In the 2020 and 2021 WPIAL girls basketball seasons, Shady Side Academy finished with a combined record of 8-25.
However that was B.B. — before Burke.
Jonna Burke stunned many when after the 2021 season, she decided to leave her alma mater of Bethel Park and take over the struggling program at Shady Side Academy.
In her first year in 2022, the Bulldogs finished 9-12 and returned to the district playoffs after finishing tied for third place with Brentwood in Section 3-3A.
However that was P.T. — pre Thomas.
Since junior guard Karis Thomas came into the program, the Bulldogs have been to three straight WPIAL semifinals, two Class 3A championship games and one district crown captued last year.
Now Shady Side Academy (28-1) is set to face Loyalsock Township (29-2) in the PIAA Class 3A girls basketball championship game at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“I think the most important part of the turnaround of our program is the culture that we’ve been able to establish: the culture of team first, caring about each other, setting goals and working hard to achieve them while still having fun,” Burke said.
There has been a lot of fun at Shady Side Academy the last three years with a combined record of 79-8 with two district runner-up trophies and a WPIAL championship.
While this Bulldogs team has won 28 of its 29 games this season, there have been obstacles overcome by this group that might have derailed other teams.
Before the season began, the team’s leading scorer the last two years, junior Maggie Spell, transferred to Thomas Jefferson.
“I think it didn’t change my role. I think it changed the whole team’s role,” Thomas said during the Rebel Yell podcast on Trib HSSN. “We had to play smarter, play harder and do a little bit more out there.”
Thomas took over as the scoring leader for the Bulldogs, averaging 18.2 points per game in the regular season.
She has upper her game in the postseason.
In the district and state playoffs, Thomas has scored 164 points in seven games for Shady Side Academy for an average of 23.4 points per game.
“Karis plays consistently because she rarely if ever lets emotions dictate how she plays,” Burke said. “She may miss three shots in a row or get beat up driving down the lane, but you’d never know it by her expression. She just maintains her calm and steady demeanor, which I think allows her to push through the difficult stretches of games when people are really keying on her.”
Another huge obstacle happened in the WPIAL quarterfinals in a 38-point win over Riverside when 6-foot-2 junior Cassie Sauer was lost for a minimum of six weeks with a fractured hip.
While the Bulldogs lost to Greensburg Central Catholic in the WPIAL finals, they have adjusted to life without Sauer in the PIAA postseason with wins over Cranberry, Northwestern, Camp Hill Trinity and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
“The best word to describe them is resilient,” Burke said. “Obstacles have presented themselves time and again this season, and they seem to be able to adjust and find a way to still be successful.”
Now the final hurdle for SSA is District 4 champion Loyalsock Township.
The Lancers have won seven straight games since their second loss of the season to Central Columbia in the regular season finale. The only other loss was to Class 5A state semifinalist Crestwood in early January.
In the PIAA semifinal victory over Imhotep Charter by 19 points, Loyalsock Township got big games from junior forward Alaina Dadzie and senior guard Lacey Kreibel, who combined for 51 of the Lancers’ 65 points.
Dadzie scored 31 points while Kreibel added 20 points and eight assists.
“Loyalsock is solid top to bottom,” Burke said. “They have a tremendous post player in Alaina Dadzie, who can play on the perimeter as well. Beyond that they have some dangerous shooters, so finding a way to slow down all of them is going to be very challenging.”
No WPIAL team has won a PIAA Class 3A championship since the expansion to six classifications in 2017. The last 3A girls basketball state champion from District 7 was 10 years ago when Blackhawk won the 2015 crown.
This is not only the first trip to the state finals for Shady Side Academy, it is also the first time Burke will take a team to the PIAA championship game in her three decades of coaching.
“This group is so special,” Burke said. “They have a great chemistry and truly are happy for each other’s successes. That’s not too common these days. I’m so lucky to be their coach.”