Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week for March 9, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, March 9, 2025 | 8:42 PM

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Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week: Canon-McMillan Big Macs

Coach: John Fontana (2nd season)

Record: 6-4 and third place in Section 2-6A, 16-9 overall

#Earned: It was WPIAL against City League in a first-round PIAA Class 6A girls basketball game with both programs looking to make history with a first victory in the state playoffs. It was visiting Canon-McMillan that got the job done late to defeat host Allderdice, 48-44. The game was close in the first half, with the Dragons holding slim leads of 10-9 after the opening quarter and 24-21 at halftime. The Big Macs started to turn the game in their favor in the third quarter and led 35-33 heading into the fourth. Canon-McMillan looked like it would pull away from the District 8 champions in the fourth quarter and led by nine with less than three minutes remaining. The Dragons rallied, and, after a turnover with a half-minute remaining, Allderdice had a chance to tie or win the game. But the Canon-McMillan defense saved the day with a block and a bucket late to hold on and advance for the first time to the second round of the PIAA playoffs Tuesday. The Canon-Mac win ended a 16-game winning streak for Allderdice.

Scoring stars: Junior Madison Clair has come up big in the big games for the Big Macs all season. In the district playoffs, she scored 16 points in a WPIAL 6A quarterfinals win over Butler that lifted Canon-McMillan into the semifinals. She scored 18 points in the 6A consolation game win over Mt. Lebanon, 36-34, that earned the Big Macs a ticket to ride on the road to Hershey. Clair did it again on both ends of the floor in the state playoff opener at Allderdice. She had a game-high 23 points, with the final two coming on a layup with 12 second remaining after she stole the ball before the Dragons shooter was about to attempt a 3-pointer that could have given Allderdice the lead. Canon-McMillan freshman Izabella Babitski, one of the heroes of the consolation win over the Blue Devils, added 10 points for the Big Macs in the state playoff win.

Last year: With a team leaning on a strong sophomore class, John Fontana took over as head coach at Canon-McMillan and led his young team to a winning campaign. The Big Macs missed out on the playoffs with a sixth-place finish in Section 2-6A, two games behind fourth-place Upper St. Clair, but the team enjoyed success out of the tough section, with an 8-2 nonsection record. Canon-McMillan began the season with a loss, then five straight victories, which matched their win total for the entire 2022-23 season. Even though they were eliminated from the playoff chase, they ended their season on a high note, handing section champion Peters Township their only section loss, 44-41, to finish the season with a 12-10 record.

Remember when: This has been a season of firsts for the Canon-McMillan girls basketball program. When the team won at home over Butler in the WPIAL quarterfinals, it clinched the team’s first berth in the district semifinals. Then, on Friday, the team with no seniors held off host Allderdice to register the first PIAA playoff triumph in Big Macs history. The victory in the WPIAL playoffs was the first postseason win for Canon-McMillan in nine years. In 2016, the team finished the regular season as co-champions with Peters Township in Section 4-4A. The Big Macs earned the No. 6-seed in the Quad-A playoffs and defeated Fox Chapel in a first-round thriller, 51-49, thanks to a game-high 27 points by Cheyenne Trest. Canon-McMillan lost to Penn Hills in the WPIAL quarterfinals, 58-47. Needing two wins in the consolation rounds to earn a PIAA postseason berth, the Big Macs defeated Bethel Park by seven points before losing to Mt. Lebanon by seven points.

2025 Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Teams of the Week

Week 9: Peters Township Indians

Week 8: Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils

Week 7: Mars Fightin’ Planets

Week 6: South Fayette Lions

Week 5: Oakland Catholic Eagles

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: Canon-McMillan