Norwin girls seek consistency as postseason nears
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Saturday, February 13, 2021 | 9:01 AM
Penn-Trafford’s Olivia Pepple battles Norwin’s Mara Polczynski for a loose ball during their game on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, at Penn-Trafford High School.
Norwin plans to be in the thick of the WPIAL Class 6A chase when the playoffs begin later this month.
Based on program tradition, it would be unusual if the Knights were not.
But coach Brian Brozeski thinks some fine-tuning needs to be done to get his team ready for March Madness.
At the halfway point of the season, Brozeski said his team is “trending in a positive direction but still need to find consistency for four quarters of play.”
Norwin sat in a three-way tie for second place in Section 1-6A at the start of the month. The Knights climbed back into the TribLive HSSN Class 6A rankings, taking the No. 5 spot behind North Allegheny (No. 1), Upper St. Clair (2), Mt. Lebanon (3), and Bethel Park (4).
Norwin was allowing just 35 points per game but has not been overly productive offensively. The Knights had scored less than 50 points four times.
The Knights, 8-2 heading into the second round of section games, knocked off Class 3A No. 1 North Catholic, 51-49, on a buzzer-beating bank shot from sophomore Savanah Schneck.
“I love the effort we have seen in both practices and games,” Brozeski said. “We just need to continue to sharpen some of the fundamental and mental aspects of our game.”
An open-door policy keeps fresh input flowing. The focus keeps circling back to the little things.
“This has been a group that is willing to share insights into schemes as well as provide feedback to other players on adjustments,” Brozeski said. “Our area of focus for the second half of the season is cliche but true: improve on the fundamentals. Whether it is defensively or offensively, whether it is turning the ball over or getting beat to the rim, most of our errors stem from not being fundamental.”
Norwin resumed section play Feb. 4 at Seneca Valley after a Feb. 1 game against North Hills was postponed by snow.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Norwin
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