Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week for March 31, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Monday, March 31, 2025 | 11:12 PM

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Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week – Juliette Leroux

School: South Fayette

Class: Junior

Height: 5-foot-11

Position: Guard/Forward

#Earned: All season long, the South Fayette junior triumvirate of Ryan Oldaker, Haylie Lamonde and Juliette Leroux led a balanced attack averaging between 15 and 17 points per game. In the PIAA postseason, though, Leroux started to flex her scoring muscles. In the second-round win over West York, Leroux led the Lions with 20 points. In a quarterfinal triumph over Hollidaysburg, Leroux paced South Fayette with 21 points. Then at the Giant Center in Hershey on Saturday, Leroux scored a team-high 15 points and led the Lions on the glass with seven rebounds as South Fayette captured the school’s first PIAA girls basketball championship with a win over four-time defending champion Archbishop Wood, 45-37. The victory avenged the Lions’ loss to the Vikings in the 2023 PIAA 5A girls title game.

Background: With her junior year behind her, Juliette plans to make her college decision after her AAU season at the end of July. She has Division I offers from Duquesne, Robert Morris, Elon, New Hampshire, Loyola of Maryland and Le Moyne. Her older sister Ava, who helped South Fayette win back-to-back WPIAL championships in 2022 and 2023, will transfer to Robert Morris after completing her sophomore season at Elon University. Juliette’s twin brother Quinn is a member of the South Fayette boys volleyball team. Juliette’s father Francois played in the NHL for the Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche between 1989-1998 while her mother Lori did gymnastics and was on the track and field team at Ringgold. While some of her Lions teammates may have been feasting on Hershey chocolate over the weekend, Juliette was not one of them as she prefers Reese’s Cups to Hershey bars or kisses. She also doesn’t mind starting her day with a nice bowl of Fruity Pebbles for breakfast.

What coach says: “She played a great game on both sides of the floor,” South Fayette coach Bryan Bennett said of Leroux’s performance in Hershey against Archbishop Wood. “She was extremely poised and never got rattled.”

“Juju is a hard worker,” Bennett said. “She puts in extra time at practice to work on areas of her game that she felt needed improvement. The extra effort paid off, as the skills she focused on stood out during games.”

“Juju really improved on the defensive end of the floor,” Bennett said of her improvements this season. “She gets a ton of credit and for good reason about her offensive abilities, but she has also taken pride in becoming a better defender.”

“We have great leadership on our team and Juju is definitely one of them.”

2025 Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Players of the Week

Week 12 – Karis Thomas, Shady Side Academy

Week 11 – Brady Wehner, North Catholic

Week 10 – Payton Newman, Neshannock

Week 9 – Erica Gribble, Greensburg Central Catholic

Week 8 – Carla Brown, Aliquippa

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: South Fayette