Knoch’s Nina Shaw shows off scoring touch, all-around game

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, January 12, 2022 | 6:37 PM

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Nina Shaw went off for a career-high 26 points in Knoch’s 50-33 victory over Section 1-4A rival Highlands on Monday.

The junior guard scored 19 in the first half as the Knights established their tempo and took control with a 15-point halftime advantage.

But while the team hit its season average for points, Shaw, in her third year as a starter, was quick to point to a collective defensive effort against a young but potent Golden Rams offense that included her half-sister, sophomore guard Kalleigh Nerone.

“As a team, we worked so well together defensively,” said Shaw, who added five rebounds and three steals in the victory that put Knoch alone atop the section at 4-0. “I was so proud of that. Coach (Chris Andreassi) stresses that in practice. We work on that for at least an hour every day. We want to make sure we are playing our best defense every possession with no time off.”

Whether it’s as an offensive threat or helping take control defensively, the diminutive Shaw, at just 5-foot-3, continues to be a force in the landscape of girls basketball in the Alle-Kiski Valley and beyond.

“Personally, I’ve always been quick on defense, but I think getting older and smarter and continuing to working on my fundamentals has really helped me get better,” she said.

Shaw said her offensive effort Monday, which included five 3-pointers, came from the defense creating opportunities for her and her teammates through the flow of the game.

Shaw and senior Madilyn Boyer have proven to be a one-two scoring punch for the Knights, who improved to 10-2 overall with another smothering defensive effort Tuesday against Slippery Rock.

Knoch surrendered just 18 points against the Rockets and is giving up just 30.3 a contest.

The Knights hope to keep that going at home Friday against section foe Valley ahead of a section clash with rival Freeport on Monday.

Shaw is averaging 13.8 points per game with 10 games in double figures. She averaged 18.3 points over her last four games, all victories as Knoch has won seven in a row overall.

“Those games where I am not scoring as much as I normally do, I make sure I am doing others things like setting ball screens, assisting more, getting rebounds, stuff like that,” she said. “As long as we get the win, that’s the important thing.”

Andreassi said he sees Shaw as much more than an offensive threat.

“The one thing that stands out is how Nina can affect a game without even scoring a point with her ballhandling, playmaking ability, rebounding and her defense,” Andreassi said. “Sometimes, when she is flying around on defense, it’s like having a sixth person out there because she can cover so much ground so quickly.

“There’s a list of top players, a number of them Division I talents, I’ve seen her go up against, whether it is in AAU, in summer league games against teams we don’t see in the regular season or in regular high school games, and she’s that good combining her skill, footwork and quickness. She has Division I ability.”

Shaw was in the mix as a freshman two years ago, earning valuable minutes while learning the pace of the varsity game alongside the likes of Boyer, 2021 graduate Nevaeh Ewing and then-seniors Abbey Shearer and Lauren Cihonski.

The 2019-20 Knights went 17-7 overall, 11-3 in the section, and made the WPIAL quarterfinals. Shaw averaged 7.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

She took that next step last year and averaged 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.1 steals to help Knoch overcome covid issues and record a truncated 10-2 overall mark, a 7-0 record in section play and earn a spot in the WPIAL semifinals.

Knoch was the only team in the section to have an unblemished section record, but the WPIAL determined that because enough section games hadn’t been played, the Knights weren’t awarded the section title.

“Our motto this year is to finish it out,” said Shaw, who has garnered college interest from a number of schools, including PSAC programs Cal (Pa.) and Slippery Rock.

“We had some tough circumstances and didn’t get that chance last year. Every practice and every game, we want to go 100 percent. We have goals to accomplish more this year.”

Along with her play on the court, Shaw sees the importance of the leadership she has developed.

“I will talk in practice and also in games to make sure we are communicating and on the same page,” Shaw said. “I want to be motivating and encouraging every chance that I get.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Knoch