2023 WPIAL Class 4A girls basketball championship breakdown: Blackhawk vs. North Catholic

By: Bill Hartlep
Friday, March 3, 2023 | 4:05 PM

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WPIAL Class 4A girls basketball championship

No. 1 Blackhawk vs. No. 2 North Catholic

3 p.m. Saturday, Petersen Events Center

On the air: Video livestream: TribHSSN.TribLive.com; Radio: WBVP (1230 AM), WBVP (99.3 FM), WMBA (1460 AM)

WPIAL titles: Blackhawk 8 (1996, ‘97, ‘99, 2000, ‘11, ‘14, ‘15, ‘22); North Catholic 21 (1978, ‘80, ‘81, ‘82, ‘84, ‘86, ‘88, ‘89, ‘93, ‘94, ‘95, 2003, ‘04, ‘07, ‘09, ‘11, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘22)

Blackhawk (21-3)

Coach: Steve Lodovico

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

2, Kassie Potts, 5-4, sr., G

11, Alena Fusetti, 5-9, jr., G

20, Aubree Hupp, 5-9, fr., G

25, Haley Romigh, 5-6, jr., G

30, Piper Romigh, 5-8, jr., G

Notable: The Cougars are the defending WPIAL Class 4A champions and went on to finish second in the state a year ago. They fill up the score sheet, averaging 57.8 points while allowing just 32.9. Blackhawk has leaned on the scoring of junior guard Alena Fusetti (18 ppg), who tallied 22 points in the semifinals. Senior point guard Kassie Potts also has made an impact in the postseason, scoring 13 in the semifinal win over Quaker Valley. Senior guard/forward Quinn Borroni (14 ppg), a Mercyhurst commit, is out for the season after sustaining an Achilles injury before the playoffs. The Cougars, who won Section 2 at 10-0, lost to just one WPIAL team this season — Class 6A Norwin.

North Catholic (21-3)

Coach: Molly Rottmann

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.

10, Anna Waskiewicz, 5-7, sr., G

11, Alayna Rocco, 5-11, jr., G

12, Dacia Lewandowski, 5-11, sr., G

24, Ava Walker, 5-10, jr., G

30, Tori Drevna, 5-7, sr., G

Notable: North Catholic is looking to add to the a WPIAL record 21 WPIAL titles. The top-seeded Trojanettes are riding a 15-game winning streak and are aiming to defend their district title — they won the 3A crown a year ago with a win over Freedom. Harvard recruit Alayna Rocco (16 ppg) has led the scoring for North Catholic. She had 19 points in a 63-45 win over Highlands in the semifinals. Anna Waskiewicz added 14 points, and Ava Walker had 13. Dacia Lewandowski, an Akron commit who has been recovering from a foot injury, has returned to the lineup. The Section 1 champs at 12-0, North Catholic averages 57.4 points and allows 37.8. The Trojanettes also lost to Norwin this season and two out-of-state schools at the prestigious She Got Game Classic in Washington, D.C.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Blackhawk, North Catholic