Shady Side Academy girls stand tall in final, win program’s 2nd WPIAL title

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, March 8, 2026 | 11:01 AM

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Jonna Burke looked back at the bench and asked her assistant coach how long the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship game had been going on.

The Shady Side Academy coach felt like they had been there for four hours. But the truth was the Bulldogs only needed 82 minutes to win the program’s second title. Shady Side Academy knocked off section rival Greensburg Central Catholic, 57-40, on Feb. 26 at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.

It was Shady Side Academy’s second WPIAL title. The first was in 2024.

“I don’t know what it felt like to spectators, but it felt that way because of all those lead changes,” Burke said. “I think because the teams know each other so well, I anticipated it was going to be knock down, drag out, you know?”

The Bulldogs (23-2) swept GCC during the regular season. Shady Side Academy also got revenge for its loss to the Centurions in the championship game last season.

Karis Thomas led Shady Side Academy with 21 points, while Cassie Sauer added 14 for the Bulldogs.

The championship was special for Sauer, who didn’t play in the WPIAL final last year due to injury.

“It’s a great opportunity to be back on this court again,” Sauer said. “It’s not something that’s easy, and we worked really hard. I feel like I put in a lot of work, and the coaches were great in helping me back to where I wanted to be.”

The championship game was a rare meeting of two 2,000-point scorers: GCC’s Erica Gribble and Thomas.

The teams met six times in the past two seasons. The Bulldogs won five of the six meetings.

“GCC is a really talented team with Gribble and Jayla (Peterson),” Thomas said. “It was really fun to win.”

GCC led 13-8 at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs battled back to take a 20-19 lead into halftime. Shady Side Academy shot 72.2% (13 of 18) in the second half.

Thomas said she didn’t think the Centurions did anything to throw them off balance.

“We didn’t really see anything new,” Thomas said. “They worked hard on defense. They tried everything.”

Burke said she was proud of everyone’s effort, including junior Leah Buford, who finished with seven points and eight rebounds.

Freshman Jocelyn Long scored nine points for the Bulldogs, while sophomore Laila Banner added four. Both were among the young players Burke was eager to work into the lineup.

Banner played with a mask in the final after breaking her nose in the semifinal.

“She had to get cleared and everything,” Burke said. “I give her a lot of credit for playing tonight and being mentally tough. I think we definitely had some moments where we were like a deer in the headlights, but that’s natural on the big stage. Overall, I’m pleased with everybody and their role tonight.”

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