Trib HSSN basketball team of the week – South Fayette girls
Coach – Bryan Bennett (8th season)
Record – 12-0 and champions of Section 3-5A, 31-1 overall
#Earned – Technically, they are the final Trib HSSN Team of the Week for this basketball season, but if you have to make a choice, they would be a slam dunk for the WPIAL basketball team of the year.
The Lions dynasty continued this season with arguably their most impressive campaign this decade.
That is saying something when you consider that in the last five years, they have captured four WPIAL championships with one district runner-up finish, plus they have now won back-to-back PIAA titles to go along with a 2023 state runner-up trophy.
South Fayette won its first eight games this season before falling to Miami Country Day by two points in its first game of a Tampa, Fla., holiday trip.
“We were up by nine points in the second half. We should have never lost that game,” South Fayette coach Bryan Bennett said.
They never lost again this season, even registering a 29-point victory over eventual PIAA Class 2A champion Berlin-Brothersvalley in February.
The Lions roared past Kiski Area, Trinity, Peters Township and Thomas Jefferson in the district playoffs to regain their Midas touch at the Petersen Events Center.
On the Road to Hershey, they beat Milton Hershey, Penn-Trafford and Baldwin by a combined 80 points to reach the state semifinals last week.
In a rematch of the district final four, South Fayette put this game away early, outscoring Peters Township 14-5 after one quarter and 34-13 by halftime on its way to a third trip in four years to the state title game with a 67-24 victory.
Then at the Giant Center in Hershey in the 5A finals, it was South Fayette against Archbishop Wood for a third time in four years.
The Lions led by two points after the first quarter then limited the Vikings to only 13 total points in the next two quarters, slowly pulling away to an 11-point win, 45-34.
South Fayette became the first WPIAL girls basketball team to win back-to-back state championship in more than a decade since both Blackhawk and Vincentian Academy pulled off the double gold in 2014 and 2015.
Scoring stars – It is hard to believe, but there are only three seniors on this South Fayette team, although their shoes will be tough to fill next winter.
All three — Haylie Lamonde, Juliette Leroux and Ryan Oldaker — finished their high school careers off with strong performances last week.
In the semifinals against Peters Township, Lamonde scored 14 points and Oldaker added 13. Leading the way for the Lions though was sophomore guard Ella Vierra with 19 points.
In the PIAA championship game against Archbishop Wood, Oldaker was 5 of 8 from the field with one 3-pointer and four free throws for a game-high 15 points. She also had three rebounds.
Leroux scored 10 points with 4 of 6 shooting and a 3-pointer. She added seven rebounds, two assists and one steal to her totals.
Lamonde was 2 for 4 shooting with a 3-pointer and a free throw for six points.
Vierra had eight points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and junior point guard Lailah Wright contributed six points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
2026 Trib HSSN Basketball Teams of the Week
Week 10 – Chartiers Valley Colts boys
Week 9 – Trinity Hillers girls
Week 8 – Upper St. Clair Panthers boys
Week 7 – Canon-McMillan Big Macs girls
Week 6 – South Allegheny Gladiators
Week 5 – Fox Chapel Foxes girls
Week 4 – Quaker Valley Quakers boys
Week 3 – Belle Vernon Leopards girls
Week 2 – Beaver Falls Tigers girls
Week 1 – Knoch Knights boys