Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week for March 3, 2024
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Sunday, March 3, 2024 | 9:23 PM
Shady Side Academy’s Maggie Spell receives her gold medal from head coach Jonna Burke after defeating Avonworth in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game on Friday, March 1, 2024, at Petersen Events Center.
Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week: Maggie Spell
School: Shady Side Academy
Class: Sophomore
Height: 5-foot-9
Position: Guard
What coach says: “Her start and aggressive mindset was very important for us,” Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke said about the championship game. “She realized early that they were going to do their best to take her outside game away and she was able to get to the hoop.
“I think she just was determined not to let the opportunity pass by and played really hard on both ends,” Burke said of Spell’s big second half.
“Her obvious strength is that she is a scorer. She just finds a way to put the ball in the hoop. She has gotten better defensively this season as well.”
#Earned: Spell began the district playoffs by scoring 23 points, including the 1,000th point of her young career, in a victory over Mohawk. She ended the playoffs by dropping 31 points in a WPIAL 3A championship game victory over defending champion and top-seeded Avonworth. The super sophomore played all 32 minutes of the title game, hitting on 10 of her 16 shots from the field with three steals and four rebounds. She also connected on 11 of her 13 free throws. Spell led Shady Side Academy in its semifinal win over Beaver Falls with 17 points.
Background: A year ago, Spell burst on the high school basketball scene averaging 20.5 points per game in helping SSA go 25-4 and reach the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals. This year, she averaged 18.1 points per game in helping the Bulldogs win their first WPIAL girls basketball crown. Spell and her teammates already avenged one postseason loss from a year ago when they defeated Avonworth in the district finals, now they open up the PIAA postseason with a game against a River Valley team that ended their season in the state quarterfinals last year. While Spell is on the track and field team at SSA, she is a successful bow hunter, going out when she can with her father and grandfather.
2024 Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Players of the Week
Week 8 – Emma Paul, Armstrong
Week 7 – Bailey Strnisa, South Side
Week 6 – Bella Antonacci, Indiana
Week 5 – Emma Larkin, Geibel Catholic
Week 4 – Shaye Bailey, Freedom
Week 3 – London Creach, Oakland Catholic
Week 2 – Mallory Daly, Seton LaSalle
Week 1 – Iyanna Wade, Clairton
Tags: Shady Side Academy
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