Mar 30, 2017 3 min read

Trinity High School, as Observer-Reporter sports editor Chris Dugan observed, went where no Washington County girls basketball team had gone before – to a state championship game.

The Hillers did not win Saturday evening, stumbling against Archbishop Wood, 34-26, in the inaugural PIAA Class 5-A final. Coach Bob Miles’ team confounded the Philadelphia Catholic League juggernaut with its 2-3 zone defense, but converted a mere 14 percent (4 for 28) of its field goal attempts. Defeating a mediocre squad while shooting like that is difficult; it’s virtually impossible against one that was seeking a second consecutive title and fifth in eight years.

But even though the trip to Hershey ultimately proved to be semisweet, the Hillers can celebrate a crackling good season. The silver medal each player earned was a silver lining to a golden winter.

They compiled a sterling 26-4 record, swept their 12 Section 5 contests and advanced to the WPIAL semifinals. They qualified for the PIAA tournament, defeated another elite Philadelphia Catholic League team (Archbishop Carroll) and toppled a nemesis, South Fayette, to advance to the big game at the appropriately named Giant Center.

This was not a surprising season for the Hillers, who were coming off a 21-5 mark the previous campaign that included WPIAL silver (a title game loss to South Fayette) and a PIAA berth in Class AAA.

But this was a highly satisfying season, the first since the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the state’s governing body for scholastic sports, expanded from four classifications to six.

Trinity faced odds throughout this postseason. There was, of course, that girls basketball tradition in the county. There was an abundance of quality teams. And there were the private and parochial schools, which draw athletes from wider regions than public schools.

Of 24 teams – boys and girls – that vied for titles in Hershey, only eight were from public districts.

The Hillers had a bona fide star, senior guard Sierra Kotchman, a Fairmont State University recruit who completed her high school career with 1,706 points.

She was marvelous in the state semifinal against South Fayette, converting seven 3-point shots and scoring 30 points. But championship-caliber basketball teams cannot rely on merely one player, and Kotchman was complemented by a gifted supporting cast.

Alayna Cappelli was a reliable second scoring option. Rachel Lemons improved throughout the season.

Abbey O’Connor distinguished herself inside, often against taller opponents. Freshman Riley DeRubbo played well and led Trinity in the title game with 13 points. Jayme Britton and Allie Scarfo were quality reserves.

Cappelli, DeRubbo, Britton and Scarfo will return next season, providing a sturdy foundation.

Kotchman will be missed, but the Hillers have the look of a contender in 2017-18.

Who knows? In 12 months, this could be the second girls team from Washington County to advance to a PIAA championship game – for a rematch with Archbishop Wood.