No. 1 Shady Side Academy impresses in decisive win over No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic
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Thursday, January 9, 2025 | 10:38 PM
Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores off a steal past Greensburg Central Catholic’s Mya Morgan during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas steals the ball from Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer scores against Greensburg Central Catholic on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas pressures Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Shady Side Academy’s Leah Buford scores past Greensburg Central Catholic’s Avery Jones during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Shady Side Academy’s Laila Banner blocks a shot by Greensburg Central Catholic’s Mya Morgan during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Mya Morgan takes a 3-point shot over Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas during their game on Thursday in Fox Chapel.
Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas scores off a steal against Greensburg Central Catholic on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer works against Greensburg Central Catholic’s Avery Jones during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas drives past Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble to score during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble works against Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas is fouled by Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble during their game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Greensburg Central Catholic head coach Chris Skatell talks with Erica Gribble during their game against Shady SIde Academy on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
Shady Side Academy’s Karis Thomas reacts after hitting a 3-pointer against Greensburg Central Catholic on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Fox Chapel.
The No. 1 has been following the Shady Side Academy girls basketball team around this season.
No. 1 ranking in the WPIAL.
No. 1 ranking in the state.
No. 1 defensive scoring average in Class 3A.
The defending WPIAL champion Bulldogs are also making a one-game-at-a-time go of things as they chase a repeat.
After a convincing 62-33 victory over WPIAL No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic — the defending WPIAL 2A champs now in 3A — Bulldogs coach Jonna Burke repeated several times, “It’s one game.”
Yes, but one impressive game.
Shady Side Academy showed why it is held in such high regard, keeping its perfect record intact in a less-than-thrilling matchup of Section 2-3A heavyweights Thursday night at Pete Sauer Court in Fox Chapel.
Junior guard Karis Thomas scored a game-high 24 points, 11 in the third, and 6-foot-2 junior forward Cassie Sauer added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs (12-0, 6-0), who came in allowing just 33.7 points per game.
Equal parts offense and defense lit the way for Shady Side.
“I am proud of how our girls played,” Burke said. “They fulfilled what we wanted to do, and their intensity was great. Again, though, it’s one game. We still have to see them at their place, and maybe again down the line.”
Both teams had been winning by a margin greater than 20 points a game.
GCC (7-3, 3-1) was allowing just 38 points a game, but the Bulldogs had that many by the halfway mark of the third quarter.
After a close first quarter, Shady Side limited GCC to two field goals and six points in the second to take a 28-13 lead into halftime.
Methodically, the game got away from the Centurions, who had won five straight.
“They were sticky on defense,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said of Shady Side, “and we didn’t shoot well. We have some young kids, and tonight they looked awfully young.”
GCC, which had won five in a row, got 18 points from junior guard Jayla Peterson, including nine points and two 3s in a much-improved third quarter.
But GCC only trimmed the margin to 13 (28-15) before the Bulldogs raced to a 49-28 advantage heading to the fourth and increasing the lead to 30 in the final minutes.
Standout junior guard Erica Gribble was limited to nine points and only one 3-pointer. The recent Richmond commit, who was averaging 22.2 points, was hounded by defenders and labored to get open looks.
Peterson and Gribble had 27 of GCC’s 33 points.
“Gribble is one of the best players in the WPIAL,” Burke said. “The plan was always to focus on Gribble, but we knew what Peterson could do, too. She stepped up. With the two of them, it’s pick your poison.”
In the second half, when the defense picked up for Shady Side, Thomas (19.5 ppg) swiped a number of steals and turned them into points, using her quickness to cut off passing lanes.
The Bulldogs scored on a number of lightly contested drives to the rim, but that was after Sauer asserted herself early.
She made 10 of 12 shots, and GCC had no answer for her size or ideal positioning. Sauer, the daughter of late Shady Side standout Pete Sauer for whom the court is named, had 14 in the first half.
“Cass has really improved,” Burke said. “She has worked on her ability to square up. Karis and Cass are a pretty good one-two punch.”
Sophomore forward Leah Buford had 11 points for Shady Side.
Sophomore Morgan Skoloda and freshman Georgia Evans, who sang the national anthem amidst technical difficulties with a recording in the pregame, each hit a 3 for the Centurions.
Senior Cameron Capel, another starting guard and the daughter of Pitt men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel, also scored for the Bulldogs.
GCC played its sixth straight game without junior 5-10 forward Abby Dlugos, who is done for the season with a torn ACL. Her height and post defense were missing as evidenced by the play of Sauer.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Greensburg C.C., Shady Side Academy
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