Dahlquist named 2nd team all-state
A girls basketball season made unusual by COVID-19 pandemic restrictions turned out to be exceptional for North Allegheny and the Philadelphia Catholic League.
North Allegheny went 27-1, winning 25 games by double figures and all six postseason of its games by at least 13 points en route to the Tigers’ first state title, while the seven teams of the Catholic League’s Red Division produced three state champions.
Both have a strong presence on the 2021 PA Sports Writers All-State Girls Basketball Team. Three Tigers made the Class 6A team in a statewide poll of print media outlets, including player of the Lizzy Groetsch, as well as coach of the year Spencer Stefko. Nine Catholic League standouts, meanwhile, garnered spots across four classifications, among them Archbishop Wood’s Kaitlyn Orihel and West Catholic’s Destiney McPhaul, the players of the year in 4A and 3A, respectively.
Only one local player, Trinity senior forward Courtney Dahlquist, was named to the all-state teams in any classification. Dahlquist was voted onto the second team in Class 5A after averaging 17.4 points per game during the regular season helping the Hillers to the Section title, a 21-2 record and runner-up finish in the WPIAL playoffs. Dahlquist, a Campbell University recruit, was named the Observer-Reporter Player of the Year.
It was the second player of the year award for Orihel, who won it last year in Class 5A.
Aislin Malcolm of state runner-up Chartiers Valley captured the top award this year in 5A. Linden Hall’s Mercy Ademusayo was the writers’ pick in 2A, and Bishop Guilfoyle’s Teresa Haigh was honored in 1A.