Blackhawk steps up, drops rival Quaker Valley to return to WPIAL championship game
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Tuesday, February 28, 2023 | 9:25 PM
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti celebrates with Piper Romigh after defeating Quaker Valley in their WPIAL Class 4A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at North Allegheny.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti scores past Quaker Valley’s Maria Helkowski during their WPIAL Class 4A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at North Allegheny.
Blackhawk’s Kassie Potts works against Quaker Valley’s Nora Johns during their WPIAL Class 4A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at North Allegheny.
Blackhawk’s Piper Romigh battles Quaker Valley’s Zora Washington for a loose ball during their WPIAL Class 4A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at North Allegheny.
Blackhawk’s Kassie Potts scores past Quaker Valley’s Maria Helkowski during their WPIAL Class 4A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at North Allegheny.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti celebrates after scoring against Quaker Valley during their WPIAL Class 4A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at North Allegheny.
Blackhawk’s Piper Romigh works against Quaker Valley’s Silvia Carrasco-Almanzar during their WPIAL Class 4A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at North Allegheny.
The Blackhawk bench erupts after a three-pointer by Piper Romigh during their WPIAL Class 4A semifinal against Quaker Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at North Allegheny.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti battles Quaker Valley’s Oumou Thiero for a rebound during their WPIAL Class 4A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at North Allegheny.
Blackhawk’s Kassie Potts (2) celebrates with teammates after defeating Quaker Valley in their WPIAL Class 4A semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at North Allegheny.
The last time Blackhawk played Quaker Valley, Quinn Borroni went off for 23 points, so with her out for the season due to injury, everyone else knew they had to step up if they were going to beat their rivals for a third time Tuesday night.
Alena Fusetti led the charge, and with contributions from everyone else in the lineup, the Cougars grinded out a win against their rivals and will have the opportunity to defend their title.
Fusetti had 22 points and top-seeded Blackhawk beat No. 4 Quaker Valley, 51-40, in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals at North Allegheny.
“I’m super proud of the girls,” Blackhawk coach Steve Lodovico said. “When you lose someone like Quinn, you lose a great offensive player, defender and rebounder, but more importantly, the leader of our team. Quinn was the voice in our huddle and she did a lot for us. Different girls had to step up in different ways. We had to move some positions around. They all did a great job.”
Blackhawk (21-3) will play North Catholic in the 4A final at 3 p.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center. It’ll be a matchup of two of the most successful girls basketball programs in WPIAL history. North Catholic has 21 titles, which is the most in WPIAL girls basketball, and Blackhawk has eight, which is tied for third.
Quaker Valley (16-8) faces Highlands in a third-place game Thursday prior to entering the state tournament.
Borroni suffered an injury in practice prior to the playoffs.
Freshman Aubree Hupp replaced Borroni in the starting five and had her second double-digit game since entering the lineup, scoring 10 points.
“I can’t say enough about Aubree Hupp and what she’s done for us,” Lodovico said. “She’s a freshman who made her first-ever start in a playoff game last week. That’s difficult, and she’s done a great job.”
The Cougars beat the Quakers 48-37 and 61-28 in Section 2 play this year.
Blackhawk led Tuesday’s game for the duration, but Quaker Valley was within 10 points for most of the way.
The Quakers got as close as four points in the fourth quarter but were unable to get within one possession.
Blackhawk eventually went into a stall offense, forcing the Quakers to foul. The Cougars went 10 of 12 from the foul line to put the game away.
“We got there a couple times and had some shots that just didn’t fall for us,” Quakers coach Ken Johns said. “We just couldn’t quite get over the hump. I’m proud of the girls with how they battled. (Blackhawk) is a very good team that’s well-coached and is very experienced. They’ve been there before, and we really don’t have anyone that’s been in this position.”
Fusetti had 13 of her 22 points in the second half. She was also part of a ferocious trapping defense that forced several turnovers and over a dozen tie-ups.
“Coach always tells us our offense comes from our defense with the turnovers we create,” Fusetti said. “Piper Romigh does great for us. She always guards the best player, and I know we can always count on her. We can still play our defense and not have to worry about the star player of any other team.”
Kassie Potts finished with 13 points for the Cougars. Maria Helkowski led the Quakers with 15 points and Oumou Thiero scored 10.
Fusetti was excited that her team got by the Quakers for a third time and has a chance to win a second consecutive championship.
“WPIALs has always been our goal,” Fusetti said. “We’ve played Quaker a lot. My freshman year we lost to them twice, last year we beat them twice, and then this year, we got three. We know everything about each other, so it all comes down to hustle, toughness and heart. We all had the same goal out there, and I think we showed that.”
Jerin Steele is a freelance writer
Tags: Blackhawk, Quaker Valley
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