Calling out plays like “Tornado” and “Cyclops,” Chuck Fontana directed his Penn-Trafford girls basketball team to a 50-39 WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal win over Indiana on Wednesday night.
The sixth-seeded Warriors (19-5) are semifinal-bound for the first time in 12 years and will face No. 2 Thomas Jefferson (21-2) at noon Saturday at Norwin.
Fontana admits his voice wasn’t the only one the team heard in the latest win — or any that preceded it. He added a few tweaks to the game plan against Indiana, but made sure his girls were comfortable with the new plays.
Their blessing means something. Their input matters.
Fontana values their opinion as much as he does those of assistant coaches Pat O’Reilly, Olivia Rizzo and Adam Farbarik. Penn-Trafford operates with a collaborative approach.
“I asked them, ‘What do you want to run in the second half?’” Fontana said. “I want to know what they are thinking and seeing out there to help our game plan.
“Players like Torrie (DeStefano), it’s like having another coach on the floor. It’s been a great group effort by our girls.”
New opponent
Defending WPIAL champion Greensburg Central Catholic (18-6) is back in the girls 3A semifinals, but the Centurions will see a team they were mostly unfamiliar with until it was time to study film.
Beaver Falls is a brand-new opponent. There is a sense of unknown with this game.
The No. 2 seeded Tigers (22-2) could be a tough out with their quickness. They like to apply pressure, which shows why they allow just 37 points per game.
Beaver Falls won the Section 1 title over teams like Quaker Valley and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the latter of which GCC beat 57-42 in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
One thing that could benefit GCC, the No. 3 seed: experience. Beaver Falls has just two seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen.
GCC has three seniors — Erica Gribble, Jayla Peterson and Abby Dlugos — along with experienced juniors Avery Jones, Morgan Skoloda and Nolan Althof.
GCC also has a size advantage. Beaver Falls’ tallest player is 5-8. GCC has four players at 5-10 or taller.
Monessen is back
It’s been a while — by program standards — since Monessen last played in the WPIAL semifinals.
In fact, it was 2018-19 — Dan Bosnic’s first year as head coach — that the Greyhounds reached in the final four.
Bosnic sees this team as a pleasant surprise. It had its doubters.
“This is a group that has exceeded expectations,” he said. “We started the season 2-7. There was talk about Monessen missing the playoffs for the first time in 45 years. We upset a good Serra Catholic team and finished second in the section with the defending WPIAL and PIAA champions, Neighborhood Academy. This is a tough, gritty group.”
Monessen is an eight-time WPIAL champion but has not won a title since 2017 under Joe Salvino’s watch.
Bosnic said he can pin some credit on the senior leadership of T.J. Taylor and Rodney Johnson.
“They are strong kids who play a physical brand of basketball,” the coach said. “We have been able to stay competitive by playing good defense and rebounding.”
Consolation round
The Belle Vernon boys and girls dropped into the 4A consolation tournaments where they will play back for spots in the PIAA playoffs.
The girls (20-4) will play Burrell (16-8) at noon on Saturday at Belle Vernon. The top six WPIAL finishers make the PIAA bracket.
The boys (14-10) will travel to Hopewell (15-9) at 7 p.m. on Monday. The top five teams make the state tournament.
Wait is over
Tom Rodriguez, the longtime softball coach at Belle Vernon, keeps statistics for the girls basketball team.
He carries a small newspaper clipping in his wallet from a 1987 game against Elizabeth Forward that saw Belle Vernon lose 103-35.
The word “annihilated” was used in the article. It’s bothered him ever since.
“My oldest daughter, Tammy, was on that team,” Rodriguez said. “Their coach left his first team in until they scored 100. I was fuming. Never forgot it. Determined this would never happen again.”
This year, Belle Vernon broke a nine-game losing streak against Elizabeth Forward and beat the Warriors twice, before Elizabeth Forward edged the Leopards on Thursday in the WPIAL quarterfinals.
Rodriguez’s other daughter, Tracey, also played in ’87. Her daughter, Abby Russell, is on this year’s team. So is Tammy’s daughter, Morgan Hamed.
Abby Russell had 16 points when Belle Vernon beat Elizabeth Forward, 55-53. She made a late 3-pointer and was 8 for 8 at the foul line.
Revenge for Coach Rod.
“The wait is finally over,” Tom Rodriguez said.