North Allegheny girls finding their way with revamped roster

By: Josh Rizzo
Thursday, December 5, 2019 | 11:40 PM

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Every year is a new situation and new challenge for North Allegheny girls basketball coach Spencer Stefko.

For the Tigers to adjust this year, they’ll need to bring along many new faces.

North Allegheny lost seven seniors from a team that reached the WPIAL finals and PIAA quarterfinals before finishing with a 24-3 record.

When the Tigers kicked off the Wright Automotive Tip-Off Tournament versus State College last Friday at home, Stefko knew everything wouldn’t be perfect.

“What I’m expecting will completely be a surprise to me, because we don’t know what to expect yet,” Stefko said. “Any time you lose seven seniors, the next group has to find its own way and I’m enjoying watching them do that.”

The Tigers will need to replace the scoring of Rachel Martindale, who is playing at Akron this season. Martindale averaged 13.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season and helped lead North Allegheny to two WPIAL crowns during her career.

“As much as we love Rachel, we are trying to stay focused on the kids who are here,” Stefko said. “All of those kids left so much here intangibly, and we focus on those lessons they left — to be kind to each other, to put the team first, to share the ball offensively and to help each other defensively.”

The Tigers will return experienced players in juniors Paige Morningstar and Lizzy Groetsch. Groetsch earned first-team all-section honors last year, while senior Katerina Balouris earned honorable mention all-section.

The Tigers will also have a large influx of underclassmen, with 11 players who are freshmen and sophomores. North Allegheny has three seniors — Maddie Chevalier, Abby Glass and Balouris — on the roster this season.

It’s a group Stefko thinks can be successful on the move.

“This group should excel in transition and on the glass,” Stefko said. “We have the tangibles to be really good there. But those are currently weaknesses, as we don’t yet have the habits to go with those talents.”

North Allegheny is seeking to continue its strong run with a new group. The Tigers have won 24 or more games the past six seasons.

“We have to grow everywhere because we don’t know who we are,” Stefko said. “I honestly won’t be surprised what happens, positively or negatively. But what I do know is that these kids have made it clear they’re the kind of kids you want to go through this process with. They play hard, come to practice every day to work.”

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