With the score tied and time winding down in the fourth quarter of the WPIAL Class 5A championship game, everybody in the building expected star senior Natalie Wetzel to take the final shot for Peters Township.
Instead, Bri Morreale was the one to cement her team’s place in history — and she even earned a new nickname in the process.
After South Fayette swarmed Wetzel with a double team in the post, the heralded 6-3 forward launched a perfect pass to Morreale in the corner, and “Big Shot Bri” did the rest. Morreale’s go-ahead 3-pointer with one minute remaining proved to be the difference in the game, as the Indians (23-3) held on for a 40-36 win Friday night at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.
“As a team, we all work really hard, and we all wanted this,” Wetzel said. “We’ve got to get that state championship [now].”
The Lions (24-2) were attempting to become only the third team this century to win four consecutive WPIAL titles, but Peters Township had other plans. The win marks the second WPIAL title for the Indians and their first since 2019, when future Penn State standout Makenna Marisa led them to an undefeated season along with their first WPIAL and PIAA Class 6A titles.
“We’ve played a lot of really close games,” said Peters Township coach Steve Limberiou. “We really talked about how if the game gets tight late, I just like our odds. I think these girls are really tough, and they were going to find a way to win. And that’s what happened tonight.”
All year long, fans clamored for a matchup between the two South Hills powerhouses, as each team dismantled virtually every opponent in their respective paths en route to the championship game. That being said, South Fayette was the unquestioned favorite coming in, with the Lions’ only loss all season coming against national powerhouse St. Mary’s, N.Y., at the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Invitational on Dec. 28.
Despite South Fayette’s impressive resume, the Indians had no fear in their eyes when they stepped onto the court. And even after falling behind by double digits early in the second half, Peters Township’s players never wavered, only getting stronger as the game went on.
“If you were expecting to come in here and beat them by 25, you were mistaken,” Limberiou said. “I thought as the game went on, we started to get better looks around the rim. … I think it was probably the best defensive game I can ever recall these girls playing. I’m just really proud of them.”
A PUP first-team all-star and Miami recruit widely regarded as one of the top players in the state, Wetzel led the Indians with 13 points to go with 7 rebounds and 5 assists in another virtuoso performance. Freshman guard Taylor McCullough tacked on 9 points in the win, while 6-3 senior forward Daniela Radulovich finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds.
“I went to that game in 2019 when they won, and ever since then, it’s been a dream of mine to win one,” Wetzel said. “It was my last year, last chance, and I wanted it more than anything.”
For the Lions, junior guard Haylie Lamonde did all she could to will her team to victory, racking up a game-high 19 points. The rest of South Fayette’s high-powered lineup struggled to find its rhythm offensively, though, allowing Peters Township to take control in the second half.
“We just didn’t execute sets and push the ball like we typically do,” said Lions coach Bryan Bennett. “We just didn’t play our normal game today. I’ll give some credit to Peters, and I’ll take some of the blame. … I’m not going to take anything away from them. They played a heck of a game, and they deserved to win.”
With the score tied, 11-11, at the end of the first quarter, both teams went cold to start the second. Neither team scored until Lailah Wright converted a fastbreak layup for South Fayette midway through the period, then Lamonde began heating up for the Lions.
Lamonde tallied nine points in the quarter and finished with 16 for the half — none bigger than her 60-foot buzzer-beater from well beyond halfcourt to give South Fayette a 24-17 lead going into the break.
“I was getting to the rim, and [shots] were just falling,” Lamonde said. “I thought [the halfcourt shot] was going to air-ball, and then it went in. … This whole atmosphere is great. A lot of high school teams don’t get to be here, so we’re fortunate to be here, especially for the fourth time [in a row].”
The Lions stretched their lead to double digits early in the third quarter, but the Indians continued to hang around. After cutting the deficit to six going into the fourth, Peters Township started the final quarter on a 6-0 run to knot things up, 33-33. Wetzel then knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Indians on top with 3:22 remaining in the game.
After a lengthy possession that lasted nearly two minutes, South Fayette finally found the look it wanted, as Cierra Rexrode converted a game-tying layup with 1:32 to play. Moments later, the unlikely hero Morreale drilled the biggest shot of her life.
“I’ve kind of been trained to think that the next one is going in,” Morreale said. “I just shot it and then it went in, and I saw everyone cheering. … I’ll probably remember that moment for a long time.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
