Norwin girls clamp down on Hempfield for 3rd straight win

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, January 13, 2025 | 10:12 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Norwin takes pride in holding teams under 40 points, so, when Hempfield began to creep closer to that mark, the Knights went into lockdown mode.

“The key is to hold them under 40,” Norwin guard Liz Yarosik said. “We reward ourselves for that. Defense is a team effort. Help the helpers.”

Third-ranked Norwin helped itself to its third straight win, limiting host Hempfield to two field goals in the fourth quarter Monday night on the way to a 59-36 victory in Section 1-6A.

Hempfield (7-6, 1-4) moved to within 37-30 late in the third, but Norwin (7-5, 4-1) ended the game on a 22-6 run to close out the Spartans, who have dropped six of their last seven.

“There was ebb and flow tonight, nothing too special,” Norwin coach Brian Brozeski said. “We had to weather the dry spells. I am proud of the way we defended.”

Defending WPIAL champion Norwin has bounced back following a rare three-game losing streak.

The Knights fended off early foul trouble and made seven 3-pointers to jumpstart the offense.

Kendall Berger led all scorers with 15 points, while Yarosik added 13 and Averi Brozeski chipped in 11 for the Knights.

Don’t forget about Bella Furno, who scored nine for Norwin on three 3s.

“We used the (3-game losing streak) to motivate us,” Yarosik said. “It brought us together. It united us.”

Norwin carried over the momentum from wins over No. 2 Mt. Lebanon and Canon-McMillan as it built a 32-21 advantage by halftime.

After Reagan Fisher made back-to-back 3s for Hempfield to cut the lead to 25-21, Yarosik scored seven straight to close the first half and give Norwin an 11-point lead.

Berger hit two 3s in the first quarter, while Averi Brozeski, Furno and Nia O’Barto also made 3s in the first half.

“We found our shot from the arc,” Brian Brozeski said. “A lot of that is being able to find shooters at the right time. Not all open shots are good shots.”

Gabby Coccia, who tied a Allie Cervola’s team high with 10 points, scored off a rebound to make it 37-30 with 2:08 left in the third.

But Berger nailed a pull-up jumper and Furno connected for a 3 to give the Lady Knights a 44-32 lead going to the fourth.

Hempfield bothered Norwin slightly with a 2-3 zone but struggled to go man-to-man with the Knights.

“Slow starts are killing us,” Hempfield coach Bob Madison said. “Turnovers hurt us. We need to do a better job of keeping our eyes up. I think we panicked a little bit. I tell them, ‘Don’t worry about the name on the other teams’ jersey.’”

But Norwin was Norwin when it counted.

Furno hit from deep again to stretch the margin to 17 (49-32) early in the fourth, and the lead slowly swelled.

Cervola and Coccia scored again for Hempfield to close the gap to 13, but Norwin scored the game’s final 10 points.

Norwin was 12 for 15 from the free-throw line. Yarosik was 5 for 5.

Hempfield made just 2 of 11 foul shots in its third straight loss.

Just like last year’s game at the Spartan Field House, Norwin sprinted to an early lead.

It was 22-3 after one quarter last year. This time, it was 20-10, even though Hempfield fell behind 11-0.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Hempfield, Norwin