Impact players from powerhouse teams headline Trib 10 girls basketball all-stars
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Tuesday, April 7, 2020 | 5:26 PM
North Catholic’s Tess Myers (23) celebrates with Kylee Lewandowski as time expires in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game against Southmoreland Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, at Petersen Events Center.
Bishop Canevin’s Alyssa Pollice (21) and Diajha Allen celebrate with the championship trophy after defeating Laurel in the WPIAL Class AA final Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, at Peterrsen Events Center.
Blackhawk’s Mackenzie Amalia drives to the basket to score past Central Valley’s Christiane Frye during the fourth quarter of their game Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, at Central Valley.
McKeesport’s Jhayla Bray drives against Greensburg Salem’s Abby Mankins during a WPIAL playoff game Feb. 18, 2019, at Fox Chapel.
Mt. Lebanon’s Ashleigh Connor scores past Bethel Park’s Juliana Carbone on Dec. 19, 2019, at Mt. Lebanon High School.
Bethel Park’s Maddie Dziezgowski drives past Mt. Lebanon’s Marian Turnbull during their game Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, at Bethel Park High School.
North Allegheny’s Lizzy Groetsch (32) eyes the basket during tier game against Bethel Park in the WPIAL Class 6A championship at Petersen Events Center on Feb. 29, 2020.
Rochester’s Alexis Robison scores past West Greene’s Brooke Barner during the WPIAL Class A championship game Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, at Petersen Events Center.
Chartiers Valley’s Megan McConnell celebrates a score against Trinity during the WPIAL Class 5A championship game Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, at Petersen Events Center.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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