WPIAL Girls Basketball Player of the Week — Week ending Jan. 4

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, January 5, 2020 | 3:09 PM

Bishop Canevin has been one of the queens of WPIAL girls basketball over the last half decade.

The Crusaders won WPIAL gold three straight years in 2016, ‘17 and ‘18. The run came to a sudden end in the 2019 Class 3A semifinals when top-seed Bishop Canevin was upset by eventual champion Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

The 2020 Crusaders are intent on winning another championship are on top of Section 3-2A thanks in part to the play of senior Alyssa Pollice. Pollice and fellow senior Diajha Allen are leading a young-but-talented team.

“She is very vocal,” first-year coach Jim Kaczorowski said. “She’s always talking to our younger players.”

On Thursday in a section win over Carmichaels, Pollice had 22 points and 15 rebounds. A day later, Pollice was unstoppable in a nonsection victory over Carlynton, scoring 30 points.

“She was on fire,” Kaczorowski said. “She wouldn’t miss.”

The scoring is something Pollice didn’t need to do on past, but this year’s team is starting to rely on her point production.

“Last year’s team had plenty of scorers, so she did all the dirty work like defend, rebound, setting good picks,” Kaczorowski said. “This year we need her to score more.

“She is like a Swiss Army knife, she can do it all. She can score, rebound, pass and defend guards or forwards.”

Bishop Canevin hosts Chartiers-Houston on Monday in a battle for first place in the section. But at this point, Kaczorowski likes where his team is.

“We have had some injuries, so our young kids are getting really important minutes,” he said. “Also, we play a very difficult nonsection schedule to help prepare us for later in the year.”

Honorable mention:

Aislin Malcolm, Chartiers Valley

Aislin Malcolm was a fabulous freshman on a perfect championship team last season. Now she is a super sophomore as the wins keep coming for Chartiers Valley. Malcolm scored 20 points in a big section road win over Trinity, then scored 24 points two days later in a nonsection win over North Catholic.

Kennedie Montue, Plum

The first Trib HSSN player of the week this season isn’t resting on her laurels. In a big section victory, junior Kennedie Montue scored 28 points as Plum beat Armstrong to stay within a half-game of first place. Then, in a nonsection win over West Allegheny on Saturday, Montue had 23 points to bump the Mustangs over .500 for the season.

Marley Wolf, Riverside

Marley Wolf not only celebrated another Riverside victory Thursday, she also hit a personal milestone. The senior scored 31 points, including 14 points from the free-throw line, to give her 1,001 points for her career as the Panthers pummeled Beaver Falls for Riverside’s first section win and fifth win overall.

Previous Trib HSSN Players of the Week:

Week Two – Jhayla Bray, McKeesport

Week One – Kennedie Montue, Plum