Scholastic Notebook – 12/19/2014

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 19, 2014 | 6:14 PM

When are two Bucs worth nearly 20 apiece? When you watch Sydney Bordonaro and Natalie Myers play basketball.

Bordonaro and Myers are standouts on the Burrell Bucs girls basketball team. They could end up being a one-two scoring punch for the ages.

Bordonaro is a 5-foot-7 senior guard while Myers is a 5-11 sophomore forward. After Thursday night’s games, Bordonaro was averaging exactly 20 points a game. Myers was averaging 18.6. They had helped Burrell to a 7-0 record.

Over the past 31 seasons, there have only been four duos in the WPIAL who have averaged 20 points or more for the regular season. There is a chance Bordonaro and Myers will become the fifth.

You only have to go back to last year to find the last time two players from the same WPIAL girls team averaged 20 or more during the regular season. Central Valley’s Seairra Barrett led the WPIAL with an average of 24.3 and Kiana Law averaged 20.

The other duos did it years ago. Aliquippa’s Carrie Bordas and Mona Gaffney did it twice. The others were Monessen’s Gina Naccarato and Angie Scirotto, and Ellwood City’s Anne Malkowiak and Doneen Aloi.

Bordonaro and Myers have helped build up Burrell’s program. The Bucs made it to the WPIAL Class AA semifinals a year ago and made the championship game last year for the first time in school history.

Bordonaro and Myers will likely both play Division I college basketball. Bordonaro already has signed with Pepperdine. Meanwhile, Myers, only a junior, has a few scholarship offers from mid-major schools.

Jula Wins 500^th

When Ambridge beat Ellwood City Tuesday in boys basketball, Ambridge coach Mark Jula hit a rather significant milestone as he won his 500^th career game.

Fewer than 20 coaches in the WPIAL won 500 games. Some of them are legends, such as John Miller, Don Graham, Ed McCluskey and Chuck DeVenzio. The only active coaches with 500 wins are Ringgold’s Phil Pergola, Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s Chuck Crummie, Monessen’s Joe Salvino, Washington’s Ron Faust and Sewickley Academy’s Win Palmer.

Jula started his career in Eastern Pennsylvania, coaching at Solanco and Boyertown. In the WPIAL, he has coached Ambridge, Moon, Butler, North Allegheny and Center. He has been a head coach for 34 seasons and his record is 500-321.

Aloi Still Ineligible

Nick Aloi hasn’t played in a WPIAL basketball game since February of 2013. It turns out he won’t be allowed to play again until January of 2015.

Aloi averaged 15 points a game as a freshman at Ellwood City in the 2012-13 season. A knee injury forced him to miss his sophomore season. But in January of his sophomore year, Aloi decided to transfer to Lincoln Park, a charter school in Beaver County.

But Ellwood City did not sign off on the transfer, claiming it was for athletic intent. The WPIAL ruled Aloi ineligible. This past week, the PIAA upheld the WPIAL’s ruling and also ruled Aloi ineligible, saying he transferred at least partly for athletic intent.

Aloi can’t play until a year has passed since his date of transfer. That year will be Jan. 21.

Also, the PIAA upheld the WPIAL in another eligibility case involving a Lincoln Park transfer. The WPIAL had ruled Jihad Cromer ineligible to play at Lincoln Park after transferring from Sto-Rox at the beginning of the school year. The PIAA upheld the WPIAL’s ruling after a hearing Wednesday.

Crusader Uprising

You could definitely classify the Bishop Canevin Crusaders as one of the surprising teams of the young WPIAL boys basketball season.

Bishop Canevin is 5-0. Now the Crusaders haven’t exactly faced the stiffest of competition. But still, Bishop Canevin won only four games all of last season.

The Crusaders are playing a fast brand of ball under first-year coach Kevin Trost. Bishop Canevin is averaging 82 points a game.

All-Conference Teams

All of the WPIAL football all-conference teams are now out. One of the eye-opening things is not who is on the all-conference teams, but who was NOT selected.

Baldwin’s Sterling Jenkins has been ranked by scouting services as one of the top 30 offensive tackles in the country. But Jenkins did not make first-team all-Southeastern Conference. He didn’t even make second team. He made honorable mention. Jenkins is a Penn State recruit.

Also, Canon-McMillan offensive lineman Alex Paulina is a Pitt recruit, but he only made second-team all-conference (Southeastern).

Morningstar Player of Year

North Allegheny volleyball player Meg Morningstar got a pretty big honor recently when she was named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year.

Morningstar is a 6-foot-2 middle blocker, a two-time all-state selection and this season recorded 293 kills and 117 blocks for the Tigers. Morningstar also is one of the Tigers’ top basketball players and she has better than a 4.0 grade-point average.

Morningstar is the daughter of former Pitt basketball player Darren Morningstar. Meg has signed to play volleyball next year at Notre Dame.

Tags: Ambridge, Baldwin, Bishop Canevin, Burrell, Canon-McMillan, Lincoln Park