Greensburg Central Catholic girls weather storm without senior leader Morgan

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 | 5:42 PM

When a player the caliber of Mya Morgan goes out with an injury, some teams might go into a five-alarm panic.

The sky is falling. The season is over. We can’t win without her.

But Greensburg Central Catholic isn’t some teams.

Morgan, the team’s second-leading scorer and a Cal (Pa.) commit, missed two-and-a-half games last week with a knee injury. While she watched from the bench, title contender GCC played close with two of the best teams in larger classifications (North Catholic and Oakland Catholic), then returned home to get an important Section 3 win over Clairton and another at Winchester Thurston.

“We handled it better,” said budding sophomore point guard Erica Gribble, who has more than a half-dozen Division I scholarship offers. “Avery (Davis) found confidence in her shot, and we had girls like (sophomore) Abby (Dlugos) and (junior) Erica (Rodriguez) step up. We tried to stay positive, but we got more comfortable without her.”

GCC overcame a tight first quarter to shoot its way past No. 2 Clairton, 78-60, as Gribble scored a career-high 33 points and Davis, a senior wing, poured in a 25 for a career best. Davis hit five 3-pointers and GCC held off junior Iyanna Wade, the WPIAL’s leading scorer (39 ppg), who finished with 31.

Davis had 25 points, including four 3s, and Gribble scored 23, in a 62-53 win over Winchester Thurston.

That says a lot about GCC, the top-ranked team in WPIAL 2A which has the look of a juggernaut when it plays in its own classification.

GCC could have played tired during the stretch without Morgan. The team played four games in six days (five in 10 days). The Winchester Thurston game was moved up to an afternoon start so the teams could watch the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Buffalo Bills in an NFL playoff game moved back a day because of a snowstorm.

The Morgan injury was a storm the Centurions consider weathered. It was merely a fire drill, and everyone got out in a timely manner.

GCC fell to North Catholic, the No. 2 team in 4A, 58-42. It also lost to Oakland Catholic, the No. 1 team in 5A, 63-51. GCC led in both games.

“It was tough when Mya got hurt,” Gribble said. “It was a shock to us. But we still could have beaten North Catholic and Oakland Catholic.”

Just showing they could stay close with those teams sans Morgan gave the Centurions a bright outlook and confidence that depth could shine through.

Remember, at full strength, GCC (10-4, 6-0) posted three wins over good 6A teams in Altoona (43-40), Canon-McMillan (44-35), and Upper St. Clair (50-40).

“Mya is another good guard and brings a leadership role,” said Davis, a Division II Wheeling commit. “She really helps on our press defense.”

Morgan’s return should boost a group that learned to play patiently with their senior leader on the mend.

The Big 3 — Morgan, Gribble and Davis — make GCC go. But role players could be vital down the stretch as GCC tries to push deep into the playoffs again.

Take senior Cara Dupilka, for instance, who is a Saint Vincent commit. And there is freshman Nolan Althof. Both are small forwards.

The Centurions reached the PIAA semifinals and lost to eventual champion Kennedy Catholic after falling to Burgettstown in a WPIAL quarterfinal stunner.

“Avery’s confidence is coming,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said. “We know we have good guards who can score. Basketball is all about defense and rebounding, and we’re getting better there. We played well for three quarters against Oakland and had a chance there. E-Rod (Rodriguez) and Dlugos have stepped in and played well when we’ve needed them.”

The emergence of a new player has been another vital piece to the puzzle. Sophomore Jayla Peterson, an Indiana transfer, adds yet another 3-point threat and a sound defender.

“Jayla has really stepped up,” Gribble said.

GCC is a potent 3-point shooting team, but it can work outside-in to keep teams honest.

“Like coach (Skatell) says,” Gribble said, “Get it in the cup. We have to make our stuff.”

As Skatell put it, “If you have a good shot, take it.”

And if you have an opportunity to fill in for a standout, do that, too.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg C.C.