Win over nemesis Knoch gives Highlands girls basketball team shot of confidence

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, December 20, 2022 | 8:03 PM

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The Highlands girls basketball team was back at it in practice Tuesday afternoon, one day after a big Section 1-4A victory over Knoch and one day before a nonsection clash with undefeated Armstrong.

Six games into the season, the Golden Rams are optimistic about what they have done and where they are going off of last year’s successful campaign.

“There is more pressure in games because people know that Highlands is back and they want to knock us back down,” said Jocelyn Bielak, a junior and one of four in the starting lineup who went through last year’s battles as starters to a 19-5 overall record. “That has helped us to want to build on our wins and work hard to correct mistakes in our losses.”

Highlands is 3-3 overall and 1-1 in Section 1-4A.

The Golden Rams bounced back from last week’s 61-33 loss to Triblive HSSN Class 4A No. 1 North Catholic in their section opener with a win over defending section champion Knoch, 52-41, Monday night.

“It was more than just a section win for us,” Bielak said. “There are a number of personal ties to that team. My cousins play for them. There is a sister connection. For us, we played as a team. We were passing well and sharing the ball. Wanting that win so bad gave us that competitive edge. It was the first time we’ve beaten Knoch in a long time.”

Highlands swept Knoch in 2016, but the Golden Rams went into a slump after that, losing 10 games in a row.

The teams battled for the section title last year, and the Knights swept the Golden Rams en route to a 12-0 record. They were Highlands’ lone losses in section. The second game, at Knoch, went down to the wire before the Knights prevailed, 56-48.

In Monday’s matchup, Highlands jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and never trailed. Junior Kalleigh Nerone led the Golden Rams with 14 points, Bielak scored 13, junior Katelyn Myers added 12, and senior Ava Nitowski chipped in with nine.

The game also was the latest in the sisterly matchup between Nerone and Knoch senior Cal (Pa.) commit Nina Shaw.

“It’s different, for me, than any other game,” Nerone said. “These games are special to us because it is her last year, and we won’t have these again. We’re really close, and we talk every day. We just want each other to play well. It’s all good after the game.

“They had beaten us twice last year and the year before. For all that we accomplished last year, we didn’t get a win over Knoch. To get that win (Monday) was huge for us. It gives us a lot of momentum.”

Knoch and Highlands will see each other again Jan. 23 at Knoch.

“That was a huge win for the girls’ confidence in terms of battling through knowing the ‘why’ we are doing things the way we are doing them,” first-year Golden Rams coach Shawn Bennis said. “Yesterday, a lot of that kicked in for them. They recognized things like taking what the defense gives them and not getting into a robotic pattern. It was big for our growth this early in the season.”

Highlands hung close against North Catholic early before the Trojans started to break last Thursday’s game open in the second quarter.

“I think the girls were a little in awe with the game as they do have some top-level players, but we’re a good team, too,” Bennis said. “I told the girls that if we value the basketball and rebound like we can, we should compete with anyone in our section. Against Knoch, we had seven turnovers heading into the fourth quarter before they turned up the pressure a little bit. But that is something we are always working on to be better.”

Highlands’ schedule, in addition to the start of section play, has included a quartet of Class 5A teams — Plum, Fox Chapel, Kiski Area and Montour — and the Golden Rams are 2-2 in those games with wins over Fox Chapel and Kiski Area.

Armstrong will be Class 5A team No. 5 Wednesday, and Myers said the team is ready to match up against the undefeated River Hawks, who are averaging 55.8 points scored through its six victories while giving up 38.3.

“It’s been a challenging schedule so far, but I think it is exciting,” Myers said. “It has tested where we are and what we need to work on to get to where we want to be. Armstrong (Wednesday) is just another one of those tough teams. I think we will execute well because we have a lot of momentum after playing well against Knoch. We want to carry that over.”

Highlands will spend the holiday break hosting its tournament Dec. 27-28 and will face North Hills (4-3) and Mars (5-1).

“Expectations are high this year, but we try to not worry about any pressure on us,” Myers said. “We know we have to bring our best game, because we know our opponents will do that.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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