Apr 9, 2016 4 min read

Trinity and South Fayette had some of the most memorable WPIAL girls basketball games this season, including the Class AAA championship at the Petersen Events Center, because of deep, talented rosters and three of the area’s best players.

Though the Lions prevailed for the title and advanced to the PIAA quarterfinals, it is Trinity that had two players selected all-state.

Senior center Mary Dunn, a Youngstown State recruit, and junior point guard Sierra Kotchman, were selected third team all-state by the Pennsylvania Sports Writers High School Girls Basketball.

“It speaks very well for those two kids and what we’re trying to do here at Trinity,” Hillers head coach Bob Miles said. “They’re both very deserving.”

South Fayette senior center Emily Anderson, a Penn recruit and the Observer-Reporter Player of the Year, made second team.

Dunn and Kotchman helped the Hillers (21-5), who lost in the first round of the PIAA playoffs, have the highest-scoring offense in Class AAA with each averaging more than 17 points per game. Dunn grabbed more than nine rebounds per game and Kotchman, a three-year starter, shot 51 percent from the field with an assist-to-turnover ratio of almost 3-to-1. Both seemed to play their best when it mattered most, including the WPIAL semifinals when the two combined for 41 points in a win over Mars.

“I think Sierra was a big part of us taking that next step because she saw the floor so well,” Miles said. “Plus, you can’t overlook what Mary did. She became a much more well-around player as the season went on and that added a new dimension to our team.”

Anderson, meanwhile, averaged more than 16 points in seven playoff games, including 18 against Trinity in the WPIAL championship win. She averaged 10 rebounds per game. Anderson helped the Lions (24-4) defeat Trinity twice in the regular season for the Section 5-AAA title and again in the championship game as South Fayette won its first WPIAL title.

A trio of Monessen players and a sophomore from Greene County were selected to the all-state boys basketball teams by a panel of sports writers from across the state.

Waynesburg sophomore guard Darton McIntire, one of the WPIAL’s leading scorers, was selected to the Class AA third team after averaging 26.3 points, six rebounds and six assists to lead the Raiders back to the WPIAL playoffs. He scored at least 25 points in 13 of 20 games, including a season-high 47 against Brownsville.

“I’m very happy for him,” said Waynesburg head coach Kirk King. “He’s such a hard worker, so it’s well-deserved. Knowing him, he’d reflect some of the credit to his teammates.

Monessen, which led the WPIAL in scoring with more than 90 points per game, had three of its startes named all-state.

Senior guards Dwight Moore and Lavalle Rush were both selected second team in Class A, and junior guard Justice Rice made third team. Rush is a two-time all-state selection after receiving honorable mention as a junior.

“Those kids put in a lot of hard work and for those two seniors, it’s great to see them end their careers with that recognition,” Monessen head coach Joe Salvino said. “It’s rare to have three kids picked all-state the same here. You’re usually just happy to have one.”

Moore averaged 22.7 points per game for the WPIAL’s highest-scoring offense (90.3 ppg), and eclipsed 30 points four times, including a 30-point performance in Monessen’s WPIAL semifinal loss to North Catholic.

Rush averaged 17.2 points per game and Rice, a three-year starter, chipped in 16.8 per game. The trio led Monessen to the semifinals, where it lost to North Catholic, and the program’s postseason run ended one game later in the first round of the PIAA playoffs with a loss to Farrell.

“It was a special year,” Salvino said. “Sometimes young people put too much pressure on themselves and the goal can be a little higher. Although we didn’t get to where we wanted to be, I told the kids that one game doesn’t define your season and that they needed to appreciate everything.”