After turnaround season, Shady Side Academy girls look to take another step forward

By: George Guido
Saturday, December 3, 2022 | 11:01 AM

As one of the WPIAL’s most accomplished girls basketball coaches, Jonna Burke would rather talk about her players.

Burke, entering her second season at Shady Side Academy, is just eight victories away from the coveted 500 mark.

“It means I’ve been coaching a long time,” Burke said with a laugh.

The Bulldogs jumped from one victory a year earlier to 9-12 last season. Shady Side won three of its last four section games to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs for the 15th time.

The approach to Burke’s second season has had fewer speed bumps.

“It’s definitely gone a lot more smoothly,” Burke said. “It’s mostly because I’ve been here a little over a year. I’ve gotten to know the kids as we got to spend time together in the offseason. We’re building on team chemistry and we’re just a lot further along than last year at this time. It felt like all season we were playing catch-up.”

The Bulldogs finished third in the section at 6-6, with a loss to two-time defending Class 3A champion Mohawk in the opening playoff round to end the season.

Now, the task at hand is to get back to where Shady Side made it to the WPIAL finals in 2019, losing to Neshannock.

“We, obviously, weren’t satisfied with that (last season),” Burke said. “We had a six-team scrimmage at North Allegheny last Saturday and it was difficult, we played some really good teams. There’s lots to learn, and we’re looking to become better defensively. That’s where I always like to start my team.”

The Bulldogs have two starters back, senior guard Antoinette Fitzgerald and senior center Cate Sauer.

“I think last year was a good stepping-stone for us,” Fitzgerald said. “We came off the covid season of a year before, and it served as a wake-up call for us to show us we can win some games, and it was a motivator for people coming back like Cate and me. I think the time we put in as seniors this year is going to show.”

Sydney Burchard, junior guard, will be the first or second player off the bench this year.

Rounding out the starters will be freshman guards Maggie Spell and Karis Thomas, along with freshman forward Cassie Sauer.

“I still feel we have a very young team,” said Fitzgerald, known as Nette to her teammates.

“Our coach has talked to us about how far we can go. Last year was a taste of what we can do. Right now, we have a fun team and we want to play our hearts out,” Cate Sauer said.

Her father, the late Peter Sauer, was on the 1995 PIAA championship team, along with Pete’s brother, Alex Sauer. The Mellon Gym court is named after Peter.

Something else Burke and her team are going to have to learn is a whole new section. For the last two seasons, it was an all-Allegheny County section with the likes of Avonworth (12-0 last year), Brentwood, Keystone Oaks, Steel Valley and East and South Allegheny. Now, the Bulldogs will be doing some travelling. Aside from nearby Deer Lakes, Shady Side’s section foes will be Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Ligonier Valley and Mt. Pleasant.

Assisting Burke this season will be Tracy Neville and April Gratton.

Tags: Shady Side Academy