Mar 19, 2026 By Jerin Steele 4 min read

The first time Ryan Oldaker, Juliette Leroux and Haylie Lamonde played basketball together was in the fourth grade.

When asked what stood out to them about playing together back then, Leroux gave a quick answer.

“I remember us winning a lot,” Leroux said.

That makes sense, because it’s pretty much all they have done since they entered high school and joined the South Fayette girls basketball team.

The Lions have a 105-15 record over their time with the program.

Now they’ll play one final game together.

And once again it’ll be on the biggest stage in the state.

South Fayette (29-1) will defend its PIAA Class 5A title when they play Archbishop Wood at 6 p.m. at the Giant Center in Hershey.

It’s a rematch of last year’s state final, which South Fayette won 45-37. It will be the third time the trio have been to a state championship game, which headlines a long list of accomplishments.

They’ve been on teams that won three WPIAL titles, made four WPIAL title appearances and over the last two years have lost only once to a team from Pennsylvania, which was Peters Township in last year’s WPIAL title game.

It’s been an impressive run, one that would’ve wowed their fourth-grade selves.

“I feel like no I wouldn’t have believed it, but at the same time I know how much hard work we put in,” Lamonde said. “From fourth grade until now it’s been constant days and nights of working hard in the gym.”

South Fayette coach Bryan Bennett said he’s fortunate and blessed to have Oldaker, Leroux and Lamonde as senior leaders.

On Tuesday after building a huge lead against Peters Township, the three of them got the fourth quarter off. They sat beside each other on the bench and cheered on the reserves.

“I’m so fortunate and blessed to have three outstanding senior leaders,” South Fayette coach Bryan Bennett said. “They’re great kids. They know when to lighten the mood up when it’s needed, but they also know when it’s time to be serious. They do wonderful things on the court, but their leadership on and off the court is a huge reason for our success.”

While they have developed as players, their friendship has grown as well. It’s evident on the court by the way they communicate.

Leroux said they are competitive and push each other in practice to get better. They’ve all enjoyed their time together and don’t take it for granted.

“Watching (Leroux and Lamonde) grow up and seeing how much they’ve evolved over the years is honestly such an inspiration,” Oldaker said. “I just love playing with them and it will be a bit heartbreaking on the last day we play together. I’m proud of them.”

Lamonde had 14 and Oldaker scored 13 in the 67-24 semifinal win against Peters Township. They’ve received high praise from opposing coaches like Peters Township’s Steve Limberiou and Thomas Jefferson’s Matt Gould. Both called them the best team they’ve seen in their time as coaches. They’ve drawn large crowds to come out and see them play and hope that their legacy will continue with the next wave of players that are currently in the stands watching.

“I hope that it inspires the younger generation,” Oldaker said. “We see so many kids in the crowd and a lot of them come to tryouts for the youth girls teams. We hope we continue to grow the program.”

All three of them will play college basketball next season. Oldaker is headed to Marist. Leroux is a Florida Atlantic recruit. Lamonde will play at USC Upstate.

Before they move on they’ll wear the South Fayette colors one more time and aim to leave with another gold medal to add to their extensive collection.

“We have so much support,” Oldaker said. “The crowd was huge (Tuesday). We want to play for them, play for us and play for each other. Play as one. That’s our team motto.”