Impact players from powerhouse teams headline Trib 10 girls basketball all-stars

By: Jonathan Bombulie
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 | 5:26 PM

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It might not have been as obvious as last season, when Peters Township and Chartiers Valley went undefeated on their way to state titles, but WPIAL girls basketball was dominated by a select group of super teams this season.

Chartiers Valley went undefeated again while North Catholic and Rochester each lost only one game on their way to WPIAL championship seasons. All three teams are represented on the Trib 10 girls basketball all-star team.

Diajha Allen

Bishop Canevin

5-7, Sr., Guard

Allen caught the eye of college recruiters with her ability to beat defenders off the dribble and find open teammates, but she had a knack for delivering daggers with her outside shot as well, like she did while scoring 21 points in the WPIAL finals. Headed to St. Francis, she averaged 17.7 points per game.

Mackenzie Amalia

Blackhawk

5-3, Sr., Guard

Robert Morris must feel fortunate to have found, in its own backyard, a player with a multi-faceted game as impressive as Amalia’s. Averaging 22.1 points and 7.2 assists per game this season, she finished second on the program’s all-time scoring list (1,794) and first in career assists (571).

Jhayla Bray

McKeesport

5-7, Sr., Forward

Two numbers tell the story of Bray’s tenacity and talent. There’s 5-7. That’s her height. There’s 15.3. That’s how many rebounds she averaged per game this season. Bray is also a gifted scorer, especially in the paint, averaging 18.2 points per game. Topped 1,000 career points and rebounds.

Ashleigh Connor

Mt. Lebanon

5-10, So., Guard

As a sophomore, Connor led Mt. Lebanon with 20.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and was the player with the ball in her hands when the game was on the line. Attracting Division I looks, she scores in a variety of ways, from shooting the 3-pointer to capitalizing on opportunistic defense.

Maddie Dziezgowski

Bethel Park

5-10, Sr., Forward

A coach’s dream who could star in a how-to video for young basketball players, Dziezgowski led the Black Hawks with 15.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this season. The St. Bonaventure recruit’s credentials as a winner are just as impressive. Bethel Park won 85 games during her high school career.

Lizzy Groetsch

North Allegheny

5-11, Jr., Guard

Groetsch provided one of the highlights of the WPIAL season when she sliced to the basket to score the go-ahead points with 25 seconds left in overtime to lead North Allegheny past Bethel Park in the Class 6A finals. Already a 1,000-point scorer, Groetsch has committed to Penn.

Aislin Malcolm

Chartiers Valley

5-10, So., Guard

Typecast as a shooter as a freshman, Malcolm became an all-around threat as a sophomore, leading the back-to-back WPIAL Class 5A champs with 16.7 points per game. Malcolm has received scholarship offers from Pitt, Duquesne, West Virginia, Duke, Western Michigan, Kent State, Princeton and Colgate. Trib HSSN player of the year.

Megan McConnell

Chartiers Valley

5-7, Sr., Guard

Playing point guard may run in McConnell’s family, but she might have perfected the craft. Making the players around her better, she led the Colts to a second straight WPIAL title and second straight undefeated season. The Duquesne recruit averaged 14.3 points and 4.6 assists per game.

Tess Myers

North Catholic

5-10, Sr., Guard

Myers is a talented scorer, clutch shooter and tenacious rebounder, but most of all, she is known as a winner. Myers was a four-year starter for the Trojanettes, who went 102-12 and won four WPIAL titles during her tenure. She averaged 16.8 points per game and is headed to Duquesne.

Alexis Robison

Rochester

5-7, Jr., Guard

Forming one of the area’s most dangerous backcourts with Corynne Hauser, Robison averaged 19.1 points per game, leading all WPIAL Class A scorers, and helped Rochester to a second straight Class A title and a 26-1 record against a tough schedule. A 1,000-point scorer.

SECOND TEAM

Sydney Cook, New Brighton, 5-4, Sr., Guard

Riley DeRubbo, Trinity, 5-9, Sr., Guard

Corynne Hauser, Rochester, 5-7, So., Guard

Natalie Jasper, Ellis School, 5-6, Jr., Guard

Kylee Lewandowski, North Catholic, 6-1, Sr., Guard

Karly McCutcheon, Mohawk, 5-9, Sr., Guard

Mya Murray, Uniontown, 6-4, Sr., Forward

Perri Page, Chartiers Valley, 5-11, So., Forward

Emma Pavelek, Beaver, 5-8, Jr., Guard

Alyssa Pollice, Bishop Canevin, 5-8, Sr., Guard

Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.

Tags: Bethel Park, Bishop Canevin, Blackhawk, Chartiers Valley, McKeesport, Mt. lebanon, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Rochester