With new coach, Kiski Area girls bring experience, drive to make playoffs

By: Antonio Rossetti
Sunday, November 23, 2025 | 5:28 PM

The Kiski Area girls basketball team brings back a majority of its roster but welcomes a new coach in Tom Brush, who led Hempfield from 2018-23.

Brush took a gap year from coaching to watch his daughter Angelina’s senior year of basketball at Franklin Regional. After she graduated, he took the coaching job at Westmoreland Community College.

He was dedicated to helping the college as they went from the junior college Division III to Division II level. There was no team the previous year, so he helped get recruits, which was tough after he was hired in late May.

He helped the program get on its feet, but he then saw the Kiski Area job open and it intrigued him.

“High school basketball is more of my passion,” Brush said. “I think that it’s more for me. Once I saw that open, I thought it was a good opportunity because they seem to have a lot, just looking at the previous year, having a decent year, with good numbers from that roster returning. It just seemed like a good opportunity attracted me to apply for the job.”

Brush entered the Cavaliers into a Brentwood Summer League, as well as a team camp at Cal (Pa.). Senior Forward Gianna DeVito, 5-foot-11, stood out to him.

“She’s a tremendous athlete, not just basketball, but volleyball and especially track,” Brush said. “She’s very long, athletic, quick, and she had a good offseason. She’s a scorer. She attacks the hoop. The advantage that she has is that she is tall, but she has guard skills, so that’s a matchup problem for other teams.”

Junior Jada Blanciak will man the frontcourt with DeVito. Brush sees similarities between Blanciak and DeVito, and he expects Blanciak to have a great season as she is 5-11 and can shoot.

“Being tall is a great advantage for rebounds,” DeVito said. “I was always a short guard growing up, and so was Jada, so I feel like we have the ball-handling skills. It’s great. We can play anywhere on the court.”

Sophomore Alaysia Bell will be first off the bench in the frontcourt.

“She’s younger, but we have three that are kind of built that same way,” Brush said. “She’s more of a post player, but I think it’s a nice asset to have because it presents matchup problems. If they put a big on them, we can have them bring the ball up and take advantage of the perimeter. If they put a guard on them, we can put them down in the post to take advantage of any size differential.”

Junior point guard Olivia Strellec also returns and will start. Brush said she is a good ball-handler and shooter. DeVito expects big things from her.

“She’s ready to play,” DeVito said. “She has the best ball-handling skills on our team.”

Seniors Ali Pencak and Sydney Heinack return to the starting lineup and bring a veteran presence. The Cavaliers bring back the majority of their team.

“We’ve been playing together since third grade,” DeVito said. “Our connection, it just keeps on growing each year. We have a way of just knowing what we’re going to do on the court.”

All in all, the Cavaliers have athletes, which will help on defense.

“I want us to be very, very disruptive on defense,” Brush said. “I wanted us to make it difficult for our opponents to get into their offenses, disrupting them by getting our hands on basketballs as much as we possibly can. I think when a team can do that, you can overcome any dry spells you have offensively. You get some turnovers, get some easy baskets at the other end, and that kind of gets your offense going.”

Defense into offense is the mentality he’s emphasizing.

“I try to stress the importance of, if we play aggressive defense, that enables more players to play,” he said. “We get fresh girls always coming in to pressure, and it gives an opportunity for more girls to play once they’re up to speed defensively.”

DeVito and the Cavaliers are ready to play some strong defense because they have the personnel for it.

“Defense has always been my main thing,” DeVito said. “I’ve always been quick on defense, and so have the other girls on my team. I think our defense is going to be really good this year. Our coach has been giving us new setups. We’ve been running a lot of man to man, but we’re also always trying to improve our zone. It just depends on the teams that we play, but we’ll be running both.”

DeVito said the frontcourt will be disruptive.

“I feel like with our length on our team with me, Jada and Alaysia, all three of us have really long arms, so it’s kind of hard to get around the three of us,” DeVito said. We’re going to be a problem.”

Overall, Brush said the players have bought in.

“All the players have been great,” Brush said. “They all seem to get along well, and I think they’ve responded to me well. It’s been a joy to work with the AD (Jake Nulph). He’s been very supportive with everything that I wanted to do, and same with the boosters.”

With the experience back, Brush believes the team will push through into the playoffs.

“It is a realistic possibility to fight for a playoff spot,” Brush said. “That’s the expectation. That’s the goal. Obviously, Penn-Trafford and Indiana are extremely tough teams. I’ve seen them play enough that they’re aggressive, and they’re good. Latrobe and Greensburg Salem are too, so we’ve got our work cut out for us, but I think that if we play how I think we should play, we definitely should be in the mix for a playoff spot or better. I’m excited. I believe the girls are excited for that also.”

DeVito is ready for her senior season.

“I’m just excited in my last year playing with all of these girls together, but it’s bittersweet,” DeVito said. “I’ve worked really hard all these years, and I just really hope that we make it to the playoffs, and maybe, to the second or third round in the playoffs this year, because we didn’t make it last year. But I think if we all work together and give it our all, we have a shot.”

Kiski Area girls at a glance

Coach: Tom Brush

Last year’s record: 11-11 (4-8 Section 2-5A)

Returning starters: Gianna DeVito (Sr., F), Ali Pencak (Sr., G), Sydney Heinack (Jr., G), Jada Blanciak (Jr., F)

Top newcomers: Alaysia Bell (So., C)

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

12.2, Serra Catholic, 5:30 p.m.

12.3, at Apollo-Ridge, 7:30 p.m.

12.5, TBD^, TBD

12.6, TBD^, TBD

12.8, Plum, 7 p.m.

12.16, Indiana*, 5:30 p.m.

12.18, at Greensburg Salem*, 7:30 p.m.

12.22, Latrobe*, 5:30 p.m.

1.5, at West Mifflin*, 7:30 p.m.

1.9, Penn-Trafford*, 5:30 p.m.

1.12, at McKeesport*, 7 p.m.

1.14, Fox Chapel, 7 p.m.

1.15, at Armstrong, 7:30 p.m.

1.20, at Indiana*, 7:30 p.m.

1.23, Greensburg Salem*, 5:30 p.m.

1.26, at Latrobe*, 7:30 p.m.

1.28, Hempfield, 7 p.m.

1.30, West Mifflin*, 5:30 p.m.

2.3, at Penn-Trafford*, 6 p.m.

2.5, McKeesport*, 5:30 p.m.

2.6, at Highlands, 7:30 p.m.

*Section game

^Freeport tip-off tournament

Tags: Kiski Area