They say all good things must come to an end, and the North Catholic girls found that out the hard way at Oakland Catholic on Wednesday night.
In fact, the Trojanettes’ 112-game section winning streak was more than just good — it was the second-longest streak in WPIAL history, spanning more than nine years and four presidential terms. The only team with a longer streak was — you guessed it — also North Catholic, with 162 consecutive wins in section play from 1984-98.
To come within 50 games of that seemingly unbreakable streak is a remarkable achievement in itself, but it’s all over now.
Despite playing without PUP first-team all-star and Robert Morris recruit London Creach, who returned last week after a year-long layoff from a torn ACL, the Eagles found a way to rally in the second half to stun the Trojanettes in a 39-37 nail-biter. Sophomore guard Madi Pullen played the hero, knocking down a clutch go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute that proved to be the difference.
“It’s great to beat them, but I just worry about my kids. I just worry about us winning games,” said first-year Oakland Catholic coach Henry Schechter. “I’m here to try to build a culture and build a program to try to go compete for championships like they have before. … It’s a great win for our school and our program.”
The last time North Catholic lost a section game — on Jan. 11, 2016, to be specific — Pullen was in first grade. She only scored six points for the Eagles on Wednesday, both coming on 3-pointers, but the last three were surely the biggest points of her life so far.
“During the timeout, coach [Schechter] called, ‘Boom,’ which is a play for me, so I just visualized it going in,” Pullen said. “Once I shot it, I knew it was going in, and I was just hyped up.”
A former player at North Catholic under legendary coach Don Barth, who won 11 WPIAL titles while spearheading the Trojanettes’ 162-game section winning streak, North Catholic coach Molly Rottmann admitted she never expected to approach her mentor’s unthinkable streak.
“Anything in sports — streaks, records, etc., all are eventually going to get broken,” said Rottmann, winner of a record 12 WPIAL titles. “It was a hard-fought game. I’m proud of how hard our girls played. We’ve just got to play a little bit harder next time.
“That’s a credit to the program and the kids we’ve had have come through, to be able to have that streak.”
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North Catholic’s championship pedigree is unmatched, but Oakland Catholic has a rich tradition of its own as one of the area’s premier programs. But unlike the Trojanettes, a model of consistency guided by Rottmann’s steady leadership, the Eagles are in a transition year under Schechter.
It’s safe to say Wednesday’s anticipated showdown inside Oakland Catholic’s Donahue Pavilion was the biggest game Schechter has coached in yet with the Eagles, but the moment clearly wasn’t too big for him.
A Pittsburgh native who spent the past seven years at James River High School in Midlothian, Va., Schechter is no stranger to coaching in big games. During his time at James River, his teams compiled a record of 129-37 while reaching the state championship game on three separate occasions.
“We want it to be like this every night here,” Schechter said. “This was a great crowd. It was a great game, two good teams. This was a great atmosphere. This is what we want to continue building.”
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The first time the teams met back on Dec. 11, North Catholic came out on top at home, 42-34. Since then, Oakland Catholic has had nearly two more months to jell together and learn Schechter’s system, and there’s no doubt the extra time together has paid dividends for the Eagles (14-3, 10-1).
With Creach absent from the game and leading scorer Alayla Bivins fouling out in the fourth quarter after scoring a game-high 12 points, it seemed like all hope might be lost for Oakland Catholic. But junior Makayla Canty provided a huge spark off the bench with 8 points, including a pair of big buckets down the stretch.
Junior forward Josie Fontana also played a key role with 8 points of her own while anchoring the Eagles’ stifling defense with several big blocks in the paint. Sophomore guard Brady Wehner led the Trojanettes (15-3, 9-1) with 11 points on the night to go with 10 from senior guard Sarah Loughry.
“These kids are really tenacious,” Schechter said. “They are all stepping up. They are all accepting the new roles that they have this year. … It has taken a little time, but we have steadily made progress, and I think the game tonight validates the progress we’ve made.”
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After a low-scoring first half saw North Catholic take an 18-12 lead into the break, Oakland Catholic honored the members of its 2004-05 WPIAL and PIAA championship-winning team during a special ceremony at halftime. The Eagles then surged out of the locker room with an inspired run, as Bivins buried back-to-back 3-pointers to cut into the deficit.
Oakland Catholic trailed, 24-23, going into the final quarter, but the Eagles soon took their first lead of the game early in the fourth. The teams then traded blows throughout a frantic finish, with Fontana’s putback tying the score with 3:12 left before Loughry put North Catholic back on top with a pair of free throws, 33-31.
Two free throws by Canty tied the game with 2:54 remaining, then Wehner hit a go-ahead jumper on the other end to make it a 35-33 lead for the Trojanettes. Canty responded with a tough layup to tie things up again, setting the stage for Pullen’s game-winning 3 that will go down in Oakland Catholic history.
“We were very aware [of the history at stake],” Pullen said. “We wanted to come out and end their streak.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.