Eight Big 56 players named to Girls Basketball all-state team, Maddie Webber tabbed 5A Player of the Year

2023 PA SPORTS WRITERS ALL-STATE TEAM

For complete story, click here.

6A GIRLS

First Team

Jasmine Timmerson – North Allegheny

Natalie Wetzel – Peters Township

Third Team

Kendall Berger – Norwin

Lauren Palangio – Norwin

Rylee Kalocay – Upper St. Clair

5A GIRLS

First Team

Maddie Webber – South Fayette

Second Team

Alexa Washington – Oakland Catholic

Third Team

Eve Fiala – Indiana

5A Girls Player of the Year 

Maddie Webber – South Fayette

Jonathan Anderson, Jasmine Timmerson, Royce Parham and Maddie Webber all named to KDKA Super 7 Team!

The 2022-23 high school basketball season in Western Pennsylvania was one for the record books. Literally.

Throughout the season, scoring rose to new highs, with records falling and offense being showcased in a way that it never has in the region.

For complete story, click here.

Four named to Post-Gazette Girls Fab 5

On Easter Sunday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette released the 43rd edition of the Fab 5. The Big 56 got four of the five players on the girls side! Congrats to South Fayette’s Maddie Webber, North Allegheny’s Jasmine Timmerson, Oakland Catholic’s Alexa Washington and Upper St. Clair’s Riley Kalocay on making the girls Fab 5!

By Mike White

The first Post-Gazette girls Fabulous 5 team had a City League player (Allderdice’s Mary Myers) and a player (Sharon’s Wanda Halloway) who would go on to start on a Final Four team at the University of Georgia three years later.

For complete article click here.

Post-Gazette All-WPIAL teams announced

The Post-Gazette released its All-WPIAL teams and Players of the Year for each classification. Below are the 5A and 6A All-WPIAL teams and players of the year!

For a complete boys article, click here.

For a complete girls article, click here

BOYS BASKETBALL

WPIAL 6A

Jonathan Anderson – New Castle – 18.1 ppg

Adam Bilinsky – Norwin – 20.3 ppg

Isaiah Boice – New Castle – 18.0 ppg

Dante DePante – Central Catholic – 17.7 ppg

Braylon Littlejohn – Butler – 21.0 ppg

Player of the Year

Jonathan Anderson – New Castle

WPIAL 5A

Evan Berger – Thomas Jefferson – 23.1 ppg

Daemar Kelly – Penn Hills – 17.0 ppg

Brendan McCullough – Peters Township – 14.0 ppg

Royce Parham – North Hills – 28.3 ppg

Tasso Sfanos – Mars – 26.0 ppg

Player of the Year

Royce Parham – North Hills

GIRLS BASKETBALL

WPIAL 6A

Rylee Kalocay – Upper St. Clair – 19.6 ppg

Lauren Palangio – Norwin – 11.0 ppg

Jasmine Timmerson – North Allegheny – 16.4 ppg

Natalie Wetzel – Peters Township – 19.0 ppg

Madison Zavasky – Pine-Richland – 19.2 ppg

Player of the Year

Jasmine Timmerson – North Allegheny

WPIAL 5A

Katie Kovalchick – Indiana – 16.1 ppg

Rachael Manfredo – McKeesport – 13.0 ppg

Meghan Murray – Hampton – 20.1 ppg

Alexa Washington – Oakland Catholic – 15.9 ppg

Maddie Webber – South Fayette – 17.1 ppg

Player of the Year

Maddie Webber – South Fayette

5 Big 56 Players make TribLive HSSN Terrific 10, Maddie Webber wins Player of the Year

Photo Credit: ThompsonFoto12 (Twitter)

GIRLS BASKETBALL Terrific 10

Maddie Webber – South Fayette – TribLive HSSN Girls Basketball Player of the Year

Alexa Washington – Oakland Catholic

Jasmine Timmerson – North Allegheny

Rachael Manfredo – McKeesport

Rylee Kalocay – Upper St. Clair

For complete Terrific 10 article, click here.

For Maddie Webber Player of the Year article, click here.

Roundball Classic Rosters Revealed

Rosters for the Roundball Classic senior all-star basketball games were revealed over the weekend. The Big 56 is very well represented in it! All games are at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA.

Schedule:

Thursday, May 18 – Girls – East vs. West – 6:30 pm

        Boys – East vs. West – 8 pm

Friday, May 19 – Boys – North vs. 3A – 8 pm

Saturday, May 20 – Girls – 6A vs. District 10 – 3pm

                                Boys – 5A vs. District 10 – 4:30 pm

                                Girls – 4A vs. 5A – 6 pm

                                Boys – 4A vs. 6A – 7:30 pm

Rosters:

Girls East Rosters

Lauren Atwell – F – Mars

Makenzie Barr – F – Shaler

Jillian Gallo – F – Oakland Catholic

Olivia Ginocchi – G – West Allegheny

Marina Grado – G – Gateway

Rachel Haver – G – Oakland Catholic

Kayla Howard – F – West Allegheny

Lily Palladino – G/F – Penn-Trafford

Sara Penrod – G – Franklin Regional

Brooke Schirmer – G – Franklin Regional

Maura Shorr – F – Oakland Catholic

Tori Sydeski – G – Norwin

Kayla Walter – G – Woodland Hills

Girls West Roster

Head Coach – Ryan Kacsur – Lincoln Park

Rachel Black – G – South Fayette

Malina Boord – G – McKeesport

Kristina Bozek – G/F – Trinity

Hillary Claycomb – G – Connellsville

Lexi Colainni – G – Kiski Area

Gianna Michaux – G – Albert Gallatin

Claire Rodgers – F – Hampton

Josie Straigis – G/F – Latrobe

Aizlyn Thompson – G – Lincoln Park

Courtlyn Turner – F – Albert Gallatin

Armani Walker – G – New Castle

Olivia Yancy – G – Armstrong

Girls Class 5A Roster

Head Coach – Eddie Benton – Oakland Catholic

Emma Blair – F/C – Latrobe (injured)

Camille Dominick – F – Latrobe

Olivia Donnelly – F – Mars

Eve Fiala – Indiana

Halena Hill – Oakland Catholic

Annalyn Isaacs – G – Mars

Raegan Kadlecik – G – Montour

Haley Kostorick – G – Shaler

Katie Kovalchick – F – Indiana

Ava Leroux – F – South Fayette

Elsie Smith – F – Fox Chapel

Courtlyn Turner – C – Albert Gallatin

Alexa Washington – G – Oakland Catholic

Maddie Webber – G – South Fayette

Eden Williamson – G/F – Trinity

Girls 6A Roster

Head Coach – Spencer Stefko – North Allegheny

Mary Boff – G – Bethel Park

Kate Botti – F – Norwin

Mia Brown – G – Upper St. Clair

Paige Dellicarri – G – Upper St. Clair

Justine Forbes – G – Butler

Brooke McCoy – G – Hempfield

Sophia Nath – G – Bethel Park

Cam Phillips – G – North Allegheny

Sarah Pifer – G – Pine-Richland

Kate Robbins – F – Upper St. Clair

Savannah Schneck – G/F – Norwin

Gianna Schoeb – G/F – Baldwin

Gianna Smith – G – Mt. Lebanon

Jasmine Timmerson – G – North Allegheny

Boys West Roster

Adam Kotvas – G – Plum

Nick Wallace – G/F – New Castle

Boys North Roster

Brendan Cruz – F – Chartiers Valley

Josh Gimbel – G – Pine-Richland

Dom DiNinno – G – Kiski Area

Lorenzo Glasser – G – Ringgold

Jake Kimmich – G – Franklin Regional

Ryan Lawry – G – Thomas Jefferson

Max Leven – F – Franklin Regional

Aiden Lycek – F – Seneca Valley

Connor Oros – G – Seneca Valley

Kenyan Smith – G – Penn Hills

MJ Stevenson – G – Gateway

Owen Wayman – G – Trinity

Randy Wilkerson – G/F – Central Catholic

Boys 5A Roster

Head Coach – Chris Giles – Penn Hills

Noah Barren – G – Penn Hills

Landon Butler – G/F – Latrobe

Jaydon Carr – G – Gateway

Chaz Cobbs – G – Woodland Hills

Andrew Collins – G – Trinity

Kameron Greil – G – Fox Chapel

Ben Guffey – G – Bethel Park

Elijah Hill – F – South Fayette

Daemar Kelly – G/F – Penn Hills

Cadin Olsen – F – Armstrong

Brendan McCullough – G – Peters Township

Kaleb Pryor – G – Gateway

Travaresse “Dunny” Rowe – F – McKeesport

Tasso Sfanos – G – Mars

Drew Sleva – G – Chartiers Valley

Jake Ziegler – F – Peters Township

Boys 6A Roster

Head Coach – Brian Urso – Central Catholic

Jonathan Anderson – G – New Castle

Adam Bilinsky – G – Norwin

Isaiah Boice – G – New Castle

Dante DePante – G – Central Catholic

Ryan Edwards – G – Norwin

Matt Gaither – G/F – Upper St. Clair

Lucas Garifoli – G – Mt. Lebanon

Luke Lawson – G – Seneca Valley

Micahel Pfeuffer – G – Mt. Lebanon

Harrison Sowers – G – Hempfield

Nick Sukernek – G – Upper St. Clair

Debaba Tshiebwe – F – Central Catholic

James Wesling – G – Baldwin

Da’Juan Young – F – New Castle

Bryan Bennett named Post-Gazette Girls Basketball Coach of the Year

Photo Credit: Will McBride (Twitter)

The Post-Gazette named South Fayette head girls basketball coach Bryan Bennett the Post-Gazette 2023 Girls Basketball Coach of the Year!

by Mike White

When Bryan Bennett applied for the head coach’s job of South Fayette girls basketball team in 2018, he wasn’t optimistic about his chances. For the rest of the article, click here.

Kalocay, Webber named TribLive HSSN Girls Players of the Year, Stefko, Benton named Coaches of the Year

Photo Credit: Will McBride (Twitter)

GIRLS BASKETBALL

TribLive HSSN 6A Player of the Year: Rylee Kalocay, Upper St. Clair

Kalocay, only a sophomore, averaged around 20 points per game this season. She led Upper St. Clair to a Section 2-6A title and got them to the WPIAL Championship game where they fell to North Allegheny. Even in the loss, Kalocay had 24 points for Upper St. Clair.

TribLive HSSN 6A Coach of the Year: Spencer Stefko, North Allegheny

Much like Blundo on the boys side, Coach Spencer Stefko knows how to get to the Pete as he has coached in the WPIAL Championship in 10 of the last 12 seasons. This year was a little different as the Tigers were not the top seed going into the WPIAL playoffs but still were able to come out on top.

TribLive HSSN 5A Player of the Year: Maddie Webber, South Fayette

In a team full of top players, Webber stood out a little more than the rest averaging 17.3 points per game, leading South Fayette to another WPIAL championship and their first ever state title appearance. Webber had some big moments in the playoffs as she hit a buzzer-beater three-pointer to get South Fayette to the state semifinals, then scored 24 points in the state semifinals to get the Lions to their first ever state title game. Webber is committed to Villanova.

TribLive HSSN 5A Coach of the Year: Eddie Benton, Oakland Catholic

Benton’s first season opened a lot of eyes around the WPIAL. Oakland Catholic was a team that typically made playoff runs but Benton made this Eagles team a legitimate contender as they won the Section 3-5A title and got to the WPIAL Championship. Oakland Catholic fell to South Fayette in both the WPIAL Championship and the state semifinals.

For complete article: click here.

Eight Big 56 Girls Basketball players tabbed PUP all-stars

Photo Credit: ThompsonFoto12 (Twitter)

The Pittsburgh Union Progress released their inaugural Boys Basketball All-Star Team yesterday. Five Big 56 players made the cut. For the complete list, click here.

FIRST TEAM

Rylee Kalocay – Upper St. Clair

Kalocay averaged 20 points per game as a sophomore on a team that made the WPIAL Championship game. Kalocay had a monster state playoffs as well scoring 30 and 25 points in the first and second round. Kalocay was a first-teamer on the Big 56 all-section team for 6A Section 2.

Jasmine Timmerson – North Allegheny

Timmerson averaged 16.4 points per game in her senior campaign. She finished her career with three WPIAL titles and a state gold as well. Timmerson will be headed to Pitt next season to suit up for the Panthers. Timmerson was a Big 56 first-team all-section member in 6A Section 1.

Maddie Webber – South Fayette

Webber finished her stellar career averaging 17.3 points per game, leading South Fayette to back-to-back WPIAL championships and their first ever state title appearance. She finished her career with 1,387 points. Webber will be headed to Villanova next season. She was a Big 56 first-team all-section pick in 5A Section 4.

SECOND TEAM

Rachael Manfredo – McKeesport

Manfredo averaged 16 points a game and 10 rebounds a game this season as she led McKeesport to a WPIAL Semifinal appearance and state quarterfinal appearance. Manfredo was a Big 56 first team all-section member of the 5A Section 3 all-section team.

Alexa Washington – Oakland Catholic

Washington averaged 16.3 points per game in her senior season. She led Oakland Catholic to the WPIAL championship game along with a state semifinal appearance. Washington finished with 1,271 career points. She is headed to North Florida next season. Washington was a Big 56 first teamer on the 5A Section 3 all-section team.

THIRD TEAM

Eve Fiala – Indiana

Fiala averaged 14.4 points per game in her senior season. She was very efficient from the field shooting 54%. Fiala led Indiana to the 5A Section 1 championship. Fiala will be headed to Dayton next season. Fiala was a Big 56 first team all-section player this season.

Meghan Murray – Hampton

Murray averaged 19.7 points per game this season, which was good for the leading scorer in 5A. Murray was a Big 56 first-team all-section player in 5A Section 2.

Natalie Wetzel – Peters Township

Wetzel averaged 18.6 points per game in her sophomore season. Wetzel was a Big 56 first-teamer on the 6A Section 2 all-section team. Wetzel is a bright spot for the Indians for the next couple of years.

PIAA 5A Girls Basketball Championship: South Fayette falls in State Final

Photo Credit: Will McBride (Twitter)

GIRLS BASKETBALL

PIAA 5A CHAMPIONSHIP 

Archbishop Wood 61, South Fayette 54

Archbishop Wood’s Kara Meredith made a statement seven seconds into the game when she hit a deep three and Archbishop Wood (25-5) held off South Fayette (28-3) 61-54 to win their third consecutive state championship on Saturday evening at the GIANT Center in Hershey, PA. 

Archbishop Wood’s defense set the tone in the first half along with the great three-point shooting and South Fayette found themselves in a position they were rarely in all season, down double digits at the end of the first quarter. Archbishop Wood continued to extend their lead in the second period and had a 13-point advantage going into halftime at 37-24.

South Fayette would begin to make a push in the second half, more specifically the fourth quarter when Ava Leroux hit a three-pointer with under a minute to go to make the game 56-51, but Archbishop Wood would make their free throws down the stretch and hang on for the 61-54 victory.

Ava Renninger led Archbishop Wood with 21 points. Deja Evans had 17 points and 11 rebounds while Kara Meredith added 13 points. Erica Hall had 17 points for South Fayette while Maddie Webber netted 11 points. Leroux had 10 points. 

Other games this weekend

SATURDAY

BASEBALL

Pennsbury 9, Baldwin 5

North Hills 6, St. Joseph Academy (NJ) 5

Pickerington Central (OH) 16, North Hills 6

SOFTBALL

Latrobe 8, Belle Vernon 3

SUNDAY

BASEBALL

South Fayette 10, Lebanon (OR) 0