Unbeaten Shady Side Academy girls complete season sweep of Greensburg Central Catholic
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Monday, February 3, 2025 | 10:02 PM
Unlike the first Section 2-3A matchup, Shady Side Academy didn’t have such an easy time getting to the basket in its rematch with Greensburg Central Catholic.
High-percentage shots were fewer and far between. Passes were harder to come by into the post, and the Bulldogs had to look for alternative help opposite standout junior scorers Karis Thomas and Cassie Sauer.
Meet Makiyah Mitchell, ancillary character who stole the scene.
The senior banged in two fourth-quarter 3-pointers to help burn off No. 3 GCC’s momentum and propel No. 1 and unbeaten Shady Side Academy to a double-digit lead and eventually a 59-48 girls basketball victory Monday night in Carbon.
The Bulldogs (20-0, 13-0) are section champions, while GCC (15-4, 10-2), which wasted a big night from junior Erica Gribble, saw an eight-game winning streak end with the season sweep.
The Centurions’ last loss came at Shady Side Academy, 62-33.
Shady Side is the defending WPIAL 3A champion. GCC was the WPIAL 2A champion last year.
“I try to block out the noise and just shoot,” said Mitchell, whose only points came in the fourth on the 3s. “I knew somebody had to take control, and I had the ball in my hands.”
Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke said Mitchell has a green light — although there’s always that yellow light first.
“Sometimes she’ll shoot it, and I’ll say, ‘What is she doing?’” Burke said. “Then they go in. That’s her. She picks the big moments. She hit big 3s when we were down against Blackhawk, and she had a big first half against Avonworth. She’s going to find herself open.”
A 10-0 run by Shady Side Academy, highlighted by Mitchell’s 3s, decided the game. GCC cooled off and went nearly seven minutes without a field goal in the fourth as the Bulldogs outscored them 18-7.
Thomas, who had 23 points, was confident in Mitchell.
“Big shots … She’s my best friend,” said Thomas, who led the Bulldogs with 23 points. “I love her to death.”
The Bulldogs finally were challenged but did enough defensively to bail themselves out of a jam after Gribble kissed a 3 off the glass to beat the third-quarter buzzer and tie it 41-41 heading to the fourth.
Gribble, a Richmond commit, erupted for 14 of her game-high 26 points in the third but was limited to three points — a 3 with 6.9 seconds left — in the fourth.
She made four 3s in the game.
“I yelled at our guys more,” Burke said of containing Gribble. “I told them, ‘She’s taking over this game.’ She went off. We clamped down on her the best we could and switched on everything. She is so dangerous.”
Shady Side Academy led 10-6 after the first quarter and 25-23 at the half — a far cry from their 28-13 halftime lead over GCC earlier in the year.
Cassie Sauer, who went for 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first game, was limited to 15 points this time, often seeing two defenders and working to get position in a crammed lane.
“We knew it would be our two or three against their two or three,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said. “You kind of look at it, what did they do? In the end, it’s nuance basketball. We’re still young and learning that. We had a ton of looks. Shady Side Academy is just so good. This was a good, playoff atmosphere.”
GCC made a move in the third.
Gribble gave GCC its first lead (26-25) with a 3 early in the quarter. She scored nine straight points to build a four-point lead, but the Bulldogs regained control at 31-30 on a 3 from Thomas.
Gribble hit a jumper to tie it 38-38, but Thomas answered with a three-point play.
“We had to stay calm and trust one other,” Thomas said.
Sophomore Lea Bulford made a tough scoop shot, and senior Cameron Capel scored off a pass from Thomas to make it 36-30.
In the fourth, Sauer opened the frame with another and-one finish before Mitchell got hot and the Bulldogs sprinted to a 54-43 lead with just under three minutes to play.
“We broke down a little bit,” Skatell said. “We ave to slow down and not let the game get away from us. It’s all part of growth.”
Junior Jayla Peterson added 10 points for GCC.
Karis was 8 of 9 from the foul line, while Sauer made 7 of 9 attempts.
Shady Side Academy had not played a close game since a 51-48 win over Blackhawk in late December.
Both teams came in with a cluster of blowout wins. In section games, both were winning by more than 40 points a game: Shady Academy 44, GCC 41.9.
Shady Side Academy had scored 70 or more in its last three games, while GCC posted recent wins of 56-8 and 83-10.
“This really felt like a playoff atmosphere,” Burke said. “I give this place a lot of credit. They bring a crowd and make noise.”
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Greensburg C.C., Shady Side Academy
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