Season after season, the Lady Knights proved to be a strong WPIAL staple, consistently ranking among the best teams. Last season, the girls’ team came up just short in the WPIAL championship game, losing to a strong Upper Saint Clair team. The current season for the girls is their chance to exact revenge and fight to return to the biggest stage in WPIAL basketball.
The girls have a returning senior core with dominant players like Anna Fraser, Kiley Rodkey, and the lone returning starter, Ava Christopher. With strong development being a hallmark of this Norwin team, the underclassmen have been key to this girls’ team bouncing back after losing four of their starting lineup and many other notable seniors. Players like junior Elizabeth Yarosik and sophomore Nia O’Barto have taken the wheel when it comes to scoring and taking charge of the girls’ team.
“Instead of having direct replacements, we are cycling a bunch of different players on the court,” Coach Brian Brozeski said. “All the girls are skilled, so we have a lot of room to work with.”
Two of the main cornerstones of the team so far have been Yarosik and Christopher. Both players have controlled the game for their team and put up many points. While these two players have taken the charge, the other girls are all big threats too, being able to have great performances in any given game.
After some year-round work and countless practices, the Lady Knights had their first match of the year against Penn Trafford on Dec 2nd. The girls came out a little slow, but proceeded to dominate, getting over PT in a 62-53 victory. Yarosik took control of the game with an outstanding 22-point performance. Yarosik used her height to her advantage, dominating under the hoop, scoring point after point.
“We have a younger varsity team in general,” Christopher said. “Everyone is fighting for spots in practice, challenging one another to be better.”
Continuing their hot streak, the girls traveled to State College, PA, for a tip-off tournament. The girls’ team first took down Abington Heights, then, in the championship, bested a notoriously strong State College team 50-46, moving the team to 3-0 on the season.
“Despite our recent success, we still have things we must work on,” Christopher said. “ With a smaller lineup, we have to make every move with purpose.”
Facing these strong opponents early one helps get the girls’ team to a high level early. The better the team is earlier, the better the chance of making a strong WPIAL, and maybe even a state run.
“Playing tough teams early helps make us better,” Brozeski said. “ Along with that, the girls build good team chemistry on the road.”
The girls’ faced Thomas Jefferson, a strong opponent, and came out with a huge win 67-44. The lady knights were led by Christopher with 23 points. The Knights’ hope to continue their usual streak of dominance, as they advance further into the post-season.
“We have twelve girls dressing varsity,” Christopher said. “All of the girls step up when their time comes in the game.”
The Lady Knights have continued to compete with some with some of the top competition in the WPIAL. The team has overall been very strong in this latter half of the season. One thing has been a thorn in the Lady Knights side, and that is injuries. Star player Ava Christopher missed a couple important games due to a knee injury. Despite that huge loss for the team many of the underclass men have continued to step up and keep winning games.
Due to some key losses to Cannon Mac, and South Fayette the girls barely missed winning the section title, but now they shift their focus to playoffs. The Lady Knights still earned a strong seed position with the second seed in the playoffs. The girls will be facing off against the seventh seeded Hempfield team on February 20th at home.
