Brentwood girls defeat Laurel, earn long-awaited trip to WPIAL finals

By: Ray Fisher
Monday, February 25, 2019 | 10:36 PM

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Laurel went into the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals Monday night riding a school-record 14-game winning streak.

Brentwood had won 12 games in a row, and 14 of its past 15.

Something had to give.

Brentwood defeated Laurel, 50-37, at Moon to advance to the Thursday’s WPIAL finals at Petersen Events Center.

Brentwood (19-3) will play Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (20-4) at 5 p.m.

“This is the first time a Brentwood team will be in the WPIAL finals in, I think, 25-plus years,” coach Rachel Thomas said. “We executed our game plan beautifully tonight; now, we’re ready for OLSH.

“Laurel is obviously a good team. They are not very tall. They are guard-heavy, and they love to drive in the key to shoot or dish; this is their strength. We protected the middle, and we did a great job of clogging up the middle.”

Brentwood, the No. 2 seed, never trailed in the semifinal matchup, and held No. 3 Laurel to just nine first-half points.

The Brentwood girls maintained a comfortable 10- to 12-point cushion for most of the third quarter, and held a 48-33 lead late in the contest.

Three players reached double figures for the winning side, led by senior guard Anna Betz led with a game-high 11 points.

Betz was complemented by senior guards Abby Wolf and Natalie Murrio, who netted 10 points apiece. The 5-foot-7 Murrio also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and blocked two shots.

Freshman Maura Daly chipped in with eight points and five rebounds for Brentwood.

Thomas believes her team’s scoring balance has been a key to success this season.

“That’s one of the reasons why I think we’re so successful,” she said.

Laurel coach Matt Stebbins didn’t disagree.

“Brentwood is a well-rounded team,” Stebbins said. “They play inside and outside very well. They have a ton of weapons; they are eight or nine (players) deep.”

Laurel (20-5) was led by junior guard Faith Gibson’s 10 points, which included a pair of treys. Makenna Collins, a senior guard, contributed nine points.

“Laurel is a very fast and scrappy team,” Betz said. “They won a lot of their games off their transition. We matched up well skill-wise.”

Brentwood has not lost a game since the start of the new year. The Spartans will oppose fourth-seeded OLSH in Thursday’s championship game. OLSH upset No. 1 Bishop Canevin, 51-45, in the semifinal round.

Brentwood and Laurel both were co-champions in section play this season.

Led by six seniors, Brentwood tied with Serra Catholic atop Section 2, claiming its first section title since 1994. Laurel, with only two seniors on its roster, tied for first in Section 1 with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

“Laurel’s a quick team, and they have a fast transition,” Wolf said. “They like to drive a lot and sometimes dish, but they have some shooters, too. They also have quick hands on defense.”

Senior guard Caroline Gibson, a two-time all-section selection and Faith’s older sister, is Laurel’s leading scorer with a 21.7 ppg average.

Laurel dropped down from Class 3A and returned all but one player lost to graduation this season. Stebbins is in his third year as the Spartans’ coach. Last year, Laurel finished 14-12 and snapped a three-year playoff drought.

Under Stebbins’ direction, Laurel has posted a winning record and advanced to the WPIAL playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in recent memory.

Betz (14.9 ppg) and Murrio (11.9 ppg) are Brentwood’s leading scorers. Rebecca Dirling, a 5-10 senior forward, is the leading frontcourt player, averaging seven rebounds per game.

Bench strength has proven to be another key element to Brentwood’s success. Senior forward Sydney Gilchrist, junior guard Maddi Travis, along with two freshman backcourt players, Daly and Bella Grimm, are top reserves.

Brentwood outrebounded Laurel by a 34-23 margin in Monday’s playoff game.

Both teams have qualified for the state tournament, as the top six finishers in Class 2A will advance.

Tags: Brentwood, Laurel