Shady Side Academy’s Cassie Sauer shakes off injury, makes college choice

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, August 30, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The simple explanation for why Shady Side Academy senior Cassie Sauer’s basketball season ended last year was that she fractured her hip. A more complicated explanation of a “freak accident” paints a more complex picture.

“The injury itself was terrible,” said Sauer, who is 6-foot-2. “It was a misstep that led to my hip popping out. When it popped back in, it led to a bone bruise on top of my femur.”

Sauer, who recently committed to play basketball at the University of Chicago, was injured in the Bulldogs’ win over Riverside in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals. Shady Side Academy ended up finishing as the WPIAL and PIAA runner-up, making a run to the state title game for the first time in program history.

The Bulldogs lost to Loyalsock Township in the championship game.

“Although I know she was devastated, she became her teammates’ biggest supporter from the sideline and was with us every step of the way,” Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke said. “She handled it like the leader she is.”

Sauer averaged 15 points and 13 rebounds per game last season. While not being able to play for six weeks was disappointing, Sauer started on her rehab quickly. Sauer wanted to be back for July so she could play with her AAU team during an important recruiting window.

“Shortly after the season, I was able to be off the crutches and went to a few weeks of physical therapy,” Sauer said. “There was a slow progression of quick exercises and doing kinds of impact work so I would be ready to be jumping and active on my hip again.”

Sauer wanted to go to a school with a strong reputation for athletics. She was considering Chicago and Tufts (Mass.) University. Sauer started to look into Chicago last summer and went to a camp when she was there visiting her grandmother.

“I loved meeting the girls, and I felt I had a great camp. I knew I loved it,” Sauer said. “I had constant contact with Chicago during July and August when I could talk more about the admissions process.”

Sauer, a forward, said she is hoping to work more on her shot before she heads to college. Burke said Sauer has a lot of strong skills already.

“Cassie is a rarity in high school basketball,” Burke said. “She’s 6-2 and can run the floor, shoot and dribble. She’s a dominant paint presence because she has great timing and awareness offensively and defensively.”

Sauer said she was happy to get into a school with such a high regard for athletics. She said her mom impressed on her that school was the most important part.

“I’ve always been raised that academics is the priority and basketball is second,” Sauer said. “At some point, basketball is going to end.”

Tags: Shady Side Academy