With season over, Norwin girls bid farewell to sensational senior class
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Saturday, March 15, 2025 | 11:01 AM
Norwin’s Bella Furno hits a 3-pointer to help pull away from Canon-McMillan during a WPIAL Class 5A semifinal Feb. 25.
Norwin’s Averi Brozeski shoots a 3-pointer against Mt. Lebanon on Jan. 8.
Norwin’s Kendall Berger scores after being fouled by Upper St. Clair’s Ryan Prunzik on Jan. 27.
A section championship. A runner-up finish in the WPIAL. Another trip to the state playoffs.
The Norwin girls basketball team’s season finally came to an end with a 49-38 loss at Altoona in the PIAA 6A first round.
The Knights finished 15-8 a year after winning their third WPIAL title and reaching the state quarterfinals.
While a WPIAL repeat didn’t happen, the program continued to be a force at the highest classification in the state. And it saw four talented seniors close out their careers in Kendall Berger, Averi Brozeski, Bella Furno and Lexi Heller.
Berger, who reached the 1,000-point scoring milestone this season, will join Brozeski at Clarion.
Furno, a sharpshooter who sparked the team with her 3-point shooting, is headed to West Virginia Wesleyan.
Longtime coach Brian Brozeski had never lost in the WPIAL finals, so this postseason was a challenge for him, also.
“This team was led by a group of four seniors that, during their tenure at Norwin, saw section championships, WPIAL championships and multiple state tournament wins, finishing with a 76% win percentage over a span where they often faced the hardest schedule in the highest classification,” Brozeski said.
Norwin, playing one of the more difficult nonsection schedules in the state — made tougher with a teeth-bearing section — was the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL playoffs. The Knights couldn’t sneak up on anybody, which Brozeski thought made them stronger.
“What sets this team apart from other teams is that they had to approach the season with the target on their back,” he said. “They handled adversity well all season.”
Norwin will build around one returning starter next year in junior Ava Christopher, who has come up big in back-to-back playoff runs.
Key reserves this year included sophomore Liz Yarosik and junior Kylie Rodkey.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Norwin
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