Norwin topples North Allegheny to capture 3rd WPIAL girls basketball championship
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Friday, March 1, 2024 | 8:35 PM
The Norwin girls basketball team celebrates after defeating North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 6A championship game on Friday, Mar. 1, 2024, at Petersen Events Center.
Norwin’s Lauren Palangio hoists the WPIAL championship trophy with teammates after defeating North Allegheny in the Class 6A final on Friday, Mar. 1, 2024, at Petersen Events Center.
Norwin’s Kendall Berger scores against North Allegheny’s Lydia Betz during the WPIAL Class 6A championship game on Friday, Mar. 1, 2024, at Petersen Events Center.
Norwin’s Ava Christopher scores past North Allegheny’s Cate Pingpank during the WPIAL Class 6A championship game on Friday, Mar. 1, 2024, at Petersen Events Center.
Norwin’s Lauren Palangio scores against North Allegheny during the WPIAL Class 6A championship game on Friday, Mar. 1, 2024, at Petersen Events Center.
Norwin’s Lauren Palangio scores against North Allegheny during the WPIAL Class 6A championship game on Friday, Mar. 1, 2024, at Petersen Events Center.
Norwin’s Lauren Palangio celebrates as time expires against North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 6A championship game on Friday, Mar. 1, 2024, at Petersen Events Center.
Sweets to the sweet.
Norwin girls basketball coach Brian Brozeski, who revealed after Friday’s night’s WPIAL Class 6A title game that he likes to bake, likened his team and its run to championship to making a pie.
“It’s the perfect recipe,” Brozeski said, pointing to the eight girls who joined him in a postgame press conference. “You can’t make an apple pie and just put apples in it. You need flour, eggs, sugar … and it makes a beautiful dessert.”
With all of the classic ingredients of Norwin girls basketball, the top-seeded Knights delivered their first WPIAL title since 2016 with a 56-41 victory over No. 3 North Allegheny at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.
Norwin finally broke through in its first finals trip in eight years.
“ ‘Great’ was the word of the day,” said Norwin senior forward Lauren Palangio, who was the TribLive HSSN MVP with 12 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. “We knew we had to rebound and get second-chance points. I knew I had good shooters around me, and I could trust my teammates.”
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Oh what a Knight it was for Norwin as they captured the 6A title over North Allegheny@norwin_gbb | @norwinathletics | @NorwinSD | #HSSN pic.twitter.com/ZaQNljORud
— TribLive HSSN (@TribLiveHSSN) March 2, 2024
Norwin (21-3) fell behind early but quickly recovered to win its third title overall.
Sophomore Ava Christopher scored a game-high 16 points, and junior Kendall Berger added 10 points for Norwin.
“(A semifinal loss to North Allegheny last year) drove us every practice,” senior point guard Bailey Snowberger said. “We remember that salty taste in our mouths and hearing them pounding on the wall beside us.”
North Allegheny (22-3) was trying for title No. 7. The Tigers have six WPIAL titles, five since 2017 when the district went to six classes.
The Tigers scored the first six points of the game, but Norwin came back in a hurry.
After a 12-12 first quarter, Norwin began to gain its footing in the second before gradually building a double-digit lead.
“They made some minor adjustments that were on point with what we wanted to do against them,” North Allegheny coach Spencer Stefko said. “They are sound defensively. I didn’t crack it for these girls, and that’s on me. I need to get better.”
Seven straight free throws were part of a 14-0 run that allowed the Knights to take a 21-12 lead.
Christopher’s 3-pointer gave Norwin a 10-point lead, and junior Bella Furno hit a jumper as Norwin took a 28-18 lead into halftime.
Norwin held the Tigers to six points in the second quarter.
Palangio was a force in the paint, gaining position to get rebounds while altering shots.
“We tried to flood her with bodies, fresh bodies,” Stefko said. “She was just really doggone good.”
The lead never dipped below 11 in the second half as junior Avery Brozeski, senior Ava Kobus and Snowberger hit 3-pointers.
Christopher also grabbed seven rebounds.
The Knights hit 6 of 9 shots in the third to build a 43-30 lead.
“We knew they were going to come out swinging,” Kobus said of North Allegheny. “We had as much feeling and motivation to beat them as they did for us.”
Senior Lydia Betz had 13 points, and senior Caroline Henderson added 11 for the Tigers, whose last lead was 12-9.
Norwin beat North Allegheny three times this season for the first time since 2015.
Norwin made 16 of 18 free throws, with Palangio making 8 of 9.
Both teams are in the PIAA playoffs and will open the state tournament next Friday.
Norwin hosts — or plays in WPIAL territory — William Penn, the seventh-place team from District 3.
North Allegheny also will stay close and play either Altoona or Erie, whichever wins a District 6-8-10 subregional.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: North Allegheny, Norwin
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