Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke called Karis Thomas, her senior point guard, “the epitome of calm” after the Bulldogs became WPIAL girls basketball champions for a second time.
“I mean, nothing gets to her,” Burke said. “She never ceases to amaze me.”
Once a wide-eyed 9-year-old who appeared on “Good Morning America” and grabbed her first scholarship offer as a fourth grader, Thomas got the better of Greensburg Central Catholic and its star point guard, senior Erica Gribble, on the big floor at Petersen Events Center.
The top-seeded Bulldogs (23-2) went back and forth with No. 3 GCC (19-7) — in one of five championship rematches this weekend — before pulling away late for a 57-40 victory in the Class 3A final Thursday night at Petersen Events Center.
“I owe a lot to my teammates,” said Thomas, a Purdue Fort Wayne commit who scored a game-high 21 points and made all 10 of her free throws. “GCC is a really talented team with (Erica) Gribble and (Jayla) Peterson. It was really fun to win (another title).”
Shady Side Academy also won a title two years ago. It lost last year to GCC, which was seeking a third straight championship after winning in Class 2A in 2024.
Gribble fouled out with 3 minutes, 10 seconds to play.
Thomas and Gribble were a finals dream matchup because not only are both Division I commits, but they both have over 2,000 career points, are their school’s all-time leading scorers and have won titles before.
But the No. 23 in the white jersey, not the black jersey, got to celebrate this time. Thomas fouled out with 24 points in last year’s 56-51 loss to GCC.
Gribble had 14 of her game-high 31 in the fourth in that game, but she has now scored 14 points combined in her last two games against the Bulldogs, who swept the Centurions in three games.
After Gribble fouled out, the Bulldogs padded their lead.
“That obviously changes the complexion of the game,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said. “Everyone worked their tail off to get here. They know what (Gribble) means to us. It was a big loss.”
Gribble finished with nine points. It was the first time she fouled out.
The Richmond commit was visibly upset as she answered questions in the postgame news conference.
“I never have (fouled out),” Gribble said. “It’s very frustrating. We wanted another one.”
Senior 6-foot-2 forward Cassie Sauer, who missed last year’s final with a hip injury, added 14 points and seven rebounds for Shady Side Academy.
“I am so happy for these two,” Burke said, pointing to Thomas and Sauer. “For Cassie to be able to come back and be a part of this is special.
“(Gribble) is an amazing player and so fun to watch. I feel for her. She plays so hard and she’s all over the place. She is a matchup nightmare.”
Shady Side Academy shot 61.1% from the field (22 of 36). Sauer was 7 of 8 and the Bulldogs scored 34 points in the paint.
Gribble made two free throws to close the gap to 41-35, but the Bulldogs scored 10 of the next 12 points to take command.
“It was so back and forth,” Burke said. “I looked up, and there was like 1:20 left, but it felt like four hours long. It’s a little surreal right now. Maybe in a couple days we’ll look at it and say, ‘Wow, we did that.’”
GCC’s last lead was 31-30 with 2:42 left in the third.
With a triangle-and-two defense hounding Gribble, other GCC players roamed free.
Junior Avery Jones led GCC with 14 points and nine rebounds. Junior Morgan Skoloda hit two 3s.
GCC shot 3 for 17 from 3-point range.
The Bulldogs were 11 of 12 from the foul line. Of their 27 rebounds, 23 were defensive.
Shady Side Academy gained some separation late in the third. After Gribble picked up her fourth foul with 49.3 seconds left in the quarter, junior Leah Buford made a 3 from the elbow to give the Bulldogs a 37-31 advantage going to the fourth.
GCC started fast, taking a 13-8 lead after the first quarter with Skoloda hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
“I thought our effort was great, and the girls played hard,” Skatell said. “We played with them well into the third. We got a little loose in that quarter.”
GCC led for most of the first half, until freshman Jocelyn Kelley hit back-to-back baskets to put SSA ahead 16-15.
Gribble’s short jumper — and first basket of the game — put GCC ahead briefly, but Thomas made two free throws and Sauer made a jumper to make it 20-17.
Jones’s layup cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 20-19 at the half.
Burke now has three WPIAL titles, two at SSA and one at Bethel Park. She is 3-4 all-time in WPIAL finals.
GCC was chasing its eighth WPIAL title.
Both teams will enter the PIAA playoffs March 6.