Brentwood girls basketball enters WPIAL playoffs on hot streak

By: Ray Fisher
Saturday, February 23, 2019 | 9:38 AM

Previous Next

The Brentwood girls basketball team ended the regular season on an 11-game winning streak.

The Spartans were lauded as a Trib HSSN team of the week.

And the WPIAL took notice.

Brentwood racked up a 17-3 record and shared first place with Serra Catholic in Section 2-2A with an 11-1 mark.

It is the first section title in girls basketball at Brentwood since 1994.

The Spartans landed the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs and received a bye in the first round. After a two-week layoff, the Spartans met Winchester Thurston for a third time this season Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m.in a quarterfinal-round matchup at Peters Township.

“I’m very happy with our seeding and bracket,” Brentwood coach Rachel Thomas said. “I truly believe because of our record and tough nonsection play we deserved to be the No. 2 seed. The bye allows us to schedule some scrimmages with tougher teams, keeping us fresh, focused and prepared. This team has the talent to get to the WPIAL championship.”

One of the keys to the Spartans’ success has been the high intellect of the players — the seniors in particular — on and off the floor.

All six seniors on the squad are high-honor roll students, which carries over to their performance at practices and in games.

Abby Wolf, Anna Betz, Natalie Murrio and Brooke McQuillan have handle backcourt duties this season. Rebecca Dirling, a 5-foot-10 forward, and Sydney Gilchrist, a 5-8 forward, are the team’s leading frontcourt players.

“These ladies are a success on and off the court,” Thomas said. “Their AP classes help them know the importance of working hard and preparing to earn an expected outcome. It helps them work through stressful situations.”

During the regular season, Brentwood defeated Winchester Thurston twice in section play by scores of 51-34, on Dec. 13, and 70-47, on Jan. 17.

WT, which won the past two WPIAL Class A titles, tied for third place in the section at 6-6. The No. 10-seeded Bears improved to 11-9 overall with a 60-56 first-round victory against No. 7 Frazier.

Among WT’s leading players are 5-10 sophomore guard Nya Nicholson and 6-foot junior forward Emma Small. Maya Roberts is a freshman standout.

“Winchester Thurston has a good overall team,” Thomas said. “Emma Small plays physical underneath, Nya Nicholson is a guard with quickness, and Maya Roberts is another guard that can drive very effectively creating a lot of opportunities offensively for them.”

Going into the playoffs, Brentwood owned one of the top scoring averages (55.7) in Class AA, as well as one of the best defensive averages (39.9). Betz, at 14.9 points, and Murrio, at 11.9 points, were the Spartans’ leading scorers. Dirling is the team’s leading rebounder, averaging seven.

“I think our seeding was exactly how it should’ve been,” Betz said prior to the quarterfinals. “We tied with Serra in our section, but our nonsection games really proved the potential our team has in the playoffs.

“From the beginning of our season in November, our goals were to win our section and win the WPIAL, and those goals still stand. I believe if we play the way we have been, we have a big playoff season ahead.”

Betz plans to continue her career at Saint Vincent in Latrobe, where she will study speech pathology and early childhood education.

Brentwood’s bench strength proved to be another key element to its success. Gilchrist, junior guard Maddi Travis, along with two freshman backcourt players, Maura Daly and Bella Grimm, are top reserves.

Defensively, the Spartans held 12 opponents to 40 points or fewer and edged Class 5A playoff qualifier Franklin Regional, 43-40, in their regular-season finale.

Brentwood scored 70 points or more four times and split section decisions with No. 4 Serra Catholic. Perhaps the Spartans’ most impressive win of the season was its 62-33 victory at home against Serra Catholic in their rematch last month.

Betz said her team’s grind-it-out 43-37 win against Ellis School in the section finale was important. She lauded her team’s performance against the No. 8 Tigers, which beat No. 9 Aliquippa, 47-37, in the WPIAL first round.

“Winning that game clinched the section for us,” Betz said, “and it was a hard-fought game from beginning to end.”

The Spartans two other regular-season losses were to Class 5A playoff qualifiers South Fayette and Gateway.

Brentwood started out 4-0 in 2018-19 and won its fourth consecutive Brentwood High Athletic Boosters tip-off tournament in December.

The Spartans did not lose a regular-season game since the start of 2019.

“This has definitely been one of the best seasons we’ve had in my four years on the team, and the most fun,” said Betz, who was voted MVP at the Brentwood Boosters’ tip-off tournament and was named to the all-tournament team at the Betsy Invitational held Dec. 27-28 at Elizabeth Forward.

“We aren’t just a team,” Betz said. “We are a family, and it shows on the court. I have big expectations for our team.”

Tags: Brentwood