Greensburg Central Catholic girls take nothing for granted on quest for 3rd straight WPIAL title

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Erica Gribble and Jayla Peterson are a championship-winning backcourt combo, seasoned and skilled, partners in crime.

The college-bound seniors at Greensburg Central Catholic have won two straight WPIAL titles together — Class 3A last year and 2A the previous season — and are talented enough to win a third. But the guards know they will need help around them.

GCC lost only one senior from a 22-6 team that beat Shady Side Academy, 56-51, behind a 31-point effort from Gribble to win its seventh WPIAL title. The Centurions lost to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the PIAA second round 36-34.

“We have most of our team back, and getting Abby (Dlugos) back is really big for us,” Gribble said. “We needed a lot of girls to step up last year, and we need that again. We need to get better on defense. That killed us last year.”

Dlugos was injured early last season and sat out with a torn ACL. She missed the title run and two PIAA playoff games.

At 5-foot-10, Dlugos will add size and skill to the backcourt.

“Abby has worked her tail off,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said. “It has to be more than Gribs and Jayla, for sure. I think we’ll be a little faster as a team. We need to get better at team defense. We’re going to be small, overall, so we have to rebound.”

Gribble, a Richmond commit, averaged 22.4 points last year and was the TribLive Westmoreland player of the year. She has 1,714 career points — 12 points from breaking the GCC girls career scoring mark and 50 from getting the all-time points mark at the school.

She also is in line to become the seventh girl in Westmoreland County history to reach 2,000 career points.

“She always has scored within my system,” Skatell said. “That’s a unique thing about her. I am never going to cut her loose and say, ‘Go get me 30.’ She ends up with 30.”

Peterson, a Wheeling commit, averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a junior. She has 740 career points.

“Erica and Jayla have played a lot of minutes together,” Skatell said. “They are great together. They understand each other.”

Two other starters return in juniors Nolan Althof and Avery Jones, who emerged as a third scoring threat in the postseason.

“It’s pretty much how I globally approach everything,” Skatell said, “it’s a new team with new relationships. You can’t get ahead of yourself. Early on, we’ve looked better. We need to stay the course. You can’t get to March before November.

“If we stay healthy, I think we’ll be fine.”

Junior Morgan Skoloda and sophomore Georgia Evans should provide minutes for GCC, along with junior Sophia Detwiler. Skatell had 20 girls set to begin the season, but noticed a decline around the section in junior varsity teams, so getting all of his players reps could become a challenge.

The nonsection schedule includes tests in South Fayette, Mt. Lebanon, Bishop Guilfoyle, North Catholic and others.

GCC will play two games in Florida at the Tampa Invitational just before Christmas.

Greensburg Central Catholic girls at a glance

Coach: Chris Skatell

Last year’s record: 22-6 (12-2 Section 2-3A)

Returning starters: Nolan Althof (Jr., F), Erica Gribble (Sr., G), Avery Jones (Jr., F), Jayla Peterson (Sr., G),

Others to watch: Sophia Detwiler (Jr., G), Abby Dlugos (Sr., F)

Top newcomers: Georgia Evans (So., G), Morgan Skoloda (Jr., G)

SCHEDULE

12.11, at Steel Valley*, 6 p.m.

12.15, East Allegheny*, 7:30 p.m.

12.18, at South Allegheny*, 7:30 p.m.

12.23, at Avonworth*, 7:30 p.m.

1.5, at Ligonier Valley*, 7:30 p.m.

1.8, Shady Side Academy*, 7:30 p.m.

1.12, at Deer Lakes*, 7:30 p.m.

1.15, Steel Valley*, 7:30 p.m.

1.19, at East Allegheny*, 7:30 p.m.

1.22, South Allegheny*, 7:30 p.m.

1.26, Avonworth*, 7:30 p.m.

1.29, Ligonier Valley*, 7:30 p.m.

1.31, Bishop Guilfoyle^, 4:30 p.m.

2.2, at Shady Side Academy*, 7:30 p.m.

2.5, Deer Lakes*, 7:30 p.m.

*Section game

^Saint Vincent Shootout

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.