 44-43 lead.  the Bulldogs gained possession with 56 seconds left and quickly got the ball to Thomas their standout point guard who dribbled around and took more than a half-minute off the clock before being fouled three times the third of which put the Bulldogs in the bonus and sent Thomas to the line with 20 seconds left Thomas sank two free throws to extend the Shady Side Academy lead to 46-43 The Bulldogs then closely defended the 3-point line on Trinity’s final possession which saw Emma Kostelac-Lauer throw up a wild shot that was off the mark with just under a second left The Bulldogs inbounded and the buzzer sounded who scored the winning layup in the final seconds of the team’s second-round win We play for each other and just have fun out there.” Leah Buford added 9 points and Laila Banner 8 for Shady Side Academy Just caught up with Karis Thomas, who scored 17 points, including 2 free throws with 20 seconds left, to send Shady Side Academy to the PIAA semifinals for the first time following a 46-43 win against Camp Hill Trinity. pic.twitter.com/EJJfVfOC48 But it was defense that was the difference for the Bulldogs in this game, as they limited Trinity to 32% shooting (16 of 49). Trinity was just 2 of 10 from the field in the fourth quarter when it was held to 6 points. The Bulldogs are predominantly a man-to-man team, but Burke took a gamble and switched to a 3-2 zone in the second quarter after Trinity scored 16 points in the first. They remained in that zone until going back to man-to-man on Trinity’s final possession. “We switched it to the zone, and luckily it worked,” Burke said. “It could have just easily not worked, but it worked today.” Bella Dupes led Trinity with 11 points, and Ashley Berkheimer and KK Stair each added 10. Shady Side Academy will meet Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Friday in the semifinals. • WPIAL third-place finisher Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (25-4) led by 12 points after three quarters and held on to advance to the semifinals for the second time in three years after a 47-43 win against District 6 champion Central Cambria (19-9) at Norwin. Claudia Ierullo scored a team-best 19 points for OLSH, which next will try to reach the final for the first time. “It feels great,” Ierullo said. “This team has definitely proven people wrong. At the beginning of the season we were doubted, but we made it to the Final Four, so I’m really excited.” OLSH led, 27-21, at the half and held a 39-27 lead after three quarters before Central Cambria trimmed that advantage to four with 20 seconds left. Lola Garner and Leah Parker added 13 points apiece for the Chargers, who defeated WPIAL champion Greensburg Central Catholic in the second round after losing to the Centurions by 23 in the district semifinals. “Our semifinal game, that wasn’t us, and we just had to flush it and move on,” Ierullo said. “We beat the WPIAL champion, and that really gave us the momentum to come in and get it done today.” Keira Link led Central Cambria with 19 points. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 47, Central Cambria 43 Shady Side Academy 46, Camp Hill Trinity 43 Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores off a steal past Greensburg Central Catholic’s Mya Morgan during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas steals the ball from Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer scores against Greensburg Central Catholic on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas pressures Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford scores past Greensburg Central Catholic’s Avery Jones during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy’s Laila Banner blocks a shot by Greensburg Central Catholic’s Mya Morgan during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Mya Morgan takes a 3-point shot over Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas during their game on Thursday in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores off a steal against Greensburg Central Catholic on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer works against Greensburg Central Catholic’s Avery Jones during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas drives past Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble to score during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble works against Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas is fouled by Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Greensburg Central Catholic head coach Chris Skatell talks with Erica Gribble during their game against Shady SIde Academy on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas reacts after hitting a 3-pointer against Greensburg Central Catholic on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel. No. 1 defensive scoring average in Class 3A. The defending WPIAL champion Bulldogs are also making a one-game-at-a-time go of things as they chase a repeat. After a convincing 62-33 victory over WPIAL No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic — the defending WPIAL 2A champs now in 3A — Bulldogs coach Jonna Burke repeated several times, “It’s one game.” Shady Side Academy showed why it is held in such high regard, keeping its perfect record intact in a less-than-thrilling matchup of Section 2-3A heavyweights Thursday night at Pete Sauer Court in Fox Chapel. Junior guard Karis Thomas scored a game-high 24 points, 11 in the third, and 6-foot-2 junior forward Cassie Sauer added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs (12-0, 6-0), who came in allowing just 33.7 points per game. Equal parts offense and defense lit the way for Shady Side. “I am proud of how our girls played,” Burke said. “They fulfilled what we wanted to do, and their intensity was great. Again, though, it’s one game. We still have to see them at their place, and maybe again down the line.” Both teams had been winning by a margin greater than 20 points a game. GCC (7-3, 3-1) was allowing just 38 points a game, but the Bulldogs had that many by the halfway mark of the third quarter. After a close first quarter, Shady Side limited GCC to two field goals and six points in the second to take a 28-13 lead into halftime. Methodically, the game got away from the Centurions, who had won five straight. “They were sticky on defense,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said of Shady Side, “and we didn’t shoot well. We have some young kids, and tonight they looked awfully young.” GCC, which had won five in a row, got 18 points from junior guard Jayla Peterson, including nine points and two 3s in a much-improved third quarter. But GCC only trimmed the margin to 13 (28-15) before the Bulldogs raced to a 49-28 advantage heading to the fourth and increasing the lead to 30 in the final minutes. Standout junior guard Erica Gribble was limited to nine points and only one 3-pointer. The recent Richmond commit, who was averaging 22.2 points, was hounded by defenders and labored to get open looks. Peterson and Gribble had 27 of GCC’s 33 points. “Gribble is one of the best players in the WPIAL,” Burke said. “The plan was always to focus on Gribble, but we knew what Peterson could do, too. She stepped up. With the two of them, it’s pick your poison.” In the second half, when the defense picked up for Shady Side, Thomas (19.5 ppg) swiped a number of steals and turned them into points, using her quickness to cut off passing lanes. The Bulldogs scored on a number of lightly contested drives to the rim, but that was after Sauer asserted herself early. She made 10 of 12 shots, and GCC had no answer for her size or ideal positioning. Sauer, the daughter of late Shady Side standout Pete Sauer for whom the court is named, had 14 in the first half. “Cass has really improved,” Burke said. “She has worked on her ability to square up. Karis and Cass are a pretty good one-two punch.” Sophomore forward Leah Buford had 11 points for Shady Side. Sophomore Morgan Skoloda and freshman Georgia Evans, who sang the national anthem amidst technical difficulties with a recording in the pregame, each hit a 3 for the Centurions. Senior Cameron Capel, another starting guard and the daughter of Pitt men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel, also scored for the Bulldogs. GCC played its sixth straight game without junior 5-10 forward Abby Dlugos, who is done for the season with a torn ACL. Her height and post defense were missing as evidenced by the play of Sauer. Shady Side Academy held a comfortable double-digit cushion against Greensburg Central Catholic in the WPIAL Class 3A title game no lead is safe when Erica Gribble is on the court “I kind of zoned out,” Gribble said. “It feels great, especially losing to them twice [this season]. I think we all just had confidence in ourselves, and we didn’t want to lose at all.” With all of Shady Side’s defensive attention focused on Gribble late in the fourth quarter, Gribble drove into the lane and fired a perfect pass into the corner to Jayla Peterson, who then knocked down a clutch game-tying 3-pointer. After a steal by Gribble, Peterson then converted a go-ahead layup in transition while drawing a foul, putting Greensburg Central on top for good while completing the 3-point play. Peterson scored 14 of her 16 points after the break, as she and Gribble combined to score all 38 of the Centurions’ points in the second half. “That’s probably the first time that’s happened,” said Centurions coach Chris Skatell. “Jayla and Erica decided to go to another level in the last eight minutes of that game, and it was really impressive to watch. I can’t wait to watch it on film.” Even in a losing effort, junior point guard Karis Thomas was spectacular for the Bulldogs (24-1). Thomas shot 8 of 10 from the field while scoring a team-high 24 points in the defeat. Senior guard Cameron Capel tacked on 12 points for Shady Side while knocking down four 3-pointers, all in the first half. “We won 24 games in a row, so I’m super proud of these guys,” said Bulldogs coach Jonna Burke. “You lose one night because you get out-rebounded, and Erica Gribble is Erica Gribble. She’s a great player, and she took over tonight.” For Greensburg Central, the win avenges a pair of losses against Shady Side during the regular season, including a 29-point blowout loss on Jan. 9. Of course, the Bulldogs didn’t have standout forward Cassie Sauer this time around, as Sauer is out for the rest of the season with a hip injury after averaging 15 points and 13 rebounds per game. Sauer’s absence in the frontcourt left a glaring hole for the Centurions to exploit, and the void was only amplified when sophomore forward Leah Buford fouled out in the fourth quarter. “Losing [Sauer] and then losing [Buford] — it just changed the way we played. It changed us a lot,” Burke said. “There were just some things that didn’t bounce our way at times. The rebounding, I think, was definitely a killer.” With the teams tied at 5-5 midway through the first quarter, Thomas converted a pair of acrobatic layups to give Shady Side an early four-point cushion. The Bulldogs took a 14-10 advantage into the second quarter, but their lead quickly evaporated after back-to-back baskets by the Centurions. A nifty layup by Thomas put Shady Side back on top, 18-16, midway through the second quarter, then a 3-pointer by Capel stretched the lead to five. Another 3 by Capel in the final minute of the first half gave the Bulldogs a 28-18 lead going into the break. “If we get to the fourth quarter inside of 10 [points], we feel like we can win that game,” Skatell said. “That’s kind of been our philosophy — stay in the game.” Greensburg Central refused to go away quietly, as Gribble came out firing with 8 points in the first three minutes of the third quarter. With the lead trimmed back down to five, Laila Banner put an end to the Centurions’ run with a layup coming out of a timeout, but Peterson answered with a 3-pointer followed by a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to two. Leading by four entering the final quarter, Thomas opened up the fourth with a quick bucket to make it a 39-33 lead for Shady Side. Gribble then followed with an and-one layup, and the two star juniors took turns trading blows throughout a frantic fourth quarter. “It was just such a great game. Back and forth, back and forth,” Skatell said. “Late in the game, we took control of the game. I’m so proud of these kids, I can’t even begin to tell you.” A steal and score by Gribble midway through the fourth brought Greensburg Central back within three, then Gribble knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game at 48-47. Finally, after trailing for virtually the entire game, Peterson knocked down the game-tying corner 3 for the Centurions with just under two minutes to play. Moments later, Gribble dived onto the floor to corral a loose ball, then Peterson converted a go-ahead 3-point play after a tough layup in transition. Gribble then drained a pair of game-clinching free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining to put the finishing touches on Greensburg Central’s second consecutive WPIAL title and No. 7 overall. “I just didn’t want to lose to Shady Side again,” Peterson said. “I just shot with more confidence in the second half. … It just feels awesome.” Shady Side Academy’s Cam Capel drives to the basket against Avonworth on Dec. 16, 2024. PIAA championships: Shady Side Academy 0; Loyalsock Township 0 How they got here: Shady Side Academy defeated Cranberry Area, 51-23, in the first round; Northwestern, 46-44, in the second round; Camp Hill Trinity, 46-43, in the quarterfinals; and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 43-29, in the semifinals. How they got here: Loyalsock Township defeated Biglerville, 53-20, in the first round; West Catholic, 54-35, in the second round; Notre Dame Green Pond, 65-59, in the quarterfinals; and Dunmore, 60-36, in the semifinals. If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores past Greensburg Central’s Avery Jones (31) and Jayla Peterson during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford scores past Greensburg Central’s Erica Rodriguez during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. Greensburg Central’s Jayla Peterson scores past Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas and Cam Capel during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer drives to the basket over Greensburg Central’s Nolan Althof during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble works between Shady Side Academy’s Cam Capel (left) and Karis Thomas during their game Monday at GCC. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas drives to the basket past Greensburg Central’s Jayla Peterson and Erica Rodriguez during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. Greensburg Central’s Jayla Peterson drives past Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford works against Greensburg Central’s Nolan Althof during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. Greensburg Central’s Erica Gribble drives to the basket past Shady Side Academy’s Cam Capel during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. Shady Side Academy’s Laila Banner battles Greensburg Central’s Erica Rodriguez for a loose ball during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. Greensburg Central’s Erica Rodriguez drives to the basket past Shady Side Academy defenders during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. High-percentage shots were fewer and far between. Passes were harder to come by into the post, and the Bulldogs had to look for alternative help opposite standout junior scorers Karis Thomas and Cassie Sauer. Meet Makiyah Mitchell, ancillary character who stole the scene. The senior banged in two fourth-quarter 3-pointers to help burn off No. 3 GCC’s momentum and propel No. 1 and unbeaten Shady Side Academy to a double-digit lead and eventually a 59-48 girls basketball victory Monday night in Carbon. The Bulldogs (20-0, 13-0) are section champions, while GCC (15-4, 10-2), which wasted a big night from junior Erica Gribble, saw an eight-game winning streak end with the season sweep. The Centurions’ last loss came at Shady Side Academy, 62-33. Shady Side is the defending WPIAL 3A champion. GCC was the WPIAL 2A champion last year. “I try to block out the noise and just shoot,” said Mitchell, whose only points came in the fourth on the 3s. “I knew somebody had to take control, and I had the ball in my hands.” Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke said Mitchell has a green light — although there’s always that yellow light first. “Sometimes she’ll shoot it, and I’ll say, ‘What is she doing?’” Burke said. “Then they go in. That’s her. She picks the big moments. She hit big 3s when we were down against Blackhawk, and she had a big first half against Avonworth. She’s going to find herself open.” A 10-0 run by Shady Side Academy, highlighted by Mitchell’s 3s, decided the game. GCC cooled off and went nearly seven minutes without a field goal in the fourth as the Bulldogs outscored them 18-7. Thomas, who had 23 points, was confident in Mitchell. “Big shots … She’s my best friend,” said Thomas, who led the Bulldogs with 23 points. “I love her to death.” The Bulldogs finally were challenged but did enough defensively to bail themselves out of a jam after Gribble kissed a 3 off the glass to beat the third-quarter buzzer and tie it 41-41 heading to the fourth. Gribble, a Richmond commit, erupted for 14 of her game-high 26 points in the third but was limited to three points — a 3 with 6.9 seconds left — in the fourth. “I yelled at our guys more,” Burke said of containing Gribble. “I told them, ‘She’s taking over this game.’ She went off. We clamped down on her the best we could and switched on everything. She is so dangerous.” Shady Side Academy led 10-6 after the first quarter and 25-23 at the half — a far cry from their 28-13 halftime lead over GCC earlier in the year. Cassie Sauer, who went for 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first game, was limited to 15 points this time, often seeing two defenders and working to get position in a crammed lane. “We knew it would be our two or three against their two or three,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said. “You kind of look at it, what did they do? In the end, it’s nuance basketball. We’re still young and learning that. We had a ton of looks. Shady Side Academy is just so good. This was a good, playoff atmosphere.” Gribble gave GCC its first lead (26-25) with a 3 early in the quarter. She scored nine straight points to build a four-point lead, but the Bulldogs regained control at 31-30 on a 3 from Thomas. Gribble hit a jumper to tie it 38-38, but Thomas answered with a three-point play. “We had to stay calm and trust one other,” Thomas said. Sophomore Lea Bulford made a tough scoop shot, and senior Cameron Capel scored off a pass from Thomas to make it 36-30. In the fourth, Sauer opened the frame with another and-one finish before Mitchell got hot and the Bulldogs sprinted to a 54-43 lead with just under three minutes to play. “We broke down a little bit,” Skatell said. “We ave to slow down and not let the game get away from us. It’s all part of growth.” Junior Jayla Peterson added 10 points for GCC. Karis was 8 of 9 from the foul line, while Sauer made 7 of 9 attempts. Shady Side Academy had not played a close game since a 51-48 win over Blackhawk in late December. Both teams came in with a cluster of blowout wins. In section games, both were winning by more than 40 points a game: Shady Academy 44, GCC 41.9. Shady Side Academy had scored 70 or more in its last three games, while GCC posted recent wins of 56-8 and 83-10. “This really felt like a playoff atmosphere,” Burke said. “I give this place a lot of credit. They bring a crowd and make noise.” Greensburg Central Catholic celebrates after beating Shady Side Academy in the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Petersen Events Center. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble grabs a rebound from Shady Side Academy’s Cameron Capel during the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Petersen Events Center. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Nolan Althof (left) and Erica Rodriguez celebrate with Jayla Peterson after scoring an and-one that put GCC up for good on Shady Side Academy during the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Petersen Events Center. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Nolan Althof fights for a rebound with Shady Side Academy’s Laila Banner during the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Petersen Events Center. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble scores over Shady Side Academy’s Cameron Capel during the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Petersen Events Center. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Jayla Peterson scores on a three-point play against Shady Side Academy’s Laila Banner, giving GCC the lead for good during the WPIAL Class 3A championship Thursday at Petersen Events Center. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble scores over Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas and Cameron Capel (5) during the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Petersen Events Center. Greensburg Central Catholic celebrates with the trophy after beating Shady Side Academy in the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Petersen Events Center. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble gets a loose ball in front of Nolan Althof and feeds it to Jayla Peterson for the go-ahead score over Shady Side Academy during the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Petersen Events Center. Peterson calmly drained a 3-pointer to tie the score with 1 minute, 35 seconds remaining. Seconds later, Peterson completed a three-point play to give Greensburg Central Catholic the lead. A pair of juniors, Gribble and Peterson formed a terrific one-two combo for the Centurions as they combined for all 38 points of the Centurions’ scoring in the second half and orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback as No. 2 GCC topped No. 1 Shady Side Academy, 56-51, to win the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship Thursday night at Petersen Events Center. Gribble, a Richmond commit, had 14 of her game-high 31 points in the fourth, and Peterson scored eight of her 15 in the final eight minutes as GCC (21-5) captured its second straight title, seventh overall and first in 3A. GCC, which repeated one other time (2006-07), was moved up to 3A because of the PIAA competitive balance rule. The competition got stronger, but so did the Centurions. Shady Side Academy (24-1), the defending 3A champion that played without injured 6-2 forward Cassie Sauer, didn’t have an answer for Gribble and Peterson down the stretch. “Erica Gribble is Erica Gribble,” Bulldogs coach Jonna Burke said. “She took over tonight. We kept saying, help on Gribble, help on Gribble, and (Peterson) got open. We needed to be better defensively.” The Centurions won the 2A crown a season ago. Gribble, who made 12 of 24 shots, also had five steals. Her second assist was pivotal. “We practice that pass all the time,” Gribble said of her pinpoint and game-tying assist on a pass that most players wouldn’t even attempt. “You see that in AAU a lot. Jayla stepped up and hit the shot.” Peterson, who tied it 50-50, completed a three-point play with 50 seconds left to give GCC a 53-50 edge. Gribble came up with a steal and passed ahead to Peterson, who made on lefthanded layup on a two-on-one break for the lead. Gribble scored 12 straight points late in the second and early in the third. She had 11 in a row in the fourth as GCC staged its comeback with a 23-point fourth. “Erica and Jayla were on another level in the last eight minutes,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said. “They took over.” Shady Side Academy, which swept GCC in two section games, scored one point in the final three minutes. Senior Makiyah Mitchell scored on a pass from Laila Banner to give Shady Side Academy a 43-36 lead with 6:38 to play. Gribble made two layups off of steals to jumpstart GCC’s fourth. The Bulldogs, who led for more than 24 minutes, were outrebounded 23-16, including 11-1 on offensive rebounds. “I didn’t want to lose to Shady Side again,” said Peterson, who was injured in the first quarter of last year’s WPIAL final and could not play a full game. GCC trailed 28-18 at halftime and Peterson had two points at the break. Junior Karis Thomas led Shady Side Academy with 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, a game after scoring 46 (9 of 11 3s) in the semifinals. Thomas made all six of her shot attempts and scored 13, while senior Cameron Capel made 4 of 5 3s in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 28-18 lead at halftime. Thomas had seven points and Capel scored six in the first quarter as Shady Side Academy took a 14-10 lead. With Sauer out, Gribble guarded Thomas, until Peterson switched to her late. Capel, the daughter of Pitt coach Jeff Capel, scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Gribble scored 10 in the third as GCC chipped away, cutting the deficit to 37-33 going to the fourth. When GCC lost to Shady Side at home late in the regular season, Gribble also had a 14-point third quarter and scored 26. “A lot of credit to Gribble,” Thomas said. “She is a great player.” Gribble scored 28 points in last year’s 2A title game win over Serra Catholic. Her sister, Alayna, a Norwin alum who played at Pitt, won two WPIAL titles. “I got to get another one to beat her,” Erica Gribble said. TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need A Shady Side Academy alum is helping the National Aviary find a nest for its next breeding and conservation center Fox Chapel resident and 1962 academy graduate is in the process of acquiring his alma mater’s 35-acre middle school campus The plan is to have it donated to the Pittsburgh-based bird-focused nonprofit via the SK Rockwell Conservancy This development coincides with the academy’s construction of a new middle school building on the senior school campus at 423 Fox Chapel Road the $26 million project will converge grades 6-12 for the first time since 1958 That project is largely funded through a 2022 donation by Rockwell and his partner the largest in the academy’s more than 140-year history The sale is projected to close sometime in January 2026 after students are moved into their new educational home “The National Aviary has been an underrecognized asset of our community and our nation Providing this capital infusion should assist the Aviary in gaining the global recognition it deserves as a magnificent investment for our country to enjoy,” Rockwell said Aviary officials said renovations to the facility may take about a year An opening celebration is being planned for 2027 National Aviary executive director Cheryl Tracy said everyone is excited to develop a state-of-the-art veterinary teaching hospital and other amenities in Fox Chapel “While hundreds of thousands of annual visitors and online followers recognize the National Aviary as a cultural gem few realize our global leadership in avian conservation through ecological research education and groundbreaking health care advancements,” she said in a statement The Shady Side middle school campus has several residential properties as well as the school itself Veterinary interns and students involved in conservation breeding and research are expected to live in the existing residential units during their practicum “The conservational significance of this center will make it a sought-after destination for students pursuing careers in avian medicine and conservation from across the country and beyond,” said Tracy The middle school campus redevelopment is part of a broader ambitious master plan for the National Aviary which includes the renovations of both the veterinary hospital at the Aviary’s North Side location as well as modifications to the donated Fox Chapel property The total project is expected to cost $17 million More than $7 million has been raised so far including an undisclosed amount gifted by Daniel G which will support the veterinary teaching hospital at the Conservancy Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com Stay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE 1-800-909-8742 © 2025 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved About Us Advertise Career Opportunities Contact Advertising Contact Circulation Contact Newsroom Contact Us Feedback Request Correction Resource Center Scholarship Opportunities Send Letter to the Editor Send News Tip Subscribe Subscriber Services Blog eFeatures Email Newsletters eTrib Facebook Home Delivery Instagram LinkedIn Marketing Minute Store Locations TribLIVE App - App Store TribLIVE App - Google Play X (formerly Twitter) Arts & Entertainment Best of the Best Business Directory Circulars Contests Coronavirus Lifestyles Local News YaJagOff Obituaries Opinion Our Publications Photos Real Estate Sports Video Weather Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Service Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas reacts after hitting a 3-pointer against Greensburg Central Catholic on Jan. 9. to lead top-seeded Shady Side Academy to a 69-33 win over No 12 Ellwood City in the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball semifinals Saturday at North Allegheny Leah Buford added 10 points for Shady Side Academy (24-0) 2 Greensburg Central Catholic in the championship game at 7 p.m Caitlin Kreitzer and Kayla Jones scored 10 points each for Ellwood City (15-9) Thomas Jefferson 43 – Natalie Wetzel scored 15 points and Daniela Radulovich added 13 points as No 2 Peters Township (22-3) overcame a slow start to defeat No 6 Thomas Jefferson (20-5) in the Class 5A semifinals at Mt 1 South Fayette in Friday’s championship game Taylor McCullough added 12 points for Peters Township which trailed 17-8 after the first quarter Maggie Spell scored 12 points to lead Thomas Jefferson Mars 32 – In the Class 5A semifinals at Mt Lailah Wright scored 17 points and Ryan Oldaker added 14 points as top-seeded South Fayette (24-1) advanced to Friday’s championship game by defeating No Juliette Leroux chipped in 10 points for South Fayette Beaver 49 – Aierra Jenkins scored 13 points and Miya Harris and Taylor Schwertfeger each added 11 as No 5 Beaver (17-7) in a Class 4A consolation game to clinch a state title berth Central Valley 42 – Bella Stromberg and Nika Contakos scored 13 points apiece and Hayley Bennett added 10 to lead No 6 South Park (17-6) to a Class 4A consolation victory The Eagles clinched a PIAA playoff berth and will meet No 8 Laurel Highlands in the fifth-place game Nyah Hayes scored 20 points and Izzy Miller added 15 for No Aquinas Academy 35 – Courtney Wallace had 20 points 17 rebounds and 10 assists to lead top-seeded Neighborhood Academy (23-1) past No 4 Aquinas Academy (18-6) in the Class A semifinals at North Allegheny Syncer Nicholson had 17 points and hit four 3-pointers for Neighborhood Academy while teammate Shamar Simpson added 16 points and three 3-pointers Jake Guillen paced Aquinas Academy with 16 points while Sam Duer added 14 points 2 Serra Catholic in Thursday’s championship game Nazareth Prep 45 – Owen Dumbroski scored 26 points to lead No 2 Serra Catholic (21-3) to a Class A semifinal win over No.3 Nazareth Prep (18-5) at Peters Township Mark Johnson added 10 points for the Eagles Leon Harrison led Nazareth Prep with 12 points and Michael Keyes contributed 10 points Northgate 47 – Brady O’Rourke sank five 3-pointers on his way to 24 points as No 1 Greensburg Central Catholic (22-3) beat No 5 Northgate (14-11) in a Class 2A consolation matchup Liam Gallagher also hit five 3-pointers while scoring 19 points Tarpley added 13 points for the Centurions Northgate was paced by Anthony Barron’s 15 points 6 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the fifth-place game Chartiers-Houston 45 – Tiernan McCullough scored 17 points Jake Johnson added 16 and Vann Kavals finished with 13 to power No 6 OLSH (19-6) to a Class 2A consolation victory Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer works to the basket against Avonworth defenders in December. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas drives to the basket past Greensburg Central’s Jayla Peterson and Erica Rodriguez during their game on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, at GCC. The Bulldogs turned in an impressive regular season compiling a 22-0 record with an average margin of victory of 31.6 points per game While Shady Side Academy players settled comfortably into their roles on the court Bulldogs coach Jonna Burke said it wasn’t easy “The comfortability changes from game to game,” Burke said “I think the schedule we played gave us a good experience you become more comfortable within roles and trusting one another on the floor.” Shady Side Academy has leaned on its strong rebounding as a hallmark to its defensive efforts The Bulldogs collectively go to the glass and ensure opponents don’t get many second opportunities Six-foot-2 forward Cassie Sauer is Shady Side Academy’s top rebounder is one of the Bulldogs’ other top rebounders “We still remind them about boxing out and going after the ball,” Burke said “Especially when you have someone as tall as Cassie You don’t want to count on her to get every rebound Karis Thomas leads the offense by scoring 20.3 points per game Burke said the Bulldogs had developed a nice balance and they want to win basketball games,” Burke said “They care about each other on the floor The returning Bulldogs helped Shady Side Academy reach the PIAA quarterfinals last season before being knocked out by Westmont Hilltop As they enter the WPIAL tournament as the top seed in Class 3A Burke has been stressing to her team that this year will be different “You can’t replace the experience we have,” Burke said “You can have that experience by going through different things We are fortunate we had a good run last year We’ll have to make our own way.” The Official Source of North Allegheny Sports but two comebacks against visiting Shady Side Academy but the second come from behind effort in the fourth quarter fell just shy as the Bulldogs pulled out a 14-13 win at Newman Stadium on Monday night Sarah Harlan put the Tigers in front with a free position goal which was answered on a free position from Ava Orie the first of three consecutive goals for Shady Side Academy who led 3-1 But junior Reagen Riordan scored three straight goals for North Allegheny two to end the first quarter and a third 16 seconds into the second quarter for a 4-3 lead But sophomore Nora Vadnais got into rhythm for the Bulldogs scoring the first two of her five goals on the night to put Shady Side Academy back in front when Addison Sisinni scored her fourth goal of the campaign to bring North Allegheny within a goal Sam Recchi’s first of two goals in the game was a big one coming just as the halftime horn was sounding to give Shady Side a two-goal cushion at intermission before the Bulldogs score three straight goals to take a 10-6 lead The first comeback came in the third quarter for the Tigers as North Allegheny stormed back to tie the game at 10-10 at the end of the third quarter Shady Side scored the first four goals of the final frame to lead 14-10 Riordan notched her sixth goal of the night Avery Anderson added a goal to go with her two assists and when Gracie Lynch netted her eighth goal of the season but a turnover gave the ball back to the Bulldogs who then ran off the final 2:30 to secure the one goal victory Fiola Ragan made five saves in goal for North Allegheny was picked as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game who has scored in every game this season for North Allegheny three ground balls and three caused turnovers in a great all-around effort The Tigers will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Pine-Richland to take on the Rams at 7:30 p.m ICYMI: Highlights from last night's @NA_GirlsLax game against Shady Side Academy! pic.twitter.com/HlNFlThSGE — NATigers (@NATigerAthletic) April 15, 2025 Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director Bob Bozzuto at bbozzuto@northallegheny.org © Copyright 2013 North Allegheny School District A Shady Side Academy alumnus is helping the National Aviary find a nest for its next breeding and conservation center a Fox Chapel resident and 1962 academy graduate The plan is to donate it to the Pittsburgh-based bird-focused nonprofit via the SK Rockwell Conservancy “A great deal of my gifting goes in to conservation and wildlife preservation,” Rockwell said on Feb “I’ve always had an interest in those things This seems to me like it would be a good fit for (the Aviary) They’re doing wonderful things and they’re very cramped.” The development coincides with the academy’s construction of a new middle school building on the senior school campus at 423 Fox Chapel Road The pair gifted $15 million Rockwell is chairman and CEO of Rockwell Venture Capital a company he founded in 1983 that has invested in numerous technology companies He and Babyak live less than a mile from the senior school and often take walks on the 130-acre campus “I’ve been very fortunate in my life to do well and I’m now at the point where I’m trying to give back to the community some of the things that we should be doing,” Rockwell said “We’ve been giving back to try and do things that we think are important with the money we’ve earned over the years (Pat’s) been my partner for 42 years and she’s tremendously essential We’re very pleased to be doing this together.” The middle school sale is projected to close sometime in January 2026 after students are moved into their new educational home “We see this as transformational for the National Aviary to really be able to highlight the work that we do behind the scenes for conservation,” Tracy said She credited Rockwell with coming up with the Shady Side Academy move about a year ago during a conversation about other aviary projects but we have a small footprint here on the North Side,” Tracy said “We had always planned to find additional space that would allow us to really expand our current breeding programs … It gives us the opportunity to significantly expand the work that we’re already doing and we see the impact that we’re making.” The Aviary hosts at least 60 species of birds with some in its breeding center and some in the habitats accessible by guests More than 300 birds hatched under Aviary care in the last 10 years Among the impacted species is the Guam Rail which was lifted from its status of “extinct in the wild” to “critically endangered” in 2019 In addition to donating the middle school campus Rockwell has pledged $10 million to help fund programs and upkeep at what is tentatively called the National Aviary SK Rockwell Conservancy • A state-of-the-art veterinary teaching hospital dedicated to advancing avian health care • A breeding and conservation center for birds with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature status of threatened • An interactive educational center offering scheduled programming opportunities field trips and resources for local schools and the broader community The campus redevelopment is part of a broader Main hospital upgrades include more accessibility and windows in the hallways More than $7 million has been raised so far, including an undisclosed amount gifted by Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin which will support the veterinary teaching hospital at the conservancy Tracy said they hope to host between 20 and 100 interns annually Academy chief marketing officer Diana Toole said there is a plan to accommodate staffers currently living in those homes “We deeply value the educators and staff who make Shady Side Academy such a special place,” Toole said “We have adequate faculty housing available on our Senior School campus to meet the current demand of faculty families and support our residential life program.” Both Rockwell and academy officials declined to discuss the middle school property purchase price Toole said sale proceeds will be used for academy developments said he and a real estate developer examined the middle school campus prior to Aviary consideration They determined the slope was a bit too steep to transform the area into residential property Rockwell said the idea of donating it to the Pittsburgh-based nonprofit flew into his mind after further talks with academy officials “We just passed on it and (the academy) wasn’t having any luck finding anybody to buy it,” Rockwell said “I’d been down to the Aviary and seen what they were doing I knew they were very landlocked from being able to develop further in that facility down there ‘I’ve got an idea for you.’ “I thought that it would be a real match for what they need and be a real plus for the entire community if that transfer were to take place I went back to Shady Side and negotiated a purchase of the property and then I worked with Cheryl to get to where we are today.” The Aviary receives about 200,000 visitors a year More information about the Aviary and how to support its programs is available at aviary.org HERSHEY — Shady Side Academy got caught up in a numbers game in Thursday’s PIAA Class 3A championship While the Bulldogs featured one of the state’s top players in the classification That terrific tandem propelled Loyalsock Township to its first state title while sending the Bulldogs back to Western Pennsylvania following their second championship loss in the span of a month Lacey Kriebel scored 23 points and Alaina Dadzie added 21 to lead Loyalsock Township to a 55-43 win against Shady Side Academy at Giant Center Final — Loyalsock Township 55, Shady Side Academy 43 in the PIAA Class 3A championship. Karis Thomas pumped in 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. The Bulldogs finish 28-2, their only losses coming in the WPIAL and PIAA championship games. pic.twitter.com/Q9pYP2A4uw Making its first-ever appearance in the PIAA final Shady Side Academy (28-2) trailed the District 4 champion Lancers after Bulldogs’ standout junior guard Karis Thomas scored on a layup just 25 seconds into the fourth quarter But it was all Loyalsock Township (30-2) after that The Lancers limited Shady Side Academy to just one field goal the rest of the way while ending the game on an 11-2 run The Bulldogs misfired on five of their final six shots while committing three turnovers in the quarter “We went on a drought at the absolute worst time of the game,” Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke said Thomas scored 22 points and was the only Shady Side Academy player to reach double figures She was 9 of 12 from the field and knocked down three 3-pointers Leah Buford and Makiyah Mitchell added eight points apiece it was Loyalsock Township’s stars that shined the brightest a 5-foot-10 senior guard and Lock Haven recruit drilled five 3-pointers and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds a 6-1 junior forward who scored 31 points in a semifinal win against Imhotep Charter was strong in the low post where teammates regularly found her for layups this was a game where the loss of Cassie Sauer was magnified suffered a season-ending injury in the WPIAL quarterfinals “We were definitely undersized with that dominant post that they have,” Burke said “It seemed like we were trying to pick our poison We were trying to either slow her down and double her inside [Kriebel] would get open and was lights out So then we’d key on her a little more and not double as much so we could stay matched on [Kriebel] after one quarter and 30-28 at the half before Thomas nailed a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the third quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead That turned out to be their last lead of the game but the Bulldogs managed to score only six points in the game’s final 11 minutes Shady Side Academy actually shot the ball better from the field than Loyalsock Township — 47% to 43% — but the Lancers attempted 12 more shots after pulling down 12 offensive rebounds and forcing 12 turnovers It was a disappointing end to what was an outstanding season for a Shady Side Academy team whose only two losses were in championship games Rebounding from the WPIAL finals loss was especially impressive considering the Bulldogs had to play without Sauer their second-leading scorer and top rebounder “I think we were fortunate to even have gotten to this point after suffering a loss like that,” Burke said But with three starters returning next season it’s not hard to imagine Shady Side Academy returning to Hershey in 2026 “This will definitely fuel the fire,” Thomas said Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette CLAYSVILLE – Ben Michaels scored only four points for Shady Side Academy Tuesday night but he might have been the most impactful player on the floor Michaels spent the night attached to the hip pocket of McGuffey standout Aydan Cunningham and was a key cog in a defensive masterpiece by the Bulldogs 8 McGuffey to single digits in three of the four quarters and earned a 51-31 victory in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A boys basketball playoffs “Ben’s guarded a lot of players similar to (Cunningham) if you look at South Park and other teams we’ve played that have players that are long and can play inside or outside,” Bulldogs coach David Vadnais said “Ben’s done a great job when he hasn’t got into foul trouble So you watch tape and some teams have done a box-in-one and some other defenses and we just said to Ben ‘You go take him.’ (Cunningham) still made some contested shots 1 seed Aliquippa in the quarterfinals Friday Another big factor for the Bulldogs Tuesday was health They’ve been littered with injuries all season and for only the second time had their top eight players available to play “The other time we got five minutes,” Vadnais said so we’ve had five whole minutes all year with a full lineup so tonight is the first time all year we’ve had our full top eight.” but was held without a field goal until midway through the third quarter the Highlanders made 12 field goals all game so (Shady Side is) much better than their record might indicate,” Highlanders coach Mike Fatigante said “Personally I think they’re better than a nine seed but you can’t win a basketball game scoring only 31 points We didn’t make our layups and that’s not a recipe to be successful in basketball “Going in we stressed we had to do the little things because (Shady Side) is talented and they’re bigger than us and we just didn’t do that tonight.” Shady Side led by six at halftime and methodically pulled away over the final two quarters Seamus Riordan scored on consecutive possessions to put the Bulldogs in front 32-20 McGuffey never got within eight points again The Bulldogs outscored the Highlanders 29-15 in the second half “We’ve played strong third quarters all year so with a six-point lead going into the half if we could get it to 10 or 11 by the end of the third that would be good,” Vadnais said “We were able to extend it out in the fourth quarter and maintain it from there I was really pleased with how we played in the second half.” We’ve have seniors that have been here for four years and what they did in the program has been great,” Fatigante said “We have a couple that were new to the team and they were a big addition and a big reason for our success this year It was a successful season even if it didn’t end how we wanted.” If you have an account and are registered for online access sign in with your email address and password below Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe Copyright © Observer-Reporter | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy Shady Side Academy has been one of the most impressive teams in the WPIAL during the opening month of the season These Bulldogs are talented and boast one of the area’s most successful coaches but another reason they are 8-0 and one of only five unbeaten teams in the WPIAL is experience a factor that has twice helped the team rally back from double-digit deficits to grab victories having had the WPIAL championship experience last season and even prior to that a deep playoff run in the state playoffs [the season before],” said coach Jonna Burke Shady Side Academy had never won a WPIAL title before last season The Bulldogs will now shoot for a second in a row Considering their early success and the fact they have one of the WPIAL’s top players in junior point guard Karis Thomas Thomas is a three-year starter who surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this season along with junior forward Cassie Sauer and sophomore forward Leah Buford all started on last year’s championship team The Bulldogs would have returned four starters the star of the WPIAL Class 3A title game when she scored a game-high 31 points Sauer and Buford in the starting lineup have been senior guards Cameron Capel and Makiyah Mitchell Spell led Shady Side Academy in scoring the past two seasons (she averaged 19.8 points a game last season) a role that has since been taken over by Thomas who is averaging 21.7 and has reached 30 points twice Sauer leads the team in rebounding with 13 per game “The team chemistry is very good,” Burke said but they do really get along well and they care about each other I think she’s playing even better than she had in the past.” The wins against Berlin Brothersvalley and Blackhawk were among the most impressive. Burke said that the Bulldogs rallied from 10 points down to beat Berlin and stormed back from 12 points behind against Blackhawk. Both of those games were played at neutral sites, while the triumphs against Baldwin and Avonworth were on the road. “Again, I think it’s the experience,” Burke said. “You draw on that. You say, ‘OK, there’s a lot of time left in this game. We can fight. We can do this.’” Thomas — the Bulldogs are 59-7 in her career — and Shady Side Academy continue to show a lot of fight as they pile up the wins, and the Bulldogs will hope to keep their perfect record intact Friday and Saturday when they host the Pete Sauer Memorial Classic. The Bulldogs are scheduled to face two more Class 6A teams, Woodland Hills and Pine-Richland. It has been 10 months since London Creach last played in a game, but it looks like the Oakland Catholic star could be making her season debut soon. Creach, a 5-8 senior guard and Robert Morris recruit, has spent much of the year recovering from a torn ACL she suffered in a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal win against North Hills on Feb. 23. Creach had surgery on her left knee on April 10 and has been working her way back since. Creach, who said she has been practicing since August, said she’s currently at about 85% to 90% and is “hoping to come back early January.” Oakland Catholic is off to a 4-2 start (2-1 in Class 4A Section 1) under first-year coach Henry Schechter. The Eagles figure to be even better with Creach in the lineup. As a junior, she averaged 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.9 steals a game for an Oakland Catholic team that finished 26-3 and reached the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals. When you pump in the points like Clairton’s Iyanna Wade does on a game-by-game basis, career totals can climb in a hurry. Some milestones Wade is on pace to reach soon are 2,500 points and becoming her school’s all-time leading scorer. Wade, already a two-time WPIAL scoring champion, once again leads the district in scoring as she has averaged 42.7 points per game while helping Clairton to a 5-2 start (3-0 in Class 1A Section 2). Wade poured in a season-high 56 points in her most recent game, a 67-51 overtime win at West Greene. A 5-4 senior guard, Wade now has 299 points this season and 2,448 in her career. That puts her only 255 away from the school record of 2,703 achieved by 2003 graduate Kamela Gissendanner, whose total stands as fifth best in WPIAL history. Gissendanner is now the women’s coach at La Roche. Gissendanner’s single-game high was 60 points, which stood as the school record before Wade scored a WPIAL-record 65 against Steel Valley last season. Shady Side Academy hockey coach Eric Tangradi is a former Penguins player. Shady Side Academy assistant captain Grayson Messner is a member of the 2024-25 ice hockey team. Killian Kissane moves the puck against South Fayette while playing for Fox Chapel last season. Former Penguin Eric Tangradi is the head hockey coach at Shady Side Academy. would require him to be a different player than when he was at Fox Chapel Kissane had to be more physical if he was going to fit in and chase down his goal of playing college hockey get in the corners and do the dirty work,” Kissane said Kissane leads the Bulldogs in scoring in the Midwest Prep Hockey League He has scored six goals and assisted five others through the team’s first 10 games is in third place in the Malloy Division of the MPHL The MPHL is a 10-team league with teams in the United States and Canada The Bulldogs also play in the Great Lakes Prep Hockey League “It’s pretty hard,” Kissane said The coaches work hard and do a good job of getting us video to see on each team.” The Bulldogs are coached by former Penguins winger Eric Tangradi Tangradi was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and played professionally from 2009-2020 Tangradi debuted in the NHL in 2009 with the Penguins but also spent time with the Winnipeg Jets Shady Side Academy has several players from Western Pennsylvania but since they play a prep schedule can pull players from around the country it’s a little bit of both,” Tangadi said We really are trying to open things up in the Pittsburgh area We’d like to have as many kids as possible come here and skate.” is tied with Kissane for a team-high six goals Michael Jany has scored three times for the Bulldogs Tangradi said the program does its best to help kids try to land the best junior hockey opportunities available Navigating the junior hockey landscape can be difficult because of the number of leagues and levels that are available I like to have the kids take ownership with my support and mentoring,” Tangadi said “We have monthly advancement meetings We have the kids make the first point of contact and email the coach The Bulldogs try to play a 60-game schedule Tangradi said he is motivated to get kids as many meaningful games as possible “There are always challenges with prep in particular because kids graduate at our level,” Tangradi said “A lot of the teams we play are older and stronger than us.” Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer against Avonworth on Monday in Ohio Township. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas drives to the basket against Avonworth on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford scores past Avonworth’s Anna Bradley on Monday in Ohio Township. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas celebrates with Leah Buford after Buford scored during their game against Avonworth on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer works to the basket against Avonworth defenders on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy’s Cam Capel battles Avonworth’s Greta O’Brien for possession during their game on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Avonworth’s Greta O’Brien drives to the basket between Shady Side Academy’s Cam Capel and Laila Banner during their game on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford and Cassie Sauer defend against Avonworth’s Greta O’Brien during their game on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy’s Makiyah Mitchell celebrates with Karis Thomas after hitting a 3-pointer against Avonworth on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores over Avonworth’s Greta O’Brien during their game on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer against Avonworth on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Avonworth’s Greta O’Brien scores past Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas during their game on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy’s Laila Banner drives to the basket against Avonworth on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy’s Cam Capel drives to the basket against Avonworth on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford drives past Avonworth’s Greta O’Brien to score Monday in Ohio Township. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford is greeted at the bench after exiting the Bulldogs’ game against Avonworth on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Shady Side Academy head coach Jonna Burke watches from the bench during the Bulldogs’ game against Avonworth on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Avonworth’s Greta O’Brien brings the ball upcourt against Shady Side Academy on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Avonworth’s Greta O’Brien celebrates with teammates after taking an offensive foul against Shady Side Academy on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. Avonworth head coach Nick Dizon motions from the bench during the Lopes’ game against Shady Side Academy on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Ohio Twp. 1 Shady Side Academy to a 64-49 victory over No 4 Avonworth in Section 2-3A girls basketball Monday night Leah Buford added 14 and Makiyah Mitchell had 11 for the Bulldogs (6-0 Greta O’Brien scored 20 points and Sydney Savatt had 10 for the Antelopes (3-1 Sewickley Academy 10 – Elliot Keverline and Becca Guillen each scored 11 points and Tess Duer had 10 to power Aquinas Academy (3-3 Monessen 39 – Ava Frank and Sydney Strope scored 17 points apiece to lead Avella (5-2 Madison Johnson scored 27 points and Na’Jaziah Carter had 10 for Monessen (2-2 Yough 32 – Aubrey Brown had a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds and Abby Russell added 10 points to lead Belle Vernon (4-3 Daisy Miller scored 11 points for Yough (4-3 Albert Gallatin 37 – Sadie Orie scored 19 points and Ella Sabatos added 16 for Bethel Park (4-2 Mya Glisan scored 15 points and Grayce Panos had 10 for Albert Gallatin (2-3 Ambridge 7 – Aubree Hupp scored 15 points Mia Sheesley had 12 and Andrea Kinger added 10 to lead Blackhawk (6-1 2-0) to a Section 2-4A win over Ambridge (0-3 Frazier 44 – Savanna Rush scored 24 points Andi Midler had 13 and Skylar Pennington and Paige Klodowski added 12 points apiece to lead Burgettstown (2-4) to a nonsection win Allie Yauch scored 24 points and made four 3-pointers for Frazier (3-5) Carlynton 43 – Jocelyn Fischer scored 28 points to lead Carrick (3-4) to a nonsection win Jocelyn Griffin led Carlynton (3-3) with 17 points Waynesburg 33 – Allison Wingard scored 12 points and Ava Capozzoli added 11 for Chartiers-Houston (5-1) in a nonsection win Avery Davis scored 15 for Waynesburg (3-2) Geibel Catholic 51 – In a matchup of two of the WPIAL’s top scorers Iyanna Wade hit for 52 points and made six 3-pointers to lead Clairton (4-1 Emma Larkin scored 38 points for Geibel Catholic (7-1 South Allegheny 12 – Josie Farster scored 12 points and Bella Burk chipped in 11 to help Deer Lakes (6-0 Valley 27 – Jane Huss scored 14 points and Lucie Louks added 11 to power Derry (3-3 Laurel Highlands 56 – Michelle Jellison led with 16 points Kaelynn Settles followed with 15 and Chloe Zombek added 14 to push Elizabeth Forward (3-3 Miya Harris scored 25 points and Aierra Jenkins had 18 for Laurel Highlands (4-3 Carmichaels 9 – Led by 17 points from Brooke Cornali 12 from Jazlyn Martino and 10 from Olivia Kemp Fort Cherry (3-2) beat Carmichaels (0-6) in a nonsection game East Allegheny 16 – Erica Gribble scored 24 points and Jayla Peterson had 19 for Greensburg Central Catholic (4-2 Devlyn Clary scored 12 points for East Allegheny (1-5 Blessing Gantt and Vienna Jevicky scored 10 points apiece to lead Greensburg Salem (4-2 Emily Isenberg scored 10 points for McKeesport (1-6 Hopewell 18 – Harper Gibbons scored 12 points and Katie Christy added 10 to lead Hampton (7-1 Kiski Area 24 – Stella Stossel scored 15 points and Laken Kugler had 13 for Indiana (6-1 2-0) in a Section 2-5A win over Kiski Area (5-2 McGuffey 29 – Lainey Wagner scored 23 points and Nina Deweese added 15 to lead Keystone Oaks (4-1 Lexi Ewig scored 10 points for McGuffey (4-2 Burrell 28 – Neah Ewing scored 12 points to lead Knoch (2-5 Jules Fisher scored 14 points for Burrell (5-2 Steel Valley 43 – Sydnee Foust scored 13 points and Emma Smith added 11 to lead Ligonier Valley (2-3 Taylor Kenney scored 11 points and Jillian Bursman had 10 for Steel Valley (0-6 New Brighton 13 – Reagan Magno scored 11 points to lead Mohawk (1-3 1-1) to a Section 1-3A win over New Brighton (0-4 New Castle 24 – Jaedin Griggs scored 23 points and Maria Depner added 11 to lead Moon (3-2 Freeport 17 – Sam Weir scored 11 to lead North Catholic (4-2 2-0) to a Section 1-4A win over Freeport (1-5 Highlands 25 – Savanna Daye scored 14 points and Josie Fontana and Makayla Canty added 10 points apiece to lead Oakland Catholic (2-2 1-1) to a Section 1-4A win over Highlands (0-7 Beaver Falls 34 – Claudia Ierullo scored 17 points to lead OLSH (5-0 Taylor Pullen and Dreavon Haskins scored 13 points apiece for Beaver Falls (2-2 Armstrong 20 – Riley Stephans scored 15 points and Tamia West added 14 to lead Plum (2-4 Avery Hogan scored six points for Armstrong (1-4 Sto-Rox 16 – Mimi Thiero scored 28 points and Keira Watson added 13 for Quaker Valley (3-4 1-1) in a Section 1-3A win over Sto-Rox (5-3 Ellwood City 50 – Camryn Friello led with 16 points Emma Meyer followed with 13 and Emma Stockman added 10 for Riverside (5-3 Elsie Sturgeon scored 16 points and Caitlin Kreitzer had 14 for Ellwood City (3-3 Ellis School 29 – Led by 18 points from Tia Yellock 17 from Nevaeh Squires and 10 from Kamryn Newman Rochester (3-4) picked up a nonsection win Angelina Jones led Ellis School (1-3) with 15 points Bishop Canefvin 50 – Bella Dumbroski hit the game-winning shot with 16.4 seconds left and scored 18 of her 32 points in the fourth quarter to lead Serra Catholic (2-5 Isabella Sysak scored 13 and Natalie Kirsch had 12 for Bishop Canevin (5-2 Charleroi 12 – Tiara Curry scored 17 points to lead Seton LaSalle (4-1 Antonette Martin added 14 and Addie Lonergan had 12 for the Rebels Pine-Richland 34 – Reese Smetanka led Shaler (6-1) with 12 points in a nonsection win Cate Gentile scored 19 points for Pine-Richland (0-6) West Allegheny 48 – Ryan Oldaker led South Fayette (6-0 2-0) with 17 points and Haylie Lamonde added 16 in a Section 3-5A win Alaina Holtz scored 18 points and Emma Ruperto had 12 for West Allegheny (4-2 Pleasant 29 – Andrea Kuczma scored 21 points and Bella Stromberg added 13 to lead South Park (3-1 Bentworth 24 – Bailey Strinisa scored 18 points and Eden Schrier added 15 to lead South Side (4-3) to a nonsection win Aubrie Logan led Bentworth (2-4) with eight points Ringgold 58 – Lanie Moore scored 21 points and Olivia Aumer added 20 to lead Southmoreland (3-5 Alayna Macioce scored 24 points for Ringgold (3-3 Eden Christian 38 – Ashlyn Ferderbar scored 31 points to lead Springdale (4-4 Leechburg 25 – Bella Bartolovic scored 17 points to lead four players in double figures for St Jocelyn Spinelli added 12 and Gia Richter and Kasey Cienik each had 11 for the Spartans Addie Zanotto led all scorers with 18 for Leechburg (0-7 Western Beaver 20 – Kylie Fruehstorfer scored 22 points to help Union (5-0 Elizabeth Squicquero led Western Beaver (1-5 Turkeyfoot Valley 44 – Di’Saya Craggette scored 13 points Lyric McLee had 11 and Tessa Nicholson added 10 for Uniontown (3-3) in a nonsection win over Turkeyfoot Valley Mapletown 23 – Madelyn Roberts scored nine points and Marissa Tharp had eight for West Greene (5-1 Makenna Lotspeich scored 11 points for Mapletown (2-5 Apollo-Ridge 56 – Four players scored in double digits for Homer-Center led by Angelo Alexander’s 22 and Max Voyda’s 20 Marcus Coy (13) and Nash Budner (10) combined for 23 in the nonsection win for the Wildcats Logan Schrock had 14 and Zane Beatty had 13 for Apollo-Ridge (1-6) California 49 – Brock Henderson scored 18 points Shea Smith had 15 and Amaru Staub added 11 to lead Charleroi (4-3) to a nonsection win Jacob Ziolecki scored 14 points and Caden Monticelli had 10 for California (1-4) Cheswick Christian Academy 53 – Roman Ricelli scored 23 points and Evan Strimel and Gary Tarbuk had 15 each to lead Geibel Catholic (4-2) to a nonsection win Brady Rochkind scored 24 points and Keith Booth added 23 for Cheswick Christian (2-3) Brashear 31 – Kamden Kramer scored 21 points to lead McDowell to a nonsection win Blayze Myers added 12 and Leo Finazzo had 10 Nasir Thomas led Brashear (1-7) with eight points Carlynton 26 – Ayden Cunningham scored 20 points and Sam Stout added 10 to lead McGuffey (5-0 Devonte Dean scored 10 points for Carlynton (3-3 Westinghouse 36 – TyVaughn Kershaw scored 17 points Rodney Johnson had 15 and Dennis Hawkins added 12 to lead Monessen (3-1) to a nonsection win Darren Taylor scored nine points for Westinghouse (0-4) Freeport 59 – Owen Maddalon scored 25 points and Jason Fredericks added 23 to send North Catholic (1-3 Carson Kane 13 and Sean Sellinger 12 for Freeport (1-6 Urban Pathways Charter 34 – John Anderson scored 19 points Ty’Aire Hawkins added 15 and Mar’Jai Porch had 14 for Propel Montour Rochester 55 – Andrew Corfield led with 23 points Raymond Fischer followed with 15 and Carter Wilson added 10 for South Side (4-3 Jayvin Hemer scored 18 points and Nate Bills had 16 for Rochester (3-4 Ligonier Valley 34 – Matt Southers led with 22 points Anthony Pipkin followed with 17 and Mike Hammerling added 13 for Winchester Thurston (4-1) in a nonsection win Parker Hollick scored nine points for Ligonier Valley (3-3) Hampton 1 – Cooper Powell had a hat trick and Linus Jesionowski had a goal and four assists to lead Avonworth (9-2) to a Class A win Joey Stephenson scored for Hampton (3-9-1) Shaler 1 – Tyler Held collected two goals and an assist and Noah Callender also scored for Chartiers Valley (10-1) in a Class A win Shaler’s Jackson Fox made 39 saves and Chartiers Valley’s Matt Colberg made 30 stops Bishop Canevin 1 – Mason Cervone and Blake Toback scored and Keaton Minnick made 31 saves to lead Deer Lakes (9-4) to a Division 2 win Jayden Martincic scored for Bishop Canevin (5-5) Pine-Richland 3 (OT) – JJ Tensuan scored the overtime winner Joey Casella had a pair of goals and Ashton Rothtrauff made 30 saves for Franklin Regional (5-6) in a Class 3A win Jeremy Casper had a goal and an assist for Pine-Richland (4-6-1) Wheeling Park 3 – Alex Kobelenske and Jacob Miller each had a goal and an assist for Freeport (2-11) in a Class A win Kaden Schnarr had a goal and an assist for Wheeling Park (7-2-1) Sewickley Academy 1 – Mick Ritts scored twice and Brady Linamen had a goal and an assist to lead Knoch (5-3-2) to a Division 2 win Arjun Kathju scored for Sewickley Academy (0-10-1) Butler 3 – Ben Bowser had two goals and two assists and Jack Weaver and Max Zagorski each added a goal and an assist for Mars (10-3) in a Class A win Lucus Hensler scored twice for Butler (3-6-2) Kiski 0 – Harrison Parra had two goals and two assists and Dillon Martin made 26 saves to lead McDowell (5-6) to a Class A shutout of Kiski (0-11-1) Moon 2 (SO) – Dillon Cobaugh and Jonathan Trosky scored and Parker Talerico made 28 saves to lead North Hills (5-5-1) to a shootout win in Class A David Gallup scored the tying goal in the third period for Moon (11-2-1) Luca Maietta and Matthew Scouvart scored and Ethan Williams made 31 saves to lead Peters Township (3-6-1) to a Class 3A shutout of North Allegheny (6-3) Montour 2 – Colby Bartos scored four goals and Alex Ledonne and Luca Lapiana each added a goal to lead Plum (7-6) to a Class A win JJ Strilka had a goal and an assist for Montour (8-4) Wheeling Central Catholic 1 – Jace Vasbinder scored twice and Jacob Keisel added a goal to lead Quaker Valley (13-0) to a Class A win Bode Burge scored for Wheeling Central Catholic (6-6) Lebanon 3 (SO) – Robert Chiappetta and Trevor Dalessandro each had a goal and an assist and Nathaniel Keller dished out three assists to help South Fayette (6-4-1) to a shootout win in Class 3A Griffin Krupp had the game-tying goal in the final minute for Mt Nico Galardini and Amir Alsahlani scored to boost Upper St Derek Schliebner and Ty Hartman scored for Thomas Jefferson (5-7) Members of the Shady Side Academy field hockey team celebrate after winning the WPIAL Class A title Nov. 2, 2024, at Washington & Jefferson. she knew she would have five returning players from the team’s 2023 championship winning squad How the rest of the roster would fill out remained a mystery It was a creative challenge all season to play to everyone’s strengths and figure out where to play everyone.” to claim their sixth title in seven years Saturday at Washington & Jefferson “We prepped all season for today,” Patterson said “This game was always in our sights.” It was the second time in as many years that the two teams had met in the championship match the Bulldogs (16-4) prevailed 2-1 in double overtime “They’re always a tough competitor for us and we love playing with them,” Patterson said The championship was Shady Side Academy’s 21st overall The Bulldogs trail on North Allegheny (22) for most in WPIAL history The Crusaders (8-4) were stout defensively early shutting down any and all chances the Bulldogs had right in front of the net “Their defense is really strong and they always block very well and they never give up,” Patterson said “We just had to keep pushing and try to move their goalkeeper to get a shot off junior Coco Maxwell corralled a rebound of a corner and blasted the ball through the Crusaders defense and goalkeeper Aarona Casas-Arnedos “It felt amazing,” Maxwell said and the two teams have really gone at each other all year where we didn’t have to worry as much but still putting in that hard work because the score could change at any minute.” the best opportunity of the first half for the Crusaders came when freshman attacker Harley Tomasi worked her way to the side of the goal off a penalty corner and had her stick ready for the shot Casa-Arnedos stood tall and had help from her defense in the third quarter as Shady Side had multiple penalty corners but the Crusaders held strong and kept the game scoreless the Crusaders came up just short of a WPIAL title “We’re very proud of the team,” Aquinas coach Albert Casas said We’re very happy of the job they’ve done Shady Side Academy moves on to the PIAA playoffs and will play the fourth-place team out of either Districts 3 5 or 6 on Tuesday at a time and site to be determined “I’m expecting more of the same — success teamwork and commitment,” Patterson said “They’re an amazing group of girls an eatery attached to a 19th-century colonial-style home The restaurant has served fresh seafood and fine steaks since 1999 Retiring restaurant owner Peter Litchfield lived in the attached house until he sold the business to Yiannes Kacoyianni Scott Shineman of Coldwell Banker represented the buyer “This property holds a special place in the community, and it was a pleasure working with Peter through this transition,” Neighoff said in a press release “The Brickhouse Restaurant has been a local landmark for decades and we’re excited to see how Yiannes carries its legacy forward.” Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. A year after winning a WPIAL title in Class 2A, Greensburg Central Catholic is a win away from doing the same in Class 3A. Erica Gribble scored a game-high 16 points and No. 2 Greensburg C.C. sparkled defensively on its way to a 41-18 win against No. 3 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in a WPIAL Class 3A semifinal Saturday at Peters Township. Greensburg C.C. (20-5), which moved up a class this season, will shoot for its seventh title overall when it takes on No. 1 and defending champion Shady Side Academy (24-0) in Thursday’s final at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center. Shady Side Academy beat Greensburg C.C. twice in the regular season by 29 and 9 points. OLSH (21-4) was looking to reach its first final since 2022. Offensively, Greensburg C.C. wasn’t very sharp Saturday. The Centurions, who have won 13 of 15, shot just 33% from the field (17 of 51) and finished with their fourth-lowest point total of the season. But if the saying “defense wins championships” holds much weight, the Centurions have to like where they are at defensively heading into the championship game. “We only gave up two field goals in the last three quarters, so I’ll take that,” said Greensburg C.C. coach Chris Skatell, whose team also beat OLSH, 40-30, at a neutral site on Dec. 30. OLSH, which came into the game having won 12 of 13, was abysmal offensively. The Chargers shot just 13% from the field (5 of 38), were held to six or fewer points in each quarter, and at one point went more than 20 minutes without a field goal. Following Sara Daeschner’s basket two minutes into the second quarter, OLSH didn’t convert another field goal until Claudia Ierullo’s 3-point play with 1:19 remaining in the game. In between, Greensburg Central Catholic outscored the Chargers, 30-7. Gribble, Avery Jones (14 points) and Jayla Peterson (10 points) combined to score all but one of Greensburg C.C.’s points. A Richmond recruit and one of the WPIAL’s top players, Gribble averages 22 points per game, but was held to 6 points below her average as she was the focus of the defensive game plan of OLSH coach Don Eckerle, who has more than 400 career wins. “I thought we handled the junk. And he junked a lot,” Skatell said of Eckerle. “Halfcourt junk. Halfcourt 1-2-2. Halfcourt 2-2-1. Triangle and two. So we kind of just played through it all. And we stayed patient, which is a sign of growth for us.” Ierullo scored a team-best 7 points for OLSH, which went 8 of 12 from the free-throw line. President Donald Trump delivers his 100th Day in Office achievement speech in Michigan. WATCHShady Side Florist reopens symbolizing hope in Marshall's hurricane recoveryby Taylor Thompson (WLOS) — News 13 revisited the hard-hit town of Marshall on Dec the town was completely covered in water from Hurricane Helene News 13 spoke with one of the only businesses able to make a comeback on Main Street: Shady Side Florist Manager Chris Worley said he has lived in Marshall all of his life and worked at the flower shop for almost 20 years CHIMNEY ROCK HOSTS CHRISTMAS EVENT TO RAISE FUNDS FOR HURRICANE REBUILDING EFFORTS He remembered looking down the hill where the shop sat on the day of the storm and saw water completely covering the building The shop lost all of its stock and material all while dealing with three feet of mud to get through Worley said that they began the process of rebuilding "We cleared the mud out of the basement," he said "If there's one thing we have learned it's that there are still good people in the world," he expressed Worley said it wasn't until a few weeks ago that they were finally able to stand in the shop again and reopen for business he said it was important the shop was able to reopen to be there for their people "This looks nothing like what the shop used to look like — it's a construction zone but we're just working through it; we want to be here for our local people," he said Worley said their shop is practically alone on Main Street with boarded walls and piles of debris; he described the area as a "ghost town." BUNCOMBE COUNTY INTRODUCES HELENE HOUSING GRANT TO HELP RESIDENTS WITH RENT, MORTGAGE "A lot of them are trying to come back and are coming back but there's no reason to be down here," he said He said it was a strange and sad feeling to see how much the town had grown over the last few years "We've got customers who have been coming for 40 years," he said Shady Side is fully functioning and will continue to do so and they look forward to seeing the Town of Marshall bloom once again Shady Side Academy girls coach Jonna Burke said her team in no way was trying to make a statement when it hosted Greensburg Central Catholic on Thursday. “All we were thinking about was trying to get a section win at home,” Burke said. But when you go out and beat a reigning WPIAL champion in mercy-rule fashion, well, it’s hard not to call it a statement win. Karis Thomas scored 24 points and Cassie Sauer added 20 to lead unbeaten Shady Side Academy to a 62-33 blowout of Greensburg Central Catholic in a key Class 3A Section 2 game. In what was a showdown of teams that won WPIAL titles last season (Shady Side Academy in 3A and Greensburg Central Catholic in 2A), the Bulldogs (13-0, 6-0) captured a surprisingly lopsided win to remain one of three unbeaten teams in the WPIAL. Class 5A Penn-Trafford and Class 1A Union are the others. Greensburg Central Catholic (7-3, 3-1) had its five-game win streak snapped. Burke downplayed the victory, calling it just “one game.” But not even Burke could have predicted that her team would win in such a resounding way. The mercy rule went into effect when the Bulldogs went up by 30 points with a few minutes left to play. “Certainly not. The kids executed what we wanted to do,” Burke said of her team, which also owns a win against defending PIAA Class 4A champion Blackhawk. Shady Side Academy controlled the action throughout. The Bulldogs took their first double-digit lead midway through the second quarter and led by 15 points at the half before blowing the game open in the second half. Sauer was the starter and Thomas the closer. Shady Side Academy had a size advantage with Sauer, a 6-foot-2 forward who scored time and time again from point-blank range in the first half. Sauer scored eight points in the first quarter and had 14 in the opening half. “She was really good,” Burke said of Sauer, who added 10 rebounds. “It was sort of what we thought we might be able to do. We’re so blessed to have her at her height. A lot of teams have a hard time matching up.” Opposing teams also have a hard time defending Thomas, a 5-7 point guard who scored 16 of her points in the second half. Thomas was also active defensively, making several steals that led to uncontested layups on the other end. “She’s improved defensively. It’s something she takes pride in,” Burke said. Leah Buford (11 points) also finished in double figures for the Bulldogs. Jayla Peterson led Greensburg Central Catholic with 18 points. Richmond recruit Erica Gribble was held to nine points, a season low. • Reese Smetanka scored 22 points and Shaler (11-1, 4-0) extended its win streak to six courtesy of a 62-45 home win against Fox Chapel (8-5, 3-2) in Class 5A Section 1. Bayleigh Perez added 15 points for the Titans, who led, 28-18, at the half. Natalia Schaffer paced Fox Chapel with 16 points. • South Fayette (13-1, 6-0) strengthened its grip on the lead in Class 5A Section 3 following a 72-41 win against visiting Chartiers Valley (8-5, 4-1). Haylie Lamonde led the Lions with 16 points, and Juju Leroux added 13. Leroux returned to the lineup after missing seven games with an ankle injury. Emma Reynolds paced Chartiers Valley with 12 points. • Jaedin Griggs pumped in a game-high 26 points to help Moon (7-4, 3-2) rally for a 53-48 win at West Allegheny (8-4, 1-4) in Class 5A Section 3. Moon trailed by a point after three quarters before outscoring West Allegheny, 20-14, in the fourth.  • Brady Wehner’s game-high 19 points helped North Catholic (11-2, 6-0) claim its 11th consecutive win, 65-22, at Knoch (4-8, 3-2) in Class 4A Section 1. Sam Weir added 14 points for the Trojanettes, who held a 37-11 lead at the half. • Aubree Hupp scored 18 points and Andrea Kinger added 12 to help host Blackhawk (11-2, 5-0) to its four straight win, 62-22, against Hampton (8-4, 3-2) in Class 4A Section 2. The Cougars led, 34-13, at the half. • Michelle Jellison scored 14 points and Kaelynn Settles added 13 to lead Elizabeth Forward (8-3, 5-0) to its seventh win in a row, 57-21, at Yough (8-4, 3-2) in Class 4A Section 3. Elizabeth Forward outscored Yough, 23-2, in the first quarter and led, 42-8, at halftime. • Ainsley Allison (25 points, 12 rebounds) and Payton Newman (20 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles in leading Neshannock (11-2, 3-1) to a 69-30 win at Rochester (7-6, 3-1) in Class 2A Section 1. Neshannock led by two points at the half before outscoring Rochester, 25-5, in the third quarter. Tia Yellock led Rochester with 16 points. • Iyanna Wade poured in 49 points to vault Clairton (8-2, 6-0) to a 72-34 win at Mapletown (2-11, 0-5) in Class 1A Section 2. Wade upped her career point total to 2,578. She’s averaging 42.9 points on the season.  • RJ Sledge scored 33 points, including the 1,000th of his career, to help Imani Christian (7-4, 5-1) bounce back from its first section loss with a 79-65 win against visiting Mt. Lebanon (7-5, 3-3) in Class 6A Section 2. Imani Christian led by three points after three quarters before outscoring Mt. Lebanon, 23-12, in the fourth. Liam Sheely led Mt. Lebanon with 21 points. *** — Laney Wagner, Keystone Oaks. Wagner connected on five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points to propel Keystone Oaks (9-1, 3-1) to a 48-33 win at Waynesburg (6-5, 2-3) in Class 3A Section 3. **— Taylor Schumacher, McGuffey. Schumacher scored 31 points and added seven rebounds to lead McGuffey (9-4, 4-1) to a 57-50 win at Washington (4-8, 1-4) in Class 3A Section 3. * — Emma Larkin, Geibel Catholic. Larkin, the second-leading scorer in the WPIAL (24.6 ppg), scored 26 points to lead Geibel (11-1, 4-1) to a 50-25 win at Monessen (3-7, 1-5) in Class 1A Section 2. Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Laney Wagner, Keystone Oaks, 5; Gia Richter, St. Joseph, 5; Greta O’Brien, Avonworth, 4; Mads Pevarnik, Hempfield, 4; RJ Sledge, Imani Christian, 4; Liam Sheely, Mt. Lebanon, 4; Sam Weir, North Catholic, 4; Emily Scheller-Gallagher, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 4; Mackenzie James, North Catholic, 3; Brady Wehner, North Catholic, 3; Addie Nogay, Union, 3. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 71, New Brighton 12 Shady Side Academy 62, Greensburg Central Catholic 33 Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas brings the ball upcourt against Burrell during a game in January. Thomas collides with Burrell’s Leah Waldsmith during a game in January. Thomas (front, center) celebrates scoring her 1,000th career point with teammates Dec. 1. Little did she know she was on the brink of scoring 1,000 points Thomas was leading the Bulldogs girls basketball team against Berlin Brothersvalley in a close notching her 1,000th career points in her third year of high school hoops Her teammates and coaches had kept it a secret so they could see her reaction “She was genuinely surprised when it happened,” coach Jonna Burke said “She didn’t know how close she was It was really nice to see the look on her face of genuine relief and happiness with all of her teammates It was a really cool thing to happen to a really good person.” who averaged 16.1 points per game last season was glad to be able to celebrate the moment with her teammates and coaches “I feel like I’m truly blessed just to have the teammates and the coaching staff and just that support system,” said Thomas “I was just really happy at that moment to celebrate it with my teammates and my coaches.” Thomas was confused at first while her teammates were laughing trying to wait for the right moment to tell her of the milestone just telling me how proud they were of me,” Thomas said but it was just a really good moment.” The great moments with her teammates didn’t end there as they treated her to a bacon cheeseburger with chips and a birthday cake milkshake at Burgatory afterward “She’s somebody that is welcoming She is somebody that they can always talk to She is someone they can hang out with if they need somebody to sit with at lunch,” Burke said and she is definitely a leader by example.” Burke said Thomas lets her abilities do the talking “Her most important quality is that she literally makes everybody around her better,” Burke said of Thomas who is averaging 25.7 points through three games “I’ve coached a really long time but the unique thing about her is being in that point guard spot the way that she really dictates everything for us Burke said Thomas stands out with her attitude is never in a bad mood and remains mentally steady “I’m really thankful for Coach Burke,” Thomas said “She’s really like a second parent to me and everything She’ll text us late at night or early in the morning and I’m just really blessed to have a coach like Coach Burke.” Thomas also said she is grateful for her grandparents “Ever since both of my parents passed away they stepped up and they took full responsibility for me and my sister,” Thomas said “I’m just really blessed to have them in my life to be able to raise me and take me to practices and games.” She has relished the support of her older sister “The reason I’m so thankful for her is because she has always been there for me especially when our mom and dad passed away,” Thomas said “She acts more like a mother figure to me than a sister and she always checks on me to make sure I’m good back at home.” Thomas carries qualities from each of her parents something that runs in her mom’s side of the family She also has an interest in sports marketing which comes from watching basketball and building a bond with her father and I’ve been watching LeBron James ever since in Miami,” Thomas said “We would watch every game he played with my dad in the living room all the time so LeBron James is a very inspirational figure to me His work ethic and leadership on the court is just amazing to watch.” Thomas has developed into a leader for her team Burke said she is proud of Thomas has grown into someone her teammates look up to “She’s very soft spoken and very humble and modest,” Burke said and she is somebody that really deserves to have success … She’s the heart and soul of our team is really exciting because it just leaves the door open for her to become the all-time leading scorer at Shady Side Academy.” Shady Side Academy captured its first WPIAL title last season and Thomas said the team chemistry is what makes them so special “We have a really strong bond that no one can break at all,” Thomas said and we take that with us anywhere and everywhere we go and play We have to do everything for each other.” Burke said it’s a natural progression that Thomas will keep on leading the team “I just look forward to getting to be her coach for the next year and a half,” Burke said “I am so lucky to be able to do that and just watch all of the things that she’s done observing all that she’s already accomplished There is still a lot in store for her.” who started 3-0 after wins against Belle Vernon “I just want to get better 1% every day and just keep having fun,” Thomas said basketball gave me many blessings and opportunities It allowed me to meet different players and coaches I’m just going to keep having fun.” Shady Side Academy’s Cam Mallory (right) is a 6-foot-4 junior for the Bulldogs. but rose up and finished 18-9 with an 11-2 conference record the Bulldogs started 2-2 and want to push their way toward similar success Coach Dan Vadnais said senior Ben Michaels got off to a strong start in his first three games but suffered an ankle sprain and will miss time Senior Seamus Riordan missed the first four games but will return soon “That’s two of our key bigger players that we were going to utilize so we really haven’t seen it come into play yet,” Vadnais said “I’m hopeful as the year goes on we can start to change up our defense from time to time and give teams different looks just by utilizing our length and size but we first have to get healthy so that we have everyone in the gym so we can practice and kind of implement more things.” As the Bulldogs strive to get full strength 6-foot-4 junior Cam Mallory and 6-3 senior Ryan Frohlich have stepped up to help lead the team Mallory also is Shady Side’s starting quarterback “They’ve played well,” Vadnais said We’re trying to find ways to get Ryan open on the perimeter as much as possible he was able to attack the guy guarding him from the foul line in or just straight post up He definitely has the ability to shoot from the perimeter but I think he can really utilize his footwork and touch inside if we can get him the ball more often.” He added that junior guard Paul Benec and junior guard/forward Mark Bence have done an excellent job early on Benec started all four games and Bence started against Avonworth Vadnais likes what he has seen out of the players who have helped fill the roles as they battle injuries they’ve stepped in and done a nice job and they’re having to play roles that we didn’t necessarily expect,” Vadnais said give guys experience coming off the bench and to put them in position to be successful and not just going to get frustrated with how they’re playing.” Vadnais mentioned how difficult their nonsection schedule has been in his tenure He wants a positive team mindset despite early adversity with injuries “This group’s got a lot of potential I just want to keep guys positive seeing the end not forgetting what we’re really playing for in the end and getting to section play,” Vadnais said “We can’t get too frustrated right now with the injuries and the teams we’re playing where we will have some losses “We’re trying to get that consistency on both offense and defense high percentage shots against better teams or any team We consistently want to play defense and get stops because the games that we’ve had trouble which has led to transition for Knoch and Avonworth and we just end up shooting ourselves in the foot in small intervals of time.” Vadnais wants the Bulldogs to gain consistency and push through the challenging schedule “We have to continue to work and try to to find things that will help the team be successful either as individuals or as a whole team,” Vadnais said we need them to continue to buy in and try to do their best to accomplish what we’re asking out of them.” Shady Side Academy sophomore Ava Jochims was a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American for 2023-24. The boys team went undefeated with a 10-0 overall record and were 6-0 to finish as Section 3-2A champions The girls team went 3-6 overall and finished fifth in the seven-team Section 3-2A with a record of 2-4 “The girls came out on the losing end of a couple of close meets and I think that helped them learn to race as they enter the championship season,” Cooper said “The boys had some very good meets that not only tested their speed Entering the WPIAL swimming championships that will be held Thursday and Friday (Feb the Bulldogs have 12 swimmers who have qualified headlined by senior Soren Cooper for the boys and sophomore Ava Jochims for the girls Soren Cooper is seeded second for both the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.33) and 500 freestyle (4:43.35) He returns as the reigning champion in the 500 and will look to go all out to best his time from last year (4:35.98) which earned him a gold medal “Soren swam a lot more sprint events in our dual season,” Coach Cooper said “Our team had a lot of depth on the distance side of things but he’ll be ready to swim both his events next week.” her times of 2:03.71 in the 200 IM and 4:58.01 in the 500 free were tops in all of Class 2A and she will be the top seed heading into the races swimming a 4:56.054 last year to claim gold “She’s hoping to hold on to both of her No Senior Ellis Bekman is seeded seventh in both of her events — the 50 and 100 freestyles qualifying with a 25.23 in the 50 and a 55.39 in the 100 as she has done in the past and has already achieved a lifetime best in her 100 free this season,” Coach Cooper said Sophomore Caden Zhao is seeded third in both of his events posting a qualifying time of 1:58.42 in the 200 IM and a 59.28 in the 100 breaststroke “Caden has made the switch to both the IM and breast this year after focusing primarily on distance freestyle last year,” Coach Cooper said “His development will hopefully yield some top finishes and berths in these events.” Senior Austin Liu will swim in the 50 free and 100 breast His qualifying times were 23.60 in the 50 free and 1:07.07 in the 100 breast Junior Luke David has two top 10 seedings — the 50 free where he’s seeded ninth (23.16) Other qualifying swimmers for the boys team include sophomores Lex Akhavan who will compete in the 200 and 500 free; and Alex Chen Junior Joe Hosteny qualified for multiple events and will swim the 100 fly while also being a contributor on the boys relay teams All three relays for both the boys and girls teams achieved qualifying times for WPIALs and are seeded in the top 10 of their respective races while the 200 free and 400 free are seeded fourth the 200 free is seeded sixth and the 400 will start in 10th The Bulldogs saw a trio of freshmen achieve large time drops over the course of the season Richard Ma (100 breast) and Alessia Raman (100 fly) were able to qualify for WPIALs Shady Side will look to get as many of these qualified swimmers to the PIAA meet Coach Cooper has never seen this many swimmers qualify “This is the largest WPIAL team I have coached during my tenure at Shady Side,” she said “Having larger team numbers at these championship events contributes to a great team atmosphere on deck “We want to keep all our swimmers in the water for as long as possible and extend our season for as many of those student-athletes as we can.” Shady Side Academy’s Cameron Capel shoots a 3-pointer against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford scores against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer scores against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy head coach Jonna Burke talks with Cameron Capel during their game against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas shoots a 3-pointer against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. But the Bulldogs have laid a solid foundation that should provide many opportunities as the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs approach The Bulldogs are off to a 12-0 start and have shown plenty of punch on offense “They’ve come together and all found and accepted their roles offensively,” coach Jonna Burke said “I think some kids have stepped up for us more We aren’t completely reliant on Karis Thomas She doesn’t need to score 30 points a game Any kids in our top seven can score.” The Bulldogs are averaging 61.6 points per game this season Shady Side Academy was tasked with replacing its top scorer and has adjusted well Karis Thomas recently topped 1,000 points for her career The Bulldogs also benefited from bringing back returning starters Cassie Sauer and Leah Buford Cameron Capel and Laila Banner have worked their way into new roles Burke said she has her team focused on attacking like the machinations in a popular arcade staple but we want our offense to be like a game of Whac-A-Mole,” Burke said Shady Side Academy has already cleared some challenging hurdles during the regular season Shady Side Academy was also set to play reigning WPIAL Class 2A champion Greensburg Central Catholic on Jan The Bulldogs won their first five Section 2-3A matches After making the state quarterfinals last season Shady Side Academy has hopes for another deep postseason run Burke wants the Bulldogs to continue on that path “I think we are a work in progress on both ends of the floor,” Burke said we must be strong defensively and rebounding That’s the backbone of any winning team or program But when the Bulldogs kicked off the season with two section matches The Bulldogs opened with wins over Shaler and Seneca Valley and scored a combined 32 goals “We had a lot of things to learn when we started the season coming off spring break,” Shady Side coach Sarah Lamphier said but we are doing a great job already.” Shady Side has seven players capable of scoring Senior captain Elsa Blodgett leads the team with eight goals The Bulldogs built a lot of momentum last season when they made a run to the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals as a No Shady Side Academy then was eliminated by top-seeded Mt “I feel like one of the things we are successful with is we are a balanced team,” Lamphier said “We have a great deal of depth and talent I feel like my team is good with how they communicate They have their heads in the passing lanes and are able to find open teammates.” Ava Orie has returned from injury and will play a significant role in the attack Marcelle Minutolo and Samantha Recchi also will be counted on to score goals Lamphier believes the offense will be accompanied by a strong defense we play a good double team,” Lamphier said The Bulldogs most recently defeated Seneca Valley Lamphier said the Bulldogs have been calm and composed early in the season She believes that will translate as the competition gets tougher as the season goes on our composure has been good,” Lamphier said “Even with us having some younger players we are focusing on the mental part of the game We spent our spring break doing team bonding and recovering from mistakes I’m already seeing in two games our team can keep composure when they’ve faced challenges and adversity.” On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network; audio: Trib HSSN WPIAL titles: GCC 6 (2024, ’07, ’06, ’03, 1997, ’91); SSA 1 (2024) How they got here: After a first-round bye, Shady Side Academy defeated No. 8 Riverside, 55-20, in the quarterfinals and No. 12 Ellwood City, 69-33, in the semifinals. The Shady Side Academy girls track and field coach knew the Bulldogs had the potential to have a strong team The Bulldogs returned 75% of their starters — Charlotte Baker Sarah Kushnir and Ella Van Norman — from last season’s group that finished third at the WPIAL Class 2A championships the Shady Side Academy team had a strong winter that should translate into a competitive spring season The Bulldogs made the state indoor track championships and finished 12th in the relay with a time of 9 minutes The only member Shady Side Academy lost from its relay from last season was Chelsea Hartman “They’ve been putting in a good bit of work over the winter,” Perlis said We ended up running the race half a second faster than we did with Chelsea.” Since none of the runners in that group are seniors Perlis is excited to have a two-year window to maximize their success “They are aiming high,” Perlis said “Rhyley had the fastest split of all of them at the state meet I’m blessed to have a group where the relay comes first Barker qualified for the 1,600-meter run at the state meet last season She also had a strong individual season in the indoor meets scoring team points in the mile and 3K indoors Bendel was a state qualifier for the outdoor 800 two years ago before missing last season with an injury Shady Side Academy will also return juniors Aurora Cunkelman and Maria Ravotti who qualified for WPIALs in the discus and high jump “They have high individual goals and would like to find a way to qualify for the outdoor state meet individually They all sense we can hang with the best of them,” Perlis said “ It’s going to be tough to repeat as WPIAL champions (in the relay) with North Catholic coming down from 3A to 2A.” Shady Side Academy’s Seamus Riordan scores against Deer Lakes on Jan. 17. Deer Lakes’ Wayne Love battles Shady Side Academy’s Ryan Frohlich for a rebound Jan. 17. the Shady Side Academy boys basketball team will reflect the way the modern game is played The Bulldogs will have four players over 6-foot-3 in the starting lineup but the largest players on the court won’t be anchored to the low block Shady Side Academy’s best passer may not be the player running the point can put his teammates in the right position to score “We’re going to be big,” Bulldogs coach David Vadnais said We are going to run some different offensive sets Shady Side Academy had to work through a slow start last season Despite being upset by Burrell in the WPIAL quarterfinals Shady Side Academy earned a spot in the PIAA Class 3A tournament The Bulldogs lost to Chestnut Ridge in the first round of the state playoffs Shady Side Academy also will have 6-4 Cam Mallory 6-3 Seamus Riordan and 6-3 Ryan Frohlich available While the Bulldogs will have to replace 1,000-point scorer Eli Teslovich Shady Side Academy’s lineup gives the team many different options to attack opponents “It’s the era we are in,” Vadnais said “It’s not that we have a big kid and we are going to put a kid on the block Michels is an incredible passer and doesn’t try to force it on offense We can pull him away from the hoop and use him on the perimeter Shady Side Academy has three players — Landon Mauser Paul Benec and Alex Demchak — who will be competing for the starting point guard spot “We want someone who will have confidence and understand our offense,” Vadnais said “We need them to guard the other team’s point guard without fouling We want them to manage the game and take shots when they are there.” Vadnais said Shady Side Academy’s biggest challenge may be settling into its roles who was a major part of the team’s offense last season will take some time for the Bulldogs to adjust to “We have three or four people who could lead the team in scoring on any night,” Vadnais said we can’t have people going out to try to match him the next will be someone else’s night but we are a little inexperienced because we will rely on different guys to score and play more minutes.” Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores past Deer Lakes’ Tessa Hollibaugh during their game on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Deer Lakes’ Tessa Hollibaugh battles Shady Side Academy’s Becca Schriver for a loose ball during their game on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Deer Lakes’ Olivia Ryan (left) and Bella Burk battle Shady Side Academy’s Becca Schriver for a loose ball during their game on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford battles Deer Lakes’ Josie Farster for a rebound during their game on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer battles for a rebound against Deer Lakes on Monday, Jan. 6, 2024, in West Deer. Cassie Sauer added nine points and Cameron Capel had eight for the Bulldogs (12-0 Laurel 34 – Aunesty Johnson scored 24 points and Carla Brown followed with 11 for Aliquippa (9-2 Shyan Tindall scored 12 points for Laurel (4-8 Central Valley 39 – Ava Wright scored 18 points and Annsley Baker added 14 points to help Beaver (9-2 Mohawk 31 – Taylor Pullen (28) and Dreaven Haskins (25) combined for 53 points to lead Beaver Falls (5-3 Burgettstown 41 – Brooke Cornali scored 21 points and Olivia Kemp added 16 for Fort Cherry (9-2 Mars 43 – Jaedin Griggs (22) and Maria Depner (20) each cracked the 20-point mark to lead Moon (6-4 Freedom 15 – Payton Newman scored 18 points and Jaidon Nogay added 12 to lead Neshannock (10-2 Sophia Bonner and Maddie Arrow each added 10 for the Lancers Highlands 42 – Brady Wehner scored 22 points to lead North Catholic (10-2 Tyarah Woody scored 27 points and Bella Bonnett chipped in 10 for Highlands (2-9 Riverside 41 – Claudia Ierullo scored 19 points and Leah Parker added 12 for OLSH (10-2 Gabriella Finch scored 12 points and Emma Meyer finished with 11 for Riverside (7-6 North Hills 43 – Cate Gentile scored 27 points to power Pine-Richland (4-8 Delaney Amato had 18 points and Gia Minton added 11 for North Hills (3-8 Shenango 19 – Led by 17 points from Marque Taylor and 14 from Tia Yellock Butler 52 (OT) – Gracie Cato scored 23 points and Reece McFadden added 21 to power Seneca Valley (8-4 New Castle 29 – Ryan Oldaker scored 16 points and Luci LaMendola added 11 to help South Fayette (12-1 Montour 38 – Breana Grubba hit five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and Emma Ruperto added 10 points to send West Allegheny (8-3 Elizabeth Forward 2 – Brian Kalanish scored twice and Kamil Nurulin and Aidan Malay each had a goal and an assist to lead Bishop Canevin (8-5) to a Division 2 win had a goal and an assist and Riley Wright also scored for Elizabeth Forward (7-6) Greensburg Salem 0 – Darien Strosnider scored twice Richie Francis had a goal and an assist and Matt Colberg made 32 saves to lead Chartiers Valley (11-1) past Greensburg Salem (4-9) in Class A Baldwin 2 – Tucker Cullen had two goals and an assist Hayden Ferra added a goal and two assists and Liam Wiseman and Dominic Casile each had a goal and an assist for Fox Chapel (8-2-1) in Class 2A James Williams and Jeremy Pollard scored for Baldwin (3-9-1) Freeport 2 (OT) – Joey Stephenson’s second goal of the game was the overtime winner to lift Hampton (6-9) to a Class A victory Bantam Semanko scored a pair of third-period goals for Freeport (3-11-1) to force overtime Aiden Bauman and Landen Kozma assisted on both Butler 4 – Xavier Bossola scored four goals Ethan DaSilva added a pair and Jack Weaver and Ethan Vactor each had a goal and an assist to lead Mars (12-3) to a Class A win Seamus Griffith had a hat trick for Butler (2-8-3) Central Valley 1 – Sam Mezzanotte had two goals and an assist Kent Jones provided a goal and three assists and Brady Liguore added a goal and an assist to lead Neshannock (9-3-1) to a Division 2 victory Treyton Palocsik scored for Central Valley (4-9) Peters Township 0 – Aiden Ziolkowski scored the game’s only goal with 33 seconds left in regulation and Hayden Baych made 24 saves to lead Mt Ethan Williams made 29 saves for Peters Township (3-8-1) West Allegheny 2 – Bryce Radeke scored twice Miles Robinson collected a goal and two assists and Lukas Hixon had a goal and an assist to lead North Catholic (11-3) to a Class A win Maddox Luketic and John Wineland scored for West Allegheny (5-7) Hempfield 5 (SO) – Joey Vecchio scored twice and Zayn Zeravica added a goal and an assist to power Norwin (2-10) to a shootout win in Class 2A Mats Martz scored twice for Hempfield (3-7-1) Kiski 0 – Colby Bartos scored twice and Nick Majors collected a goal and three assists to lead Plum (8-6) past Kiski (0-13-1) in Class A Luca Lapiana had a goal and two assists and Tyler Bresso and Tyler Bartos each added a goal and an assist for Plum Meadville 2 – Max Modrovich scored twice Jacob Keisel added a goal and an assist and Hunter Kronk and Jace Vasbinder also scored to lead Quaker Valley (15-0) to a Class A win Ryan Yunik scored twice for Meadville (5-8) Knoch 3 – Landon Vacarro and Caden Doran had two goals and two assists apiece and Benito Pesi added a goal and three assists to power Ringgold (10-4) to a Division 2 win Mick Ritts and Synjun McHattie each had a goal and an assist for Knoch (6-5-2) Thomas Jefferson 5 – Robert Chiapetta scored the game-winning goal in the third period and added three assists to lead South Fayette (7-4-1) to a Class 3A win Trevor Dalessandro had two goals and an assist and Nathaniel Keller also scored twice for South Fayette Liam Mahoney had two goals and an assist and Lucas Blose collected a goal and two assists for Thomas Jefferson (6-9) Wilmington 1 – Seamus Coyle had a goal and an assist Cole Johnson and Colt Jones also scored and Cydney Mathers made 24 saves to help Trinity (4-9-1) to a Division 2 win Alex Rodgers scored and Craig Patterson made 29 saves for Wilmington (1-10-1) Shady Side Academy head coach Chuck DiNardo talks with hsi team after practice on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, in Fox Chapel. A school spokesperson confirmed DiNardo’s departure, saying the coach resigned Monday. “This was a personal decision for Coach DiNardo, and we respect his choice,” said Diana Toole, the school’s chief marketing officer. Messages left for DiNardo and athletic director Sean Simmons were not returned. Shady Side Academy went 41-33 under DiNardo and qualified for the playoffs six times in his first seven seasons, including a trip to the WPIAL semifinals in 2022. The team started this season 1-3. The Bulldogs lost 40-28 last week in an Allegheny Conference opener at Ligonier Valley. Toole said assistant coach Dave Szlachetka will serve as acting head coach. The team hosts Apollo-Ridge at 2 p.m. Saturday. “Coach Szlachetka is a highly respected and experienced member of the coaching team and SSA community, and is working diligently to ensure the program’s continuity and success,” Toole said. “The team looks forward to playing during homecoming this weekend.” BOSWELL — With apologies to Gene Hackman and his fictional Hickory Huskers the Cougar Cage in Boswell Saturday afternoon had the feeling early on of the small school that knocks off the much larger private school in the first round of the PIAA 3A basketball playoffs However, eventually, Shady Side Academy, the No. 5 seed out of the WPIAL with a much deeper bench, proved too much for North Star the Cougars could not weather the storm for four quarters which was a plus for us," said North Star coach Randy Schrock Bringing home gold Somerset's Holmes becomes school's 1st ever PIAA wrestling champion What to watch Who do the Somerset County teams meet in the 1st round of the PIAA basketball playoffs? The Cougars trailed 2-0 following a slow start by both teams North Star went on an 8-0 run for an 8-2 lead in the first North Star stretched the lead to 10 and wrapped up the first quarter ahead 15-6 The Bulldogs outscored the Cougars 13-6 in the frame and trailed 21-19 at the break North Star senior forward Ethan Smith connected for two of his game-high 18 points for the first score of the second half to put the Cougars up by four But an 8-0 run by Shady Side Academy followed keyed by back-to-back 3-pointers from senior Ryan Frohlich who tallied nine points in the game and junior Paul Benec hit a trey to give North Star what turned out to be its last lead of the game at 33-31 The game was tied 37-all when North Star senior Toby Sheehan connected on two of his four points in the game early in the final chapter The Bulldogs doused any hopes the partisan North Star crowd had left outscoring the Cougars 18-6 the rest of the way I’m not taking anything away from them,” Schrock said “They put their two best defenders on my two scorers (Smith) Retassie chipped in nine points in the game Shady Side Academy had three players in double-digits including senior Landon Mauser (13) including a District 5 title to their resume Shady Side improved to 13-13 and moves on to the second round of the playoffs to face top-seeded Trinity from District 3 on Wednesday Senior Grady Klosky scored a team-high 20 points but it wasn't enough as Windber fell to WPIAL No 3 seed Sewickley Academy 64-36 in the first round of the PIAA 2A boys playoffs on Saturday Evan Brady chipped in eight boys for the Ramblers Follow Daily American sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.