TribHSSN girls basketball player of the week: Bri Spirnak of Elizabeth Forward

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, February 3, 2019 | 4:54 PM

Bri Spirnak

School : Elizabeth Forward

Class : Senior

In the fall, it’s volleyball. In the spring, it’s track. And in the winter, it’s basketball.

Whatever the season, Bri Spirnak of Elizabeth Forward is playing and playing at a high level.

Her standout play last week is a big reason the Warriors are alone in first place in Section 3-4A.

The 6-foot-1 forward went well over her season average of 19 points Monday as she poured in 29 points in a rout over a West Mifflin team fighting for the playoffs.

“Bri understood the desperation and energy that the Titans were going to come out with on their home court,” fifth-year Elizabeth Forward coach Krystal Gibbs said. “She is a smart player. She found gaps and played to their weaknesses.”

That set up a showdown for first place Thursday at home against Southmoreland. Spirnak led all players with 16 points as Elizabeth Forward squeaked out a 45-44 victory.

“Bri struggled at first with the calls not going in her favor,” Gibbs said. “The fact that she was able to gather herself and get her head back in the game to perform at the level she did speaks a lot to her character.

“The win against Southmoreland meant a lot to us. It was the only team that beat us in section. Being able to beat them on our home court the way we did shows our ability to persevere.”

Spirnak is a four-year starter in basketball and volleyball. She also is the defending WPIAL champion and PIAA runner-up in the javelin.

Gibbs believes her strength in those other sports is a big part of her success in basketball.

“It’s no secret that Bri’s stature and strength gives her an advantage over her opponents. But in my opinion, it’s her shot from outside that makes her deadly. She has gotten stronger with driving to the hoop, so it’s difficult to guard her.”

Spirnak’s decision to attend Pitt and focus on the javelin at the next level has helped her leadership this winter.

“This is the last time she will be part of a team where her teammates depend on her,” Gibbs said. “Most of the girls she plays with, she has played with since she was young. I believe she wants to end her basketball career with a bang, and no better way to do that than to make a deep run into the playoffs.”

With one week left in the regular season, most feel North Catholic, Blackhawk and Central Valley are the teams to beat in Class 4A girls basketball. But Gibbs likes her team’s chances for a deep run in this year’s district postseason.

“EF is a strong public school with homegrown talented girls. We are dangerous if we are playing all of our cards right. I hope teams underestimate us because I 100 percent believe these kids deserve to have their names in the same sentence as the Blackhawks and North Catholics.”

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Honorable mention

Hope Cook, Indiana

Indiana might be on the outside of the playoff bubble in Section 1-4A entering the final week of the regular season, but at least they have Hope. Freshman Hope Cook scored 20 points Monday in a 51-38 triumph over Burrell, then followed up Friday with another 20-point performance as Indiana defeated Highlands, 48-21, to remain alive for a playoff spot, 1 1/2 games behind third-place Apollo-Ridge and Knoch and one game behind Greensburg Salem.

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Aniya Walker, Ambridge

The final week of the regular season begins with Ambridge tied for fourth place in Section 2-4A with Quaker Valley thanks partly to Aniya Walker. The senior scored 29 points Friday in a crucial 47-42 victory over New Castle. She followed that up less than 24 hours later with 22 points in a 53-39 win over Mohawk in the Hoops for a Cure event. That gave the Bridgers only their second back-to-back wins of the season.

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Katharine Ference, Ellis School

While the results of the week were split for the Ellis School, it did clinch a playoff berth in Section 2-2A for the Tigers. Senior Katharine Ference scored 20 points Monday, but it wasn’t enough in a 71-62 loss at Serra Catholic. The results were better for the Tigers on Saturday, as Ference led the way with 21 points in a rout of Jeannette that earned the all-girls school a trip to the postseason for the first time in three years.

Don Rebel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Don at drebel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TheDonRebel.

Tags: Elizabeth Forward