The Shady Side Academy girls basketball team took a crushing loss in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game. The Bulldogs also lost their 6-foot-2 forward Cassie Sauer for their run through the state playoffs.
But Shady Side Academy was able to pull itself together and move on to the PIAA Class 3A title game for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs lost 55-43 in the final to Loyalsock Township.
Shady Side Academy made it to the final in part to the brilliance of Karis Thomas.
Thomas, who went over 1,000 points for her career during the season, scored 21 points in the PIAA semifinal to propel the Bulldogs past OLSH.
A memorable season for the girls basketball team was one of multiple highlights in Shady Side Academy sports in the 2024-25 school year. Here is a look at some others:
Relay team cruises
The Bulldogs girls track team put together a distance relay squad that racked up wins nearly everywhere it went this spring. At the WPIAL Class 2A championships, the Bulldogs were able to set a school record and bring home a gold medal.
Rhyley Bendel, Charlotte Barker, Sarah Kushnir and Ella Van Norman finished with a time of 9:34.10.
“The training prepared us well for the quadruple that Rhyley Bendel and I did at WPIALs,” Van Norman. “The way the events are structured, it’s perfect for the order we prioritize the events. We go all out in the relay, that’s our No. 1 priority because we do that for each other.”
The group finished fifth at states.
Jochims wins WPIAL crowns
Shady Side Academy sophomore swimmer Ava Jochims won the WPIAL Class 2A title in the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:00.09. She also finished first in the 500 free with a time of 4:54.22.
Strong first impression
Bulldogs freshman Javon Johnston placed third in the WPIAL in Class 2A in the triple jump with a leap of 21-11 and second in the triple jump with a distance of 44-1 to punch his ticket to states in two events.
Johnston finished fifth in the long jump at states with a leap of 22-2 ¼. He placed ninth in the triple jump with a distance of 43-9 ¾.
Boys soccer scares Avonworth
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The Bulldogs reached the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. Shady Side Academy lost 1-0 in overtime to eventual WPIAL runner-up Avonworth. TheBulldogs were 12-5-1 on the season, including 10-3-1 in Section 1-2A.
Shady Side beat Mt. Pleasant 2-0 in the first round.
Football brings back Geisler
The Shady Side Academy football team had a rough fall, finishing 2-8. The Bulldogs were able to lock up a commitment from a former great, Andrew Geisler, to take over as coach for next season.
Geisler graduated from Shady Side Academy in 2012 and played at Saint Vincent.