Feb 21, 2023 3 min read

Having a balanced scoring lineup is most often at the top of every basketball coach’s wish list, especially come playoff time.

Trinity girls basketball coach Kathy McConnell-Miller has that in spades as seven different Hillers found the score sheet Tuesday night at Hiller Hall. Four of them scored in double-figures as Trinity held off a game Latrobe squad 68-61 in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.

Eden Williamson led the victors with 14 points while Kristina Bozek, Macie Justice and Riley Corrins notched 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

“That’s been our M.O. all year,” McConnell-Miller noted afterwards. “With Eden getting injured earlier this year, we had to lean on other players to step up.”

McConnell-Miller also singled out Sam Horne for her tough play under the boards.

“She’s been a force for us underneath,” McConnell-Miller noted. “We needed that muscle in the paint and she provided that to us tonight and all year.”

Horne scored six points, with two baskets coming of the Kevin McHale-like reverse variety. She also helped in limiting Latrobe’s Camille Dominick to 11 points on three-of-15 shooting.

Latrobe was paced by Josie Straigis’ remarkable 33-point effort, a performance that was lauded by both McConnell-Miller and Latrobe coach Mark Burkardt

“She was the most athletic kid on the floor tonight,” McConnell-Miller said. “What she did was something we hadn’t seen on film before. She was unbelievable.”

Wildcats coach Burkardt concurred with his counterpart’s statement.

“She’s probably the best female athlete I’ve ever coached and most likely the best athlete I’ve ever coached,” he added. “She goes out every night and plays as hard as she can on every possession.”

The two squads battled through a relatively even first quarter before a Bozek three-pointer at the buzzer gave the Hillers an 18-12 lead.

Straigis scored 11 points to help keep the Wildcats afloat in the second quarter, but a Justice three-pointer at the end of the frame helped push the Hillers (16-6) to a 35-23 lead at the half.

Trinity’s shooting kept the Wildcats (14-9) off balance in the first half as the Hillers knocked down 14 of 25 shots.

“They have four players that can knock down the three,” Burkardt noted. “They were very hard to defend.”

Trinity extended the margin to 52-31 at the end of the third as six different Hillers found the scoresheet.

Latrobe made a game of it in the fourth, scoring 30 points to inject some drama in a game that seemed over midway through the previous quarter.

Straigis scored 13 of her 33 points in the quarter, but it was not enough as time ran out on the visitors from Westmoreland County.

“I thought we kind of played a little bit not to lose there in the fourth,” McConnell-Miller added. “Our defensive effort in the second and third quarter was there.”

Burkardt added he was proud his squad kept fighting as the game ticked away.

“I was proud that we never quit, never game up,” he said.

McConnell-Miller said she is quite pleased with her team’s growth as the Hillers travel deeper into the postseason.

“I just told our team afterwards I think we are getting to understand our defensive scheme and are taking care of one another,” she added. “We are coming together and have all year long.”