WPIAL Class 4A girls final preview: Beaver looks to upset top-seeded CW North Catholic

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 | 8:18 PM

When Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic and Beaver meet in the WPIAL Class 4A girls basketball championship, there will be a stark contrast in the tradition and history of the programs.

The top-seeded Trojans have captured 17 titles in school history and are making their ninth finals appearance since 2007. The No. 3 seed Bobcats, on the other hand, are in the title game for the first time. They will play at 7 p.m. Friday at Petersen Events Center.

Although the matchup appears to be lopsided on paper, Beaver is riding a wave of momentum. The Bobcats, who tied for the Section 2 title in the regular season, have won their past nine games. During that surge, Beaver defeated each of the other three playoff teams from the section to conclude the regular season. In the playoffs, the Bobcats ousted Belle Vernon by 31 points in the quarterfinals, and then dispatched of No. 2 Blackhawk, 53-40, on Monday.

Beaver coach Greg Huston, in his ninth season guiding the Bobcats, highlighted the importance of playing in such a grueling section to prepare for Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic.

“We feel fortunate to play Blackhawk and Central Valley and Ambridge twice a year. That gives us that battle-tested feeling heading into this game,” he said.

In the semifinal win, senior guard Bella Posset paced the Bobcats' attack with 20 points, while senior Sydney Barney and freshman Emma Pavelek each contributed 11 points. Posset, who is committed to play at Robert Morris next year, has not only produced in the scoring column, but also in a leadership role.

“Everybody looks to her. She sets the tone for everything that we do,” Huston said of his senior, who is averaging 19 points.

Beaver will be undersized against Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, so the Bobcats will have to compensate in other areas.

“We got to work extremely hard down low,” Huston said. “We have to make up for some of that size — use our quickness and athleticism.”

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic has overwhelmed its opponents for the majority of the season, as the Trojanettes outscore their adversaries by nearly 25 points. While CWNC has plenty of threats on offense, it is the Trojanettes' defense that has been particularly impressive.

That aspect was on full display in the 58-39 victory against Central Valley on Monday.

“Our defense was really key,” CWNC coach Molly Rottmann said. “We came out with a ton of intensity, and it bought us some time when we were a little nervous at the beginning and not converting on offense.”

The Trojanettes outscored the fifth-seeded Warriors, 22-6, in the second quarter to take control, and never relinquished. Sophomore Kylee Lewandowski led the way with a game-high 20 points, while fellow sophomore Tess Myers produced 17.

Despite having four sophomores in the rotation, the underclassmen for the Trojanettes gained experience last year when they defeated Blackhawk, 65-36, to claim the WPIAL crown.

“It's not brand new to them. Even though the majority of them are young, they've all been there,” Rottmann said. “I feel like they should come out without that fear, and be ready to play.”

Rottmann, with more than 400 wins on her coaching resume, expressed an appreciation of the opposition on Friday.

“Beaver has a great team, a great guard in Posset. We have our work cut out for us for sure,” she said.

Meanwhile, Huston welcomed his team's challenge of battling the heavily-favored Trojanettes.

“If you want to be the best, you got to beat the best,” he said. “Nobody's really done it better than them over the last 30 years or so.”

Sean Meyers is a freelance writer.

Class 4A girls championship

No. 1 Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic vs No. 3 Beaver

7 p.m. Friday, Petersen Events Center

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Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (21-3)

Coach: Molly Rottman

No. Player, Pos., Ht., Yr.

1 Ashley Robbins, G, 5-4, Sr.

21 Kylee Lewandowski, G/F, 6-0, So.

23 Tess Myers, G/F, 5-9, So.

24 Dani Short, F, 6-1, Jr.

33 Kari Karanikos, G, 5-6, Sr.

Beaver (18-5)

Coach: Greg Huston

No. Player, Pos., Ht., Yr.

1 Emma Pavelek, G, 5-6, Fr.

4 Bella Posset, G, 5-8, Sr.

12 Qhamille Monteiro, F, 5-10, Jr.

30 Sidney Barney, G/F, 5-9, Sr.

34 Paige Ziggas, G, 5-6, Sr.

Title history: Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic has 17 WPIAL championships, Beaver is making its first WPIAL championship appearance.

Stat leaders: CWNC: Myers, 16.7 ppg; B: Posset, 19.0 ppg.

Notable: Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic has not lost to a Class 4A team this season. The Trojanettes' losses came against 3A semifinalist Bishop Canevin, as well as 6A semifinalists Peters Township and Bethel Park. Molly Rottmann has won six WPIAL titles as the coach of CWNC, and also won three at the school as a player. In addition to Posset, two other Beaver seniors have made college commitments for athletics — Barney to play basketball at Division II Daemen in New York, and Ziggas to Allegheny College for softball.

Predicted winner: Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic

Tags: Beaver, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, North Catholic