Some things in life are inevitable, like death, taxes, and Upper St. Clair and North Allegheny playing postseason girls basketball against each other.
The opposing coaches and players likely won’t need any introductions before Friday’s WPIAL Class 6A championship game, as top-seeded Upper St. Clair (21-2) and No. 2 North Allegheny (19-5) meet in the finals for the second time in three years at 7 p.m. at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center. Going back even further, this marks the sixth year in a row the perennial powerhouses will face off in the WPIAL playoffs, with the Tigers winning the first four matchups before a 48-44 Panthers victory in last year’s WPIAL semifinals turned the tide.
This time around, it’s Upper St. Clair that appears to be the favorite going in — at least, it appeared so until standout senior point guard Samantha Prunzik broke her arm in the second half of a 58-33 WPIAL semifinal win against Mt. Lebanon on Monday. Panthers coach Pete Serio spoke in a solemn tone the day after the game when discussing the loss of Prunzik, a fierce competitor who plays much bigger than her 5-5 height would suggest.
Serio said Prunzik’s absence will take away a lot of what his team does best, and it will be up to the rest of her teammates to pick up the slack — including her younger sister, freshman Ryan Prunzik.
“It’s very bittersweet. … There was really no celebrating [Monday] night. Like I said [before], she’s the heart and soul of our team,” Serio said. “It’s going to be Kate Moore and Ryan Prunzik, Sam’s little sister [at point guard]. Kate is a junior and Ryan is a freshman. … I think we’ll go with the experience [to start], but Ryan is going to play a lot.”
Even without Prunzik, though, Upper St. Clair still packs plenty of firepower. Senior forward Kate Robbins is a Marist recruit who is considered one of the top post players in the WPIAL, and she has also added a reliable 3-point shot to her arsenal this year. Sophomore guard Rylee Kalocay has emerged as the team’s leading scorer and one of the top all-around players in the area after averaging 19.6 ppg during the regular season, and senior guard Mia Brown is finally healthy after dealing with multiple knee injuries the past two seasons. Meanwhile, senior Paige Dellicarri often flies under the radar, but she is another four-year starter who is just as vital to the Panthers’ success as anyone else on the floor.
“If you focus on [Kalocay] too much, you do so at your own risk,” North Allegheny coach Spencer Stefko said. “I don’t think anybody would be well served to forget about Kate Robbins, to forget about Mia Brown, to forget about Paige Dellicarri, to forget all about the shooters they bring off the bench. They’re just good, man. They’re solid everywhere.”
It’s no secret the Tigers will rely heavily on senior guard Jasmine Timmerson to carry them to another championship. A go-to player since her freshman year, Timmerson already has two WPIAL championships and a state title on her resume, and the Pitt recruit would surely love to win one more title in her future home before she graduates. The 5-7 point guard averaged 17.1 points per game during the regular season while also doing all the little things necessary in order to win games.
Stefko knows North Allegheny will need much more than just another big game from Timmerson in order to win on Friday, though. He counts on junior guards Kellie McConnell and Lydia Betz to handle much of the scoring load alongside Timmerson, and he knows his entire team will need to be at their best in order to take down Upper St. Clair.
“Somebody has to be the underdog, so why not us? I don’t mind that with this group at all,” Stefko said. “We know that we’ve got to punch above our weight and play above our height. If we do, we’ve got a chance, and if we don’t, we’re not going to be successful.”
Stefko is 196-24 in eight years as North Allegheny’s coach, winning at least a share of the section title in each of his first eight seasons. The Tigers also have four WPIAL titles and a state title under his watch. The Panthers, on the other hand, are seeking their first WPIAL crown since 2008 after falling just short several times in recent years.
“This senior class, although we haven’t gotten that gold medal, to make it to the semis and then two championship games, and now they’re in their third championship game — it really reflects on the talent they have brought to the program and the leadership and the experience,” Serio said. “Hopefully they can call upon all that experience and do their best to get this job done.”
Class 3A
While the Class 6A title game is a story of familiar foes, Friday’s Class 3A final at 3 p.m. between No. 2 Laurel and No. 4 Avonworth offers a fresh matchup between two teams hungry for the taste of a championship.
The Spartans (23-2) are back in the championship game for the second time in four years, but they are still looking for their first WPIAL title. The Antelopes (18-5) are one of the WPIAL’s most tradition-rich programs with six WPIAL titles to their name, but they haven’t won one since 2005. So no matter what happens, somebody is going home with their first championship banner in a long, long time.
“We had it as a goal, and we met our first goal to win our section,” said first-year Laurel coach Jim Marcantino. “To get here is really exciting. The girls are fired up.”
All year long, Laurel has looked like a team on a mission. After opening the season with a hard-fought 48-44 loss against Mars, a Class 5A playoff team, the Spartans rattled off 15 consecutive victories before losing at two-time defending WPIAL champion Neshannock. Laurel has won eight games in a row since, including a 66-46 WPIAL semifinal win against the Lancers in the rubber match on Saturday between the Lawrence County rivals.
Regan Atkins leads the Spartans with an average of 15.9 ppg, but they boast several capable scoring threats throughout the lineup — including her younger sister, 5-11 sophomore forward Tori Atkins. Senior forward Johnna Hill has also provided a boost since returning from a high-ankle sprain, scoring 24 points in the semifinal win against Neshannock, and senior point guard Danielle Pontius is the one who makes everything go.
“Regan just comes every day ready to play. She has an all-around game. She’s our best defensive stopper,” Marcantino said. “She had 34 [points] one game in the playoffs. … She’s multi-dimensional. She’s able to shoot the 3, she can take it to the hole, and she’s really improved her mid-range game. Those three things make it tough.”
For Avonworth, the 1-2 punch of Greta O’Brien and Rebecca Goetz has been the driving force behind the Antelopes’ playoff push. A 5-8 sophomore guard, O’Brien scored 15 points in the second half of a 41-35 upset win against No. 1 seed Shady Side Academy in the WPIAL semifinals, and she led the team with an average of 15.6 ppg during the regular season.
First-year coach Nick Dizon knows he will need O’Brien and Goetz to be at their best again on Friday, but it’s the rest of the supporting cast who will likely make or break Avonworth’s title hopes. Dizon named junior guard Eden Schleis and senior forward Mia Velisaris as two players capable of making a major impact if called upon.
“I think Greta and Becca know that they’re going to be looked at to help provide that scoring punch. But throughout the course of the year, we’ve had different kids step up in big moments,” Dizon said. “It’s going to start with Becca and Greta setting the tone, but I think we have more than just two incredible players.”
In what appears to be an even matchup on paper, this Class 3A championship could be decided by one unheralded player stepping up with one big shot in one big moment. No matter what happens, though, the fans should be in for a treat when the Spartans and Antelopes collide.
“I think nerves are going to be there for both teams, and I think nerves are a good thing,” Dizon said. “You should be excited. The girls earned the right to be there, us and Laurel. You just don’t want to let the nerves overtake you.”
For WPIAL postseason basketball brackets, results and schedules, go here:
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
