PIAA Class 4A girls basketball championship breakdown: Lansdale Catholic vs. Blackhawk

By: Bill Hartlep
Friday, March 24, 2023 | 4:38 PM

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PIAA Class 4A girls basketball championship

Lansdale Catholic vs. Blackhawk

Noon Saturday, at Hershey’s Giant Center

On the air: TV: PCN; Radio: WMBA-AM 1460, WBVP-AM 1230, WBVP-FM 99.3 Streaming audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com

PIAA titles: Lansdale Catholic 0; Blackhawk 4 (1999, 2000, ‘14, ‘15)

Lansdale Catholic (27-2)

Coach: Eric Gidney

Probable starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Yr., Pos.

2, Jaida Helm, 5-11, sr., G/F

3, Sanyiah Littlejohn, 5-9, so., G

10, Nadia Yemola, 5-8, so., G

11, Olivia Boccella, 5-5, jr., G

15, Gabby Casey, 5-9, sr., G/F

Notable: Lansdale Catholic is back in the PIAA final after losing to District 12’s Archbishop Wood, 57-45, last season. It was the team’s first PIAA championship appearance. The Crusaders cruised to victory in the PIAA semifinals with a 60-28 win over District 2 champ Scranton Prep. Gabby Casey had 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way. They also have posted convincing PIAA playoff wins over Bishop McDevitt, Jersey Shore and Allentown Central Catholic. The Crusaders won their first Philadelphia Catholic League championship behind Casey, who was named league MVP and the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year. The St. Joe’s commit averages 21 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and holds the school’s career scoring record with nearly 1,700 points. Fellow senior Jaida Helm adds 12 ppg. She had 16 points and seven rebounds in the semifinals.

Blackhawk (25-4)

Coach: Steve Lodovico

Probable starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Yr., Pos.

2, Kassie Potts, 5-4, sr., G

11, Alena Fusetti, 5-9, jr., G

20, Aubree Hupp, 5-9, fr., G

25, Haley Romigh, 5-6, jr., G

30, Piper Romigh, 5-8, jr., G

Notable: Blackhawk is making it’s fifth appearance in the PIAA championship game. The Cougars won in 1999, 2000, 2014 and ‘15. They reached the PIAA quarterfinals last season after winning the WPIAL Class 4A title. The Cougars rebounded after a 51-35 loss to North Catholic in the WPIAL championship game by winning PIAA playoff games against Warren, Knoch and Fairview, before avenging the loss to the Trojans, 45-40, in the state semifinals Tuesday. Junior Alena Fusetti leads the scoring for Blackhawk, averaging 17 points per game. Potts had 19 points and Hupp added 17 in the semifinal win. Blackhawk has played the entire postseason without standout senior guard Quinn Borroni, a Mercyhurst recruit who suffered an Achilles injury after the regular season.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Blackhawk