Blackhawk finds redemption in Hershey, wins PIAA girls basketball title with 1st-year coach
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Saturday, March 23, 2024 | 1:54 PM
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti hoists the state championship trophy with her teammates after defeating Scranton Prep in the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk head coach Greg Huston celebrates with his team and the state championship trophy after defeating Scranton Prep in the PIAA Class 4A final on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti celebrates as time expires in the PIAA Class 4A state championship game against Scranton Prep on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti takes the court during player introductions before the PIAA Class 4A state championship game against Scranton Prep on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti celebrates with Aubree Hupp after Hupp hit a 3-pointer against Scranton Prep during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
The Blackhawk girls basketball team celebrates after defeating Scranton Prep in the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti drives to the basket against Scranton Prep’s Claire McGrath during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Aubree Hupp scores against Scranton Prep during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti scores against Scranton Prep during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Aubree Hupp celebrates with Alena Fusetti after hitting a 3-pointer against Scranton Prep during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk head coach Greg Huston watches from the side line against Scranton Prep during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Haley Romigh drives to the basket past Scranton Prep’s Maya Jenkins during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti shoots a 3-pointer against Scranton Prep during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti celebrates with Piper Romigh and and Andrea Kinger after hitting a 3-pointer against Scranton Prep during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Aubree Hupp blocks a shot by Scranton Prep’s Claire McGrath during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk head coach Greg Huston watches from the side line against Scranton Prep during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti celebrates with Mia Sheesley after scoring against Scranton Prep during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti defends against Scranton Prep’s Claire McGrath during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Aubree Hupp celebrates with Alena Fusetti as time winds down against Scranton Prep during the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
Blackhawk’s Ava Davis carries the state championship trophy from the court after defeating Scranton Prep in the PIAA Class 4A state championship game on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2024, at Giant Center in Hershey.
HERSHEY — Greg Huston wasn’t on the bench last March when Blackhawk lost in the state finals, but he understood the team’s heartache as well as anybody. He was here a dad watching his daughter from the Giant Center seats.
“I felt the pain in the stands,” he said, “because I wanted her to win a gold medal.”
On Saturday, Huston was getting drenched with water bottles in a Giant Center locker room as the team’s first-year head coach.
A year after falling short in the state finals, Blackhawk returned to Hershey and led the PIAA Class 4A final from start to finish for a 56-44 victory over Scranton Prep. Senior Alena Fusetti led with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore Aubree Hupp scored a game-high 21 points and sealed the win with late free throws.
The state title was the team’s fifth overall, but the first since winning two in a row under previous coach Steve Lodovico in 2014 and ‘15.
“Honestly, this was everything,” Fusetti said. “Just being here wasn’t enough. Last year it was almost like, ‘We made it.’ … But this year, we were winning.”
This was the team’s fourth championship game appearance in two years — counting both WPIAL and PIAA playoffs — and finally they could celebrate.
“I know when I came in here, how motivated everyone was,” said Huston, who was hired as coach in May. “They lost WPIAL and states last year, so that really hurt. We lost WPIAL again this year, but it almost doesn’t matter at this point. We’ll take this any day of the week.”
It comes exactly 25 years after Huston won a state basketball title as a player for Blackhawk’s boys team in 1999. He was asked to compare winning as a coach to winning as a player.
“It’s tough to tell because that was 25 years ago. I don’t remember what I felt like,” he said. “But I’m going to tell you what I feel like right now, and it’s an incredible feeling.”
Blackhawk (27-3) scored the game’s first eight points and steadily stretched its lead to 15 points by the third quarter. The Cougars saw a second-half lead vanish a year ago, when Lansdale Catholic won 53-45, but not this time.
“We knew we had to show no fear and step on them early,” Fusetti said. “… And we knew we had to stay locked in for 32 minutes.”
District 2 champion Scranton Prep (23-6) pulled within six points with four minutes left on consecutive baskets by junior Jenna Hillebrand, who scored a team-high 16 points. But Blackhawk held off any rally with a timely 3-pointer by Fusetti and eight clutch free throws by Hupp.
As a team, Blackhawk made 11 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter, and Hupp went 8 for 8 in the final 2:11.
“I was definitely a little nervous when they started hitting all of those 3s and getting the lead really close,” Hupp said, “but I knew we could pull it out.”
Hupp also contributed to Blackhawk’s fast start by scoring nine of the team’s first 11 points, including two 3-pointers, for an 11-2 lead. But two early fouls sent her to the bench.
“She brought it again tonight with the clutch free throws as the end, but she’s the one that got us going in the first quarter as well,” Huston said. “You can’t say enough about what she’s done this entire year, but especially in this state tournament. She’s been virtually unstoppable.”
Blackhawk’s largest lead was 32-17, which came just after halftime following a 7-0 run to start the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Fusetti put the Cougars ahead by 15, but Scranton Prep had the margin down to nine to start the fourth quarter.
Blackhawk led 36-27 after three.
The Cougars were outscored 10-5 in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, cutting their lead to 43-37 with four minutes left. Clinging to a slim lead, Huston decided to strategically hold the ball and run the clock.
“Sometimes it’s hard playing with that lead,” Huston said. “You lose some of your aggressiveness because you don’t want to make that big mistake, you don’t want to make that big turnover. Fortunately for us, Alena hit a couple of big 3s, Aubree hit a couple of big shots, and we stepped up and knocked foul shots down.
“It’s always tough in those situations. In 18 years of doing this, I’ve seen every possible outcome you could see. Believe me, I was sweating on the sideline there.”
Huston isn’t a newcomer to coaching. He led the Beaver girls team for 14 seasons before resigning last May, about a month after Lodovico quit at Blackhawk after 18 years. He said taking the Blackhawk job wasn’t why he quit at Beaver.
But others urged him to pursue the job at Blackhawk, where daughter Grace is a sophomore.
“I had reservations about doing this job,” Huston said. “Steve Lodovico was here a long time and did an incredible job for 18 years. Dori (Oldaker) was here before that. Mike DeChellis before that.
“You’re following in the footsteps of some people who’ve done great things. I definitely felt the pressure, but I’m glad I did it.”
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
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