HERSHEY — Shock.
That was the first emotion Juju Leroux said she felt upon hearing that older sister Ava was involved in a serious automobile accident near their South Fayette home in December 2023.
“I couldn’t believe this was happening to my sister,” Juju said. “My whole life changed overnight. I was worrying constantly. It definitely made me look at life in a different perspective. I know now that you kind of have to live in the moment.”
Leroux had one of the biggest moments of her athletic career this past Saturday, and big sis, who has not only recovered but is also playing basketball again, made sure not to miss it.
It must have made for some good juju for Juju and her South Fayette teammates, who claimed the program’s first PIAA championship following a 45-37 upset over four-time defending champion Archbishop Wood in the Class 5A championship at Giant Center. Leroux, a junior guard-forward, finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, both team highs.
Ava Leroux, who attends Elon University in North Carolina, played in the PIAA final her senior season in 2023 when South Fayette lost to Archbishop Wood in the title game. While home for spring break last month, Ava attended South Fayette’s PIAA quarterterfinal and semifinal wins before returning to school. But Ava told Juju that she wouldn’t be able to attend the final.
“She said she was sorry she couldn’t come, and that the flights were really expensive. I was really disappointed,” Juju recalled.
However, Juju’s disappointment turned into excitement Saturday morning shortly after receiving a text message from her mom, Lori.
“She said she needed me to come down to the hotel lobby and that it was really important,” Juju remembered. “In the back of my mind I said, ‘Wait is [Ava] here?’ I came downstairs and she popped out of the corner and said, ‘Surprise!’
Added Juju, “It meant so much to me. She drove six hours to come see me. It shows me how much she loves me and how much she wants me to do well.”
Ava Leroux is doing well, her sister said. And she will soon be attending school not far from home, too. Ava entered the transfer portal last week and has since committed to Robert Morris. She will finish out her academic work at Elon this semester before returning home, according to her father, Frankie.
Some cool
— Brad Everett (@BREAL412) March 31, 2025recruiting news. South Fayette grad Ava Leroux is transferring to Robert Morris. A 6-4 center, she played at Elon the past two seasons. Great comeback story. She and a friend were nearly killed by a drunk driver in December 2023. Now playing again & coming back home
pic.twitter.com/uRgQtEMBDn
The 2023 accident nearly took the lives of Ava and friend Grace Howard. Leroux spent six days in an area hospital, including three in the ICU. Over the next year, Ava went through extensive therapy, including brain, speech and physical. She missed a semester of school, but actually returned to basketball this season, playing in 21 games and starting 14 for Elon. The driver of the other car involved in the crash pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated. Sentencing is scheduled for later this month.
“I’m so proud of her,” Juju said. “I’ve seen her ups and downs, when she was really angry and frustrated that she wasn’t playing basketball. She’s been so strong throughout this whole process.”
And you could bet Ava was proud of Juju, too. Ava, along with a large group of family members that included her parents and grandparents, shared in the celebration following South Fayette’s historic PIAA championship win.
“After [postgame] interviews, I went over and hugged her,” Juju said. “That’s when I got teary-eyed.”
Future coach watches Wallace win title
One of Courtney Wallace’s future college coaches was on hand to watch Wallace power Neighborhood Academy to its first PIAA title.
Yale associate head coach Justin Simon traveled to Hershey for the game and watched it while sitting next to Wallace’s family behind the Neighborhood Academy bench. That understandably meant a lot to Wallace, a senior guard who finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 5 steals in a 60-51 win against Sankofa Freedom in the Class 1A championship.
“It means a lot that he’s here. He can watch the game in person. He can talk to me in person. It’s a little bit different over the phone,” Wallace said before adding. “During my recruitment, they showed that they cared a lot. Just him being here is another reason for me wanting to go there and being excited to be there. And it shows that they want me.”
Yale was the Ivy League regular-season and tournament champion this season and played in the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. But as strong as the program is, Wallace is expected to make a splash quickly. Playing for another group of Bulldogs, Wallace averaged 22 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists during an outstanding senior season.
“He does a lot of great things out there,” Simon said. “Hopefully he’ll be a guy who can come in and have an impact right away.”
Remembering Win
Along with some of his teammates, senior Nolan Donnelly played with a heavy heart during Sewickley Academy’s 55-54 loss to Linville Hill Christian in the PIAA Class 2A championship.
The Panthers were shooting for a fourth PIAA title, the first three of which were teams guided by Win Palmer, the team’s longtime coach who passed away in August 2023. Palmer coached the Panthers during Donnelly’s freshman and sophomore seasons. Jim Dudas then coached them last season before Mike Iuzzolino took over this season.
“We’ve been playing for him for a while,” said Donnelly, a four-year starter who scored more than 1,000 career points. “Last year especially, we were playing for him. This year we really stuck with that, especially the upperclassmen that really knew him, we’ve been playing for him.”
Donnelly was in tears after the game when talking about his experience at Sewickley Academy. The Panthers won just three games in each of his first two seasons before going 13-10 a season ago. This season’s squad went 24-6 and finished second in the entire state.
Said Donnelly, “Just being able to do this. Being able to keep playing, being able to go through injuries and everything. All the people I got to meet and everything I got to learn. From Mr. Palmer and Mr. Dudas and now coach Iuzzolino, I’m very grateful for it.”
South Allegheny driven by Mon Valley connections
Of all the WPIAL teams that made it to Hershey, none brought more fans than South Allegheny. Not only were the Gladiators playing in the final for the first time, but they were also the first team from the Mon Valley to play for a PIAA title since the Serra Catholic boys in 2008.
This South Allegheny team was actually molded by the Mon Valley. Coach Tony DiCenzo and assistants Cory Maha and Nolan Stephenson played at West Mifflin. Assistant Nate Wojciechowski played at South Allegheny. Another assistant, Bilal Cook, the father of standout guard Drew Cook, played at Duquesne. Teammate Cameron Epps’ dad, Vada, played at Clairton. Two of the team’s other starters, Josh Jackowski and Camden Lewis, have fathers who were athletes at South Allegheny (Jim Jackowski and Brandon Lewis).
“When you think about it, it’s amazing,” Bilal Cook said. “I really didn’t think about it, but yeah, the whole Mon Valley. You’ve got the West Mifflin-Duquesne connection and the Duquesne-Clairton. It’s pretty neat.”
DiCenzo and Cook both previously took part in the PIAA championships as players, DiCenzo at West Mifflin in 2002 and Cook at Duquesne in 1993 and 1994. Of those teams, Duquesne’s 1993 squad was the only one to win a title. On Saturday, South Allegheny fell to West Catholic, 60-51, in the Class 3A championship.
End of the road for Kalocay
One of the WPIAL’s top players over the past few seasons saw her terrific career come to an end in Hershey.
Upper St. Clair senior Rylee Kalocay bounced back from a torn ACL that shortened her junior season to lead the Panthers to their first WPIAL title in 17 years while averaging 21.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. Kalocay, a Kent State recruit, struggled in the PIAA final, scoring a team-high 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting in a 58-27 loss to Perkiomen Valley in the Class 6A title game, but that didn’t take away from what was a great career at Upper St. Clair.
“I know she’s upset. She wishes she had a different kind of game. But what a ride and what a player she is. What a competitor. She’s helped us do what we’ve done so much,” said Upper St. Clair coach Pete Serio, who retired following the game.
Kalocay, a two-time PUP first-team all-star who finished her career with 1,708 points, said she was happy to stretch out her final season as much as she could after missing out on so much of her junior season.
“Our goal was to play until we couldn’t anymore,” Kalocay said. “Sure it didn’t end the way we wanted to, but we played till we couldn’t and that’s really all you can ask for. I mean, we haven’t been here since [1999], so for it to be my season, to end off like this, I’m pretty happy.”
Shady Side Academy back in ‘26?
The Shady Side Academy girls had never participated in the PIAA championships before this season, nor had Jonna Burke in her 30 years of coaching. But after finishing as the Class 3A runner-up, it’s not hard to imagine this young Bulldogs team making it back to Hershey again next season.
Three players who started in the championship game will return, a trio that includes junior guard Karis Thomas, a PUP first-team all-star pick who scored a team-high 22 points in the 55-43 loss to Loyalsock Township. Also back will be sophomore Leah Buford and freshman Laila Banner. Additionally, the Bulldogs will return junior Cassie Sauer, the team’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder who suffered a season-ending injury in the WPIAL quarterfinals.
“It’s always a challenge,” Burke said. “I think when you get to a place like this, the difficulty then becomes maintaining success and knowing people will be gunning for you, knowing that we’ll have that X on our back. That’s going to be tough. But the cupboard is certainly not going to be empty. They are competitive. Now that we’ve gotten a taste of what coming here is like, and playing for championships, district, section, state now. It’s addictive. I’m hoping that they feel the same way. We’ll try our best and work as hard as we can. But I also know there’s a lot of luck involved. You’ve got to stay healthy. There’s so much that goes into coming back here.”
Shady Side Academy’s biggest competition will likely come from Greensburg Central Catholic, which defeated the Bulldogs in the WPIAL championship. The Centurions will lose only one senior and will return PUP first-team all-star and Richmond recruit Erica Gribble.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.