Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week for Feb. 24, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 | 1:08 AM

Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week – Carla Brown

School: Aliquippa

Class: Senior

Height: 5-foot-6

Position: Guard

#Earned: Aliquippa senior guard Carla Brown is averaging 15.7 points per game this season, which is second on the team in scoring behind senior Aunesty Johnson. However, in the postseason, Brown has been front and center in leading the Quips into the Class 2A semifinals. In a first-round rout of visiting Carmichaels, Brown single handedly outscored the Mighty Mikes with 33 points in a 79-6 final score. In the quarterfinals against section rival Rochester, Brown led the way again with 20 points as the Quips ousted the Rams, 56-25.

What coach says: “Against Carmichaels, Carla was fantastic in reading what the defense gave her,” Aliquippa coach Dwight Lindsey said. “They initially gave her space to shoot from distance, and she hit those shots to get in a flow and rhythm. She was then able to get to the lane and find her sweet spots and even get layups.”

“Staying patient was a key against Rochy,” Lindsey said. “In the beginning, she missed a point-blank layup and then forced a couple shots after. We reminded her to stick to script and stay within the plan and her shots would come. Then she set up Aunesty (Johnson), Yaree (Carter) and Denim (Odom) for some layups, and it lead to her points coming.”

“Her growth has come from the effort she puts in daily,” Lindsey said. “She is always coming in first to get extra shots in our pre-practice and shoots for a while after practice. Heck, she even does some drills with (coach Nick Lackovich) and the boys at times. Some college is going to be thrilled to have her.”

“She’s in excellent shape, and she is willing to do whatever is necessary for us to be successful,” Lindsey said. “I think she has recognized the opportunity that is in front of her, and she’s trying to seize that opportunity.”

“I feel like the girls recognize things a lot better,” Lindsey said of his senior leaders. “Not only while playing the game but all things, their classroom responsibilities and their extracurricular things. They know that the things in front of them today may not be like this life. They just know their situation better. The familiarity allows them to be more confident.”

Background: Brown hopes to continue to play basketball at the next level but won’t decide on a school until after the season. She plans on majoring in sports marketing. She has an older and younger sister. Her sister Layla is a sophomore who is one of the first players off the Aliquippa bench. Brown began her high school career at Beaver Falls and then moved into the Aliquippa school district before her junior year. She is very active in other sports besides basketball. She is a starter on the Aliquippa volleyball team. She ran track in her freshman and sophomore years for the Tigers and is looking to play softball and flag football in the spring. Brown and the Quips are trying to win the program’s fifth WPIAL championship this winter, which would be the Quips’ first crown in 35 years. The Aliquippa girls basketball team won four straight district championships between 1987-1990.

2025 Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Players of the Week

Week 7 – Greta O’Brien, Avonworth

Week 6 – Kylie Fruehstorfer, Union

Week 5 – Aubree Hupp, Blackhawk

Week 4 – Emma Larkin, Geibel Catholic

Week 3 – Rylee Kalocay, Upper St. Clair

Week 2 – Iyanna Wade, Clairton

Week 1 – Oumou “Mimi” Thiero, Quaker Valley

Tags: Aliquippa