Now over semifinal hump, St. Joseph girls face another challenge against defending champion Union

By: Nathan Breisinger
Friday, March 1, 2024 | 12:01 PM

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As the clock trickled down and showed zeroes on St. Joseph’s semifinal win against Aquinas Academy, first-year coach Geoff Dutelle stepped back and watched the celebration unfold.

It was as if the Spartans toppled over a brick wall that seemed insurmountable for so long. Back-to-back devastating losses in the Class A girls basketball semifinals the past two seasons finally gave way to a moment this senior-heavy team was waiting for.

“All I kept thinking about was all of the work that these girls had put in the past couple of years,” Dutelle said. “I know their story even if I wasn’t there for it. They’re all jumping and screaming, and I kind of just sat there thinking about that because they really made it a priority to get this moment. They finally arrived at the moment that they’ve been building for.”

Whatever postseason force that stood in the Spartans’ way was broken with the 65-56 victory.

“It felt so good,” senior Julie Spinelli said. “This year, we worked really hard to push past that mark.”

Now, the No. 3 Spartans (21-3) are prepared to overcome their next obstacle, a date with reigning champion and the top-seeded Union (18-5) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center.

St. Joseph’s goal entering this season was clear: get over that semifinal hump and reach the program’s first WPIAL final. Even with past success, Dutelle knew something had to give for that to happen.

“I tried to convince them from the first day that just because they’ve had success doesn’t mean they can’t become a better team,” he said. “They did a good job on not resisting change early on. They could’ve easily had the mindset of, ‘we’ve won before, why should we do anything differently?’

“They embraced some change, some practice changes, some philosophical changes. I think it also speaks that they knew, ‘This is our last ride. We need to try and do something differently to take that next step.’ ”

Dutelle, a Syracuse, N.Y, native, knows a thing or two about knocking down playoff barriers.

“I busted out my 20-year-old state runner-up soccer medal,” the Liverpool High School grad said. “We talked about how hard it was for my team to break over the hump. We kept losing in the section finals every year. We lost it my freshman, my sophomore year, my junior year and we were like, ‘Are we ever going to break through?’ We finally did my senior year and went on this crazy run, and we got to the state finals and then lost.

“I know how hard it is to break through, and I can also tell you how great it feels when you finally do.”

Providing a symbol of hope from over two decades ago has resonated with his current players.

“He does the little things to help motivate us, and those are key in helping us have our success,” Spinelli said.

Union, which beat St. Joseph in the semifinals last season, presents a bigger challenge. Before the Spartans could blink in last year’s matchup, the Scotties ran out to a 19-0 lead. It was “over before it even started” as the Scotties won 55-40.

The defensive structure Union possesses posed a great challenge for Spinelli and her teammates.

“We started off the game last year throwing the ball away with their press,” she said. “This year, we are a lot more prepared. We are a much better team than we were last year, and we have to have the confidence that we are.”

Union thrives off of its defensive style, limiting opponents to 30.3 points per game, the second-fewest in the WPIAL.

“We hang our hats on good defense,” Scotties coach Rob Nogay said. “Our philosophy is that good defense is going to win you basketball games and is going to generate points for you.”

The Scotties have allowed just 29 points in two postseason games this season.

“We feed a lot off of our defense,” Nogay said. “The turnovers we are able to generate, we’re able to get some points from.”

Commanding the defense has been senior Kelly Cleaver, who averages 9.8 rebounds while leading the Scotties with 15.6 points per game.

“Kelly is going to give me her absolute maximum effort every night. She feeds off of her defense, and when Kelly is playing defense, Kelly is playing well. When Kelly’s playing well, Union’s playing well,” Nogay said.

Kylie Fruehstorfer contributes 13.7 points per game, and Bell Cameron shoots 40% on 3-pointers.

The defending champs will see a different team, but one that’s filled with familiar players, including Spinelli, who pours in 21.3 points per game.

“She does it within the flow of the offense,” Dutelle said. “I ask her all the time, ‘What’s your favorite set to run?’ A couple of her favorite plays to run are all ones where she doesn’t get a shot. She likes making the pass. That tells me a lot about the way she sees the game.”

Spinelli makes up one-fourth of the seniors who appear in the starting rotation, but it’s junior Gia Richter who makes the Spartans offense go.

“She has taken the reins of the offense,” Dutelle said. “The girls just look to her to run the show and make decisions. I think it’s funny that our senior-laden team is relying on our junior consistently to run our offense.”

The Spartans have a favorable advantage, and that comes with size. Spinelli, primarily a shooting guard, stands at 5-foot-11. Emma Swierczewski (5-10), Maggie Bernat (5-10) and Emma Kreinbrook (6-2) compose the starting frontcourt.

Besides the 6-foot Cleaver, the rest of the Scotties starters are 5-8 and shorter. However, Dutelle understands that only goes so far.

“If they’re aggressive enough, 5-7 can beat 5-11 any day of the week,” he said. “I’m hoping our size and length gives them a problem.”

The Spartans are aiming to polish off their magical run with a title for not only themselves but the community.

“We want to do it for everyone that comes and supports us,” Spinelli said. “It’s comforting to know we have that fan base behind us.”

For Union, its about taking care of business and remaining in a spot that they want to stay familiar with

Tags: St. Joseph, Union