All-state girls basketball: NA’s Lizzy Groetsch, Spencer Stefko lead WPIAL’s 6A selections
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Monday, April 20, 2020 | 1:00 PM
North Allegheny junior Lizzy Groetsch and coach Spencer Stefko saw their PIAA girls basketball title hopes dashed by the coronavirus outbreak, but both earned statewide recognition Monday.
Groetsch, a Penn commit, earned first-team all-state honors in Class 6A, and Stefko was named Coach of the Year in Pennsylvania’s largest classification. North Allegheny went 24-3 this winter, won the WPIAL title and had reached the state quarterfinals when the PIAA tournament was suspended and eventually canceled.
In all, five WPIAL players earned all-state honors in 6A in a vote of Pennsylvania sportswriters.
Bethel Park teammates Maddie Dziezgowski and Olivia Westphal were named to the second team. Like North Allegheny, WPIAL runner-up Bethel Park (23-3) also had reached the PIAA quarterfinals.
Mt. Lebanon’s Ashleigh Connor and Norwin’s Olivia Gribble earned third-team honors.
Central Bucks West’s Maddie Burke, a Penn State recruit, was voted player of the year in Class 6A.
The Class 5A and 6A all-state teams were announced Monday. Class 4A and 3A will be revealed Tuesday, with Class 2A and A on Wednesday.
Class 6A
First team
Maya Bokunewicz, State College, 6-1, Sr., 20.8
Lizzy Groetsch, North Allegheny, 5-8, Jr., 17.3
Maddie Burke, Central Bucks West, 6-0, Sr., 12.4
Lucy Olsen, Spring-Ford, 5-9, Jr., 19.3
Bella Smuda, Downingtown East, 6-5, Sr., 18.9
Jackie Vargas, Upper Dublin, 6-3, Sr., 12.7
Second team
Talya Brugler, Nazareth, 6-0, Jr., 19.1
Emily Chmiel, Central Bucks East, 6-0, Jr., 18.0
Maddie Dziezgowski, Bethel Park, 5-11, Sr., 15.9
Caranda Perea, Altoona, 6-2, Sr., 15.1
Olivia Westphal, Bethel Park, 5-9, Jr., 14.8
Third team
Ashleigh Connor, Mt. Lebanon, 5-10, So., 22.0
Olivia Gribble, Norwin, 5-8, Sr., 16.1
Julie Jekot, Cumberland Valley, 5-10, Jr., 12.0
Colette Mulderig, Scranton, 6-3, Sr., 16.7
Ava Sciolla, Pennsbury, 5-11, So., 14.5
Sydni Scott, Cardinal O’Hara, 5-7, So., 12.0
Makiah Shaw, Red Lion, 6-0, Jr., 16.0
Player of the Year: Maddie Burke, Central Bucks West
Coach of the Year: Spencer Stefko, North Allegheny
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2020 Pa. Sportswriters All-State Girls Basketball
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Bethel Park, Mt. lebanon, North Allegheny, Norwin
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