2025 WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship breakdown: Norwin vs. Upper St. Clair
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Friday, February 28, 2025 | 11:01 AM
WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship
No. 1 Norwin vs. No. 2 Upper St. Clair
5 p.m. Saturday, Petersen Events Center
On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network; Audio: Trib HSSN
WPIAL titles: Norwin 3 (2024, ’15, ’16), Upper St. Clair 6 (2008, ’03, 1996, ’94, ’93, ’73)
Norwin (15-7)
Coach: Brian Brozeski
Projected starting lineup
No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.
1, Averi Brozeski, 5-11, Sr. G
10, Kendall Berger, 5-9, Sr., F
24, Bella Furno, 5-7, Sr., G
30, Ava Christopher, 5-9, Jr., G
54, Lexi Heller, 5-10, Sr., F
How they got here: Norwin defeated No. 8 North Allegheny, 52-30, in the first round and No. 4 Canon-McMillan, 42-26, in the semifinals.
Notable: The third matchup of the season between the top two teams in Section 2 is for WPIAL gold. Norwin is looking for its fourth WPIAL title and second back-to-back championship run. The Knights held back Canon-McMillan, 42-26, in the semifinals to return to the title game. Norwin saw a 13-point lead cut to three with about five minutes remaining but ended the game with a 13-0 run and held the Big Macs to one field goal in the fourth quarter. It swept Canon-McMillan in three games. Kendall Berger had 18 points, Ava Christopher added nine and Bella Furno had eight, all in the fourth. Berger made three 3-pointers. It was Norwin’s third straight semifinal. Berger and Averi Brozeski are Clarion commits, and Furno is headed to West Virginia Wesleyan. Brozeski and Furno were key reserves in last year’s final. Norwin has won 11 of its last 13 games. It split with Upper St. Clair in Section 2 play, losing 63-53 at Norwin and winning 56-47 on the road. The Knights beat North Allegheny in the title game last year, 56-41. Christopher had 16 points (6 for 11 FGs) and seven rebounds, and Berger scored 10. The Knights made 16 of 18 free throws. Norwin reached the PIAA quarterfinals and lost to Spring-Ford, 60-47. Norwin averages 49.1 points and allows 42.7.
Upper St. Clair (18-6)
Coach: Pete Serio
Projected starting lineup
No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos.
3, Rylee Kalocay, 5-9, Sr., G
5, Ryan Prunzik, 5-5, Jr., G
10, Meredith Huzjak, 5-8, Sr., G
23, Olivia Terlecki, 5-7, Sr., F
32, Claire Rosenberry, 6-0, Sr., F
How they got here: Upper St. Clair defeated No. 7 Pine-Richland, 43-22, in the first round and No. 6 Mt. Lebanon, 55-39, in the semifinals.
Notable: The Panthers cruised past Mt. Lebanon in the semifinals as Rylee Kalocay scored 19, and Meredith Huzjak added 12. USC has won six of its last seven following a three-game losing streak. One of the losses was to Canon-McMillan, 45-38. The Panthers made the finals two of the last three years but lost to North Allegheny in 2023, 71-45, and Mt. Lebanon in 2022, 55-44. In the ‘23 final, Kalocay had a team-high 24 points, including four 3-pointers. She is a Kent State commit. USC’s last title was in 2008. USC averages 59.1 points and gives up 45.2. Saturday’s winner will host a PIAA first-round game March 7 against the eighth-place team from District 3. The loser will play at either the District 4 or District 6 champion on the same date.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Norwin, Upper St. Clair
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