Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week for Feb. 2, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, February 2, 2025 | 8:32 PM

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Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week – Oakland Catholic Eagles

Coach: Henry Schechter (first season)

Record: 16-3 overall, 11-1 in Section 1-4A

#Earned: Oakland Catholic entered a very busy week in second place in Section 1-4A, one game behind North Catholic and attempting to regroup after its 11-game winning streak was snapped last Saturday with a loss to Western Reserve Academy of Ohio. On Monday, Oakland Catholic would host third-place Knoch, which was one game behind. Following a tight first quarter, the Eagles outscored the Knights, 16-1, in the second and never looked back as they won going away 55-32. That set up a midweek showdown for first place as Oakland Catholic hosted North Catholic on Wednesday. Defense was the name of the game on both sides, before the Eagles outscored the Trojans in the second half 27-19 to win 39-37. The victory not only moved the Eagles into a tie for the top spot in the section, but it also ended an amazing 112 game section winning streak for the Trojans dating to 2016. There was no letdown the next night as OC traveled to Valley and took care of the Vikings in another section victory, 66-37. The week ended with a fourth straight win Saturday when Oakland Catholic hosted District 10 power Erie, and the Eagles soared past the Royals, 46-33.

Scoring stars: While a lot of the top girls basketball teams in the district have a player or two who can be relied on to score 20 to 25 points per game, Oakland Catholic has a more balanced offensive attack. They have a bunch of players who are unselfish with the basketball and are in the 10- to 15-points-per-game category. This week was a perfect example. On Monday against Knoch, sophomore Madison Pullen led the way with 19 points, senior Alayla Bivens had 12 and junior Zephaniah Troxler-Scott added 10 points. The only player in double digit scoring on Wednesday against North Catholic was Bivens with 12 points again. The next night, a couple of juniors handled the heavy lifting against Valley as Josie Fontana scored 18 points, and Makayla Canty delivered 14 points. The team relies heavily on an outstanding defense that allows only 32.9 points per game.

Last Year: The final year of the Eddie Benton regime before he was hired as an assistant coach at Robert Morris included a perfect 12-0 record in winning the Section 3-5A title. Oakland Catholic cruised to victories over Penn Hills and North Hills before being stunned in the WPIAL semifinals by Armstrong, 49-40. The Eagles qualified for the PIAA playoffs and beat District 3 champion Susquehanna Township in the first round before stunning three-time WPIAL champion South Fayette in the state second round 48-28. The season ended for Oakland Catholic in the quarterfinals with a loss to District 10 winner Cathedral Prep, 39-29, bringing a close to a 26-3 season and, for at least this season and next year, the end of the Eagles’ run in Class 5A.

Remember when: Oakland Catholic has a rich tradition with plenty of gold, including six WPIAL championships and four PIAA crowns. On Wednesday, the school brought back and honored one of two teams in school history to win district and state titles in the same year. It happened in 2001 and again 20 years ago in 2005. The Eagles saluted that ’05 team on their 20th anniversary. After defeating Bethel Park in the WPIAL 4A finals, 58-49, for OC’s fifth district title in seven years, the Eagles soared through the PIAA postseason with wins over Hempfield, 59-31, Gateway, 63-25 and Bethel Park again in the quarterfinals, 50-32. In the state semifinals, Oakland Catholic edged Altoona, 45-41 to reach the state finals in Hershey. There, the Eagles clobbered Cheltenham from District 1, 55-37, for their fourth and most recent PIAA championship.

2025 Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Teams of the Week

Week 4 – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers

Week 3 – Penn-Trafford Warriors

Week 2 – Shady Side Academy Bulldogs

Week 1 – Shaler Titans

Tags: Oakland Catholic