Miles likes Hillers’ diversity
Editor’s note: This is the second in a four-part series previewing the area’s high school basketball teams. Today: Class AAA
By Lance Lysowski
Staff writer
llysowski@observer-reporter.com
Trinity made a quick jump in the WPIAL ranks in girls basketball last season with a strong inside game led by center Mary Dunn and the outside shooting of guard Sierra Kotchman.
The Hillers reached the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals, the first round of the PIAA playoffs and finished with a 17-8 overall record.
Four of those losses came against South Park, which eliminated Trinity from the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs, but realignment split the Hillers and Eagles up this season.
The rivals for Trinity will be different, but the goal is still the same – competing for a WPIAL Class AAA title. The journey will begin Friday at the Greensburg Salem Tip-off Tournament when Trinity faces Saltsburg at 6 p.m.
“It was just a great experience,” Trinity head coach Bob Miles said of the playoff run. “The extra weeks of practice that you get making that playoff run – we probably had four and a half extra weeks of practice – and to get into those types of games, the experiences are excellent.”
In a Section 5-AAA, which features one of the best post players in the WPIAL, South Fayette junior Emily Anderson, competing for a section title will require an inside presence who can score and rebound.
Miles has that in Dunn, who is receiving Division I interest. Dunn, a junior, averaged 13.1 points and more than 10 rebounds per game last season. A 6-1 shutdown defender, Dunn gave opponents headaches during last year’s WPIAL playoffs.
“I would sum it up like this: she doesn’t just play basketball now, she is becoming a basketball player,” Miles said. “She is understanding the game and the speed of the game. The intensity you get involved in when you play at that higher level. She has done a nice job for us and having somebody like that is a great luxury.”
The Hillers did lose two starters, but Miles used an
extensive rotation, which will help with the transition. Senior Gigi Veltri, senior Rachel Phillis and freshman Alayna Capelli will join Dunn and Kotchman in the starting rotation.
Trinity also has Abbey O’Connor, Addison Mamula and Natalie Capelli to provide depth, and Miles received an unexpected addition to the lineup. Softball player Delaney Elling, a Penn State recruit, joined the team after not playing basketball the past few years.
“We can put a big team on the floor, we can put a medium team on the floor or we can put a speed team on the floor,” Miles said. “We haven’t had that in the past couple of years we’ve been at Trinity. We are looking forward to giving multiple looks and being able to play multiple players.”
While some coaches are scrambling to find a rotation before the season tips off Friday, Miles is confident he has found the right mixture to run his high-pressured defensive scheme. He witnessed his team flourish last season and expects the same as Trinity looks to reach the postseason for the second consecutive year.
“I think the girls started to believe in not only what we were doing, but they started to believe in themselves,” Miles said. “I think they started to realize that to make these runs in the playoffs and to be considered a quality team in the WPIAL, you have to know what it takes to get to that point. It’s a big commitment.”
McGuffey
After a stretch of dominance in Class AA, the Highlanders moved to AAA and are now in Section 5-AAA with Trinity, South Fayette and Chartiers Valley.
Two-time Observer-Reporter Player of the Year Sammie Weiss is back, along with senior guard Rachel Czulewicz, who averaged 12.8 points per game for McGuffey, which reached the PIAA playoffs for the second consecutive time last season.
The Highlanders lost three starters, but the replacements received playing time last season – Lauren Crimm, Katie Demi and Carae Wagner. The question surrounding McGuffey is depth in a section with plenty of it.
“The section we are in is probably one of the tougher AAA sections,” McGuffey head coach Amanda Burchett said. “They are all very good teams that have a history of being good. Those are good programs. They have such a history of being good, and we don’t really have that just yet. Hopefully we will continue what we’ve been doing the last two or three years.”
South Fayette
The Lions were eliminated in a preliminary round playoff game by Ringgold and finished with a 12-11 overall record last season, but South Fayette has plenty to be excited. Every player returns from that team.
In addition to Anderson, sophomore Carlee Kilgus, an O-R Second-Team All-District selection last season, is back after averaging 15 points per game. Other contributors returning include Mikalya Fetchet, Autumn Mozick, Mia Wells and Lauren Crites.
Ringgold
The Rams reached the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals under first-year head coach Laura Grimm. Ringgold returns senior 6-6 center Marlena Schmidt, a West Virginia recruit who was an O-R Second-Team All-District selection after averaging a double digits in points and rebounds.
Ringgold lost two starters, but senior guard Kara Foster, junior guard Bailey Cooper and a solid bench will ease the transition.
Boys
McGuffey
The Highlanders lost one starter from last season when they finished with a 2-20 overall record. McGuffey returns senior Zach Maxwell, senior Damian McCloskey and junior Shaun Sanders.
Ringgold
Three seniors are gone from the Rams’ 5-16 season last year, but head coach Phil Pergola played plenty of underclassmen, something from which his team should benefit this season.
Competing in Section 4-AAA, Ringgold will rely on the size of George Martin and Dakota Browning, while senior Nico Law, a Division I football prospect, is expected to play basketball after years away from the sport.
South Fayette
With the football team’s bid for another state title still going strong, head coach Rich Bonnaure will be shorthanded for at least one more week.
Returners from last season’s 13-10 team that finished third in Section 5-AAA, include Brett Brumbaugh, Nick McKee, Jake Thomas and Jack Relihan.
Trinity
The Hillers lost three starters from last season’s 2-19 team, including leading scorer Avery King, but senior Nick Moretti is back. Other players expected to fill a role as the Hillers drop back to Class AAA after two years in Class AAAA include Beau Baldwin, Adam Raggi, Robert Nelson and Joey Koroly.