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. She’s just such a great player, and she’s put the team on her back.”
FINAL SCORE: Shady Side Academy 43, OLSH 29.
— Steve Rotstein (@SteveRotstein) March 21, 2025
For the first time in school history, the Bulldogs are heading to Hershey!!
Karis Thomas: 21 points
Leah 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.
“We switched our defense, because what we started out in wasn’t great,” Burke said. “[Parker] kept getting loose for 3s. … 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. From there, the Bulldogs pulled away to clinch their first PIAA championship appearance with a 43-29 victory.
“It feels amazing,” Thomas said. “I love these girls to death. I love my coaches. I’m just doing it for them.”
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. 1 seed for the WPIAL tournament, 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. She was so dominant on the boards. … I don’t want to diminish what her loss has meant to us, because it’s still ginormous. I just think some of the other kids have stepped up in little ways.”
Class 6A
As a considerable underdog heading on a three-hour journey to James Buchanan High School in Mercersburg, Pa., to take on District 1 runner-up Garnet Valley in the PIAA Class 6A semifinals, Upper St. Clair felt like it had nothing to lose.
Turns out, the Panthers also had everything to gain.
Fueled by a career-high 19 points by defensive specialist Liv Terlecki, WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair climbed out of an early hole to tie the game at halftime, then the Panthers outlasted the Jaguars in the second half for a narrow 53-49 triumph. The win sends Upper St. Clair to the state finals for only the second time in school history and the first time since 1999.
“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.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
