WPIAL Class 2A girls basketball finals preview: OLSH vs. Brentwood
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Wednesday, February 27, 2019 | 9:43 PM
Brentwood’s Abby Wolf (1) battles Laurel’s Makenna Collins (21) during their WPIAL semifinal playoff game Feb. 25, 2019, at Moon.
Class 2A girls
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (20-4) vs. Brentwood (19-3)
5 p.m. Thursday, Petersen Events Center
Starting lineups
No. 4 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (20-4)
Coach: Don Eckerle
No. Player, Pos., Ht., Yr.
11 Haley Hamilton, G, 5-4, Jr.
25 Grace Bradley, G, 5-6, So.
34 Maddie Hoff, G, 5-8, Sr.
42 Hannah Valenty, F, 5-11, Jr.
44 Ashley Norling, F, 5-11, Sr.
No. 2 Brentwood (19-3)
Coach: Rachel Thomas
No. Player, Pos., Ht., Yr.
1 Abby Wolf, G, 5-4, Sr.
4 Anna Betz, G, 5-8, Sr.
11 Brooke McQuillan, G, 5-5, Sr.
21 Natalie Murrio, G, 5-7, Sr.
23 Rebecca Dirling, F. 5-10, Sr.
Title game history: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart has never won a WPIAL girls basketball championship with its most recent trip to the finals coming in 2008. The last time Brentwood reached the district finals in girls hoops was 25 years ago when the Spartans lost to Avonworth, 77-41, in the 1994 Class A championship. The Spartans did win back-to-back WPIAL championships in 1978 and 1979.
Stat leaders: OLSH: Ashley Norling 18.2; Brent: Anna Betz 14.8
Notable: Brentwood and OLSH last met in the 2018 quarterfinals, where the Spartans eliminated the Chargers, 51-31. The Spartans have won 13 in a row. Brentwood finished as co-champs in Section 2-2A with Serra Catholic as the Spartans lost to the Eagles, 65-58, then crushed Serra in the rematch 62-33. In an 11-year span from 1976 to 1986, the Spartans played in the WPIAL title game seven times, including five straight. However their record was 2-5 in those championship games, with wins over New Brighton and North Catholic. … OLSH stunned No. 1 seed and heavy favorite Bishop Canevin, 51-45, in the semifinals behind 29 points by Ashley Norling. The Chargers have won seven straight. OLSH is 0-3 in title games, having lost all three to Monessen in 1995, to Greensburg Central Catholic in 2006 and to South Park in 2008 by double-digit points.
Predicted winner: Brentwood
*Watch all 12 WPIAL boys and girls basketball championships via live and archived video stream Thursday, Friday and Saturday at TribHSSN.triblive.com.
Tags: Brentwood, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
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