Phenomenal freshman leads Upper St. Clair girls to upset win over Norwin

By: George Guido
Friday, February 21, 2020 | 10:11 PM

It’s not to be confused with the 1950s harmony group, the Four Freshmen, but four freshmen starters contributed to a big upset Friday night.

Sixth-seeded Upper St. Clair surprised No. 3 Norwin, 52-39, in a WPIAL 6-A playoff quarterfinal at Charleroi High School.

One of the ninth-graders, Katelyn Robbins, had a spectacular game for the Panthers, scoring 30 points and pulling down 20 rebounds.

Robbins also was 11 of 12 from the free-throw line. Two of those foul shots gave Upper St. Clair the lead for good, 15-13, with 30.7 seconds to go in the first half.

“For a 14-year-old kid, she showed everybody how good we all know she can be,” said USC coach Pete Serio. “That was, by far, a career night in terms of rebounding and finishing. She did it all tonight.”

The Panthers (14-7) will face North Allegheny in a semifinal game Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.

Norwin (18-5) was still in the game after three quarters, trailing just 29-25. But Upper St. Clair started the final period with a 7-0 run to get some breathing room.

Another freshman, Ava Keating, hit a 3-pointer just 23 seconds into the fourth quarter. Robbins followed that with two baskets and the Panthers had command, 36-25, with 6:10 to go.

It’s not that freshman mistakes weren’t made. Upper St. Clair committed 15 turnovers in the first half, but the Knights couldn’t take advantage.

“We knew, going in, what that team was capable of at any given moment,” said Norwin coach Brian Brozeski. “Give Upper St. Clair all the credit. We just couldn’t get our feet underneath us and get things going the way we wanted to.”

USC’s control of the boards was a key factor.

The Knights corralled just 15 rebounds compared 33 for the Panthers.

“They were able to dictate how we wanted to play, and they did a nice job,” Brozeski said. “All year we’ve had some size-differential games. Give Robbins credit how she battled us on the glass. Such is sports.”

Freshman Mia Brown had 10 points for USC, six in the fourth quarter, as the Panthers continued to build their advantage.

Said Serio: “The team has meshed very well, and the older kids have been helpful . I know it’s not easy for them, but it’s made a big difference.”

Olivia Gribble led the Knights with nine points.

Norwin had four 3-pointers in the fourth period, but it wasn’t enough.

Even though Norwin has made the playoffs 31 times and Upper St. Clair 29 times, this was the first WPIAL meeting between the two schools.

Upper St. Clair had not advanced past the quarterfinals over the last two seasons. The Panthers also clinched a PIAA playoff berth with Friday’s victory.

Unless Upper St. Clair wins the WPIAL title and pulls Norwin into the PIAA playoffs, the Knights’ season is over.

Listen to an archived broadcast of this game on Trib HSSN.

Tags: Norwin, Upper St. Clair