Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Player of the Week: North Catholic’s Tess Myers

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, March 3, 2019 | 10:14 PM

Tess Myers

School: North Catholic

Class: Junior

Last year, Tess Myers drove the court and hit a buzzer-beating shot to lift North Catholic past Beaver, 50-49, for WPIAL title No. 18 for the Trojanettes.

A year later, last-minute dramatics were not necessary for North Catholic at The Pete.

The Trojanettes outscored Central Valley, 30-12, in the third quarter to wipe out a four-point deficit and cruise to a 75-57 victory for title No. 19.

Myers didn’t need that last-second shot, but she did her share of scoring as she pumped in a game-high 26 points.

North Catholic coach Molly Rottmann said Myers’ poise and defense were just as big for the Trojanettes as her offense.

“She missed her first two shots, but there wasn’t any panic or forcing things. Tess kept working hard on the defensive end and made the most of her opportunities that came to her,” Rottmann said.

“Tess played with great confidence and really caught fire in the second half. I also was very impressed with her defense on Christiana Frye. She did an excellent job at keeping her in front of her and really limiting her scoring opportunities.”

The week started with the Trojanettes knocking off Elizabeth Forward, 64-50, in the Class 4A semifinals. Kylie Lewandowski led the North Catholic with 24 points, and Myers added 15.

“Tess came up with some big buckets to keep us going as our offense was lagging some,” Rottmann said. “Tess also had eight rebounds. We have been stressing rebounding as we haven’t done a great job with that this season, and she really worked to get the boards for us against EF.”

Rottman said Myers has worked hard in the offseason, which is paying dividends.

“I love the mid-range jump shot she has added to her arsenal,” Rottmann said. “She can pull up and shoot it on a dime, which makes her really hard to defend in transition. Tess also has improved her ability to attack left as well as right, which opens up the entire floor for her.”

Myers is high energy on and off the court and has been a leader.

“Tess has a great motor as she goes at 110 percent all of the time at both ends of the floor,” said Rottmann. “There is never taking any time off on either end, which is a huge strength and what almost college coaches comment on first.

“She is also a great teammate. Always encouraging her team and picking up kids when they are down. She makes everyone feel included and part of the team.”

Next up for Myers and North Catholic is a run at PIAA gold.

“We have to continue to trust each other and play unselfishly and within ourselves,” Rottmann said. To continue to take pride in our defense and make rebounding and loose balls a priority.”

Honorable mention

Makenna Marisa, Peters Township

It was a grind, but winning gold isn’t supposed to be easy. In a semifinals slowdown, Marisa scored 13 points, which doesn’t seem like much until you realize she scored one-third of Peters Township’s points in a 36-28 win over Bethel Park. Then in the Class 6A title game, Marisa got off to a quick start and finished with 17 points as the Indians edged North Allegheny, 43-40, in overtime.

Ashley Norling, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Norling, a senior, scored 22 points with teammate Maddie Hoff scoring 23 points as OLSH stunned top-seed and three-time defending champion Bishop Canevin, 51-45. Then in the finals, Norling dropped 23 points as the Chargers beat No. 2-seed Brentwood 50-48 for the school’s first WPIAL girls’ basketball championship.

Alexis Robison, Rochester

Rochester dropped three of their final four games in the regular season and then ripped off three wins in the district playoffs, including a pair of victories last week. First in the semifinals, the sophomore Robison scored 19 points in a 66-55 victory over rival Quigley Catholic. In the finals against top-seed West Greene, Robison scored 18 points as Rochester came back to claim the program’s first title with a 62-56 win.

Tags: North Catholic, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Peters Township, Rochester