2014 MSA Sports Girls Basketball All-Netters

By: Bruce Markey
Sunday, March 23, 2014 | 10:15 AM

The MSA Sports All-Netters squad is going places in the future.

Five of the 10 players on the all-star girls team have either signed or made verbal commitments to Division I colleges. Another has around a dozen Division I scholarship offers.

The team also has some youth. Four juniors and a sophomore are on the squad, which was picked by the MSA Sports staff. The team takes into consideration all WPIAL players.

Here is a look at the 2014 All-Netters team.

FIRST TEAM

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

BRENNA WISE, VINCENTIAN ACADEMY
6-0, Junior, Guard-Forward

The MSA Sports staff made a Wise pick for Player of the Year.

This should tell you all you need to know about Wise: She already has around a dozen scholarship offers from Division I colleges. Pitt, Virginia Tech, Dayton and Villanova are just a few that have offered scholarships.

Wise is known as a fierce competitor on the court. She became a starter as a freshman and has led Vincentian to three consecutive WPIAL Class A championships. The Royals won their first PIAA Class A Saturday in Hershey.

Wise has the ability to wreak havoc on the inside, but she also has skills that let her play guard. She does a little of everything for Vincentian, averaging a double-double. She heads into the PIAA Class A final averaging 19.4 points a game and is fresh off a 38-point game in the semifinals.

Wise has well over 1,000 career points, with one more season left at Vincentian.

ERIN MATHIAS, FOX CHAPEL
6-3, Senior, Center

Mathias is the most highly-touted post player in the WPIAL in quite some time. She was named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year. Mathias averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots in helping Fox Chapel reach the WPIAL Class AAAA semifinals.

Mathias has signed with Duke, one of the top programs in the country. Mathias signed in November, but she accepted the scholarship and made a verbal commitment to Duke during her freshman year.

CHASSIDY OMOGROSSO, BLACKHAWK
5-5, Junior, Guard

Omogrosso has been giving fits to defenses ever since she moved into the starting lineup two years ago as a freshman. This year, she led Blackhawk to the WPIAL Class AAA title and the PIAA Class AAA championship.

Omogrosso is a quick point guard and also is an excellent shooter. She shoots around 40 percent from 3-point range. She is averaging 21.5 points a game this season and barring injury, she should go over 2,000 points early next season. She has 1,832 career points.

Omogrosso already has made a verbal commitment to Duquesne.

SEAIRRA BARRETT, CENTRAL VALLEY
6-0, Senior, Forward

During the regular season, no one in the WPIAL scored like Barrett. She finished as the WPIAL scoring champion and averaged 23.6 points for the season. She combined with teammate Kiana Law to make one of the top scoring combos in the WPIAL in decades. But Barrett also was a force underneath, averaging 14 rebounds a game.

Barrett became the first girl in Central Valley’s four-year history to score 1,000 career points. An excellent athlete, she also was an all-state volleyball player.

YACINE DIOP, SETON-LASALLE
5-10, Senior, Guard-Forward

Diop played only one season of basketball in the WPIAL and she is making the most of it. Diop is the leading scorer on a well-balanced Seton-LaSalle team and she helped the Rebels win the WPIAL Class AA championship and a PIAA Class AA state title.

Diop is one of the most versatile – and athletic – players in the WPIAL. She averages 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Rebels. A native of Senegal, Diop played only one season at Seton-LaSalle. She transferred from Oak Hill Academy to Seton-LaSalle as a junior, but the WPIAL and PIAA ruled her ineligible, saying the move was for athletic intent. This year, Diop has made a decided difference for the Rebels.

Diop will stay in town to play college basketball. She already has signed with Pitt. She is ranked among the top 100 players in the country.
 

SECOND TEAM

MARIA PALARINO, PENN-TRAFFORD
5-11, Junior, Guard-Forward

It was a historical season for Penn-Trafford as the Warriors won a WPIAL title for the first time in school history. They had never been to the title game before this season.

Palarino was a primary reason for the success. She played well in the postseason and finished with a 14.3 average.

MONICA BURNS, HEMPFIELD
5-7, Senior, Guard

The Hempfield girls made it to a WPIAL title game for the first time in school history and Burns helped put the Spartans there. One of the best shooters in the WPIAL, Burns had seemingly unlimited range. She finished the season with a 20.7 average and scored her 1,000^th point in mid-January.

Burns has not decided on a college yet.

ALLISON MCGRATH, SOUTH PARK
5-10, Sophomore, Guard-Forward

McGrath brings a sophomoric attitude to the All-Netters team. She is the only sophomore on the squad. McGrath was a versatile player for South Park and helped the Eagles reach the WPIAL Class AAA title game. She scored on the inside and on 3-pointers, averaging 17.6 points a game.

SYDNEY BORDONARO, BURRELL
5-7, Junior, Guard

This was the best season in Burrell basketball history and Bordonaro was one of the chief reasons. The Bucs made it to a WPIAL title game for the first time and lost only two games – both to Seton-LaSalle.

Bordonaro is an excellent point guard, with a soft shooting touch. She had great accuracy from 3-point range and finished with a 16.1 average.

Bordonaro already has accepted a scholarship to Pepperdine, a Division I school.

NAJE GIBSON, SETON-LASALLE
6-0, Senior, Forward

Success has followed Gibson her entire career at Seton-LaSalle. There can’t be many players who are able to say they started in four WPIAL championship games. But Gibson can make the claim.

Gibson has been one of the keys to the success of Seton-LaSalle, which won its second PIAA Class AA state crown in the last three years on Friday. She was strong on the inside, but could also step outside and make shots.

Gibson was ranked among the top 100 players in the country, and she has signed with Pitt.

Tags: Blackhawk, Burrell, Central Valley, Fox Chapel, Hempfield, Vincentian Academy