Canon-McMillan went from the edge of despair to the doorstep of a championship.
Norwin made an improbable comeback to reverse an impending blowout.
In the end, the top-seeded Big Macs finished the job and made school history.
Canon-McMillan built a 19-point lead and saw it shrink to four before finally putting away No. 2 Norwin, 50-38, in the WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship game Saturday night at Petersen Events Center.
In a game of runs, the Big Macs (21-4) didn’t look like finals first-timers, capping the ultimate WPIAL playoff run for the program.
“When I came here, I said, they win in every other sport,” Canon-McMillan coach John Fontana said. “Why not the basketball team? I bought a shirt that said, ‘Be The Change,’ and they made fun of me. This is so significant.”
Senior-led Canon-McMillan led 13-7 after the first quarter and took a 27-15 lead into the half before Norwin (18-5) came charging back and put a scare into the Big Macs.
Norwin was making its third straight finals appearance but finished as the runner-up for the second straight year after winning its third title in 2024.
The Big Macs beat the Knights twice in three matchups this season. The title game win double-stamps their No. 1 seed.
“These are long games, and they can wear you down,” Norwin coach Brian Brozeski said. “It’s a game of spurts and runs. The girls battled the whole season. I am so proud of the way they hung in there.”
Canon-McMillan used a 12-0 run to build a 34-15 advantage early in the third. But Norwin got hot from the 3-point arc and staged a 15-0 run to close the gap to 34-30 with 1:50 left in the third.
Norwin did all of its damage in a window of about three minutes. The Knights shot 14 for 50 from the field, including 6 of 25 from 3.
“Their size had a lot to do with it,” Brozeski said.” You mix and match (lineups). … It’s a fine line.”
Fontana had faith in his senior leaders and thought they could weather the storm.
“We have seasoned veterans,” Fontana said. “This is their eighth playoff game together. When we (arrived) here, they had no nerves or anything. I saw a team ready to play.”
Canon-McMillan used free throws to stay in front by double figures in the fourth, making 12 of 18 in the final frame.
Senior Madison Clair scored 15 points, senior Sam Miller added 12 and senior Lauren Borella added 10.
Miller, who grabbed 11 rebounds, hit four first-half 3-pointers to jump-start the Big Macs.
“I was confident, not cocky,” Miller said. “I didn’t think about it too much. … I just played.”
Borella, a West Liberty commit, was 10 for 14 from the free-throw line, with most of them coming in the fourth quarter. She added four assists and four steals.
“We started from the bottom,” Borella said. “We had one section win when we started.”
Freshman Giuliana Giannikas hit a 3 for Norwin to cut it to 45-38 with 1:24 to play, but the Knights couldn’t sustain another push.
Norwin did not have a player score in double figures. Senior Ava Christopher had nine points.
Christopher led Norwin in scoring in all three finals appearances. She came back after missing 10 games with a knee injury to help the Knights’ rally.
“You can tell (Canon-McMillan) has a great bond with their seven seniors,” Christopher said. “They battled.”
Giannikas and sophomore Nia O’Barto had eight points each.
Junior Liz Yarosik had 11 rebounds.
Canon-McMillan outrebounded Norwin, 45-30. The Big Macs made 14 of 24 free throws.
Both teams will open the PIAA playoffs Friday. Canon-McMillan will be at home, and Norwin will travel.