CRANBERRY TWP — Simply put, the beat goes on for North Catholic High School girls basketball.

The Trojanettes enter Thursday night’s game at Knoch riding a 102-game section winning streak. That includes 11-0 this season. North Catholic has not had a section loss since Jan.11, 216, when it dropped a decision to Vincentian.

“Over the course of those eight years, we’ve been in different sections and different classifications,” 26th-year Trojanettes head coach Molly Rottmann said. “We haven’t been playing the same teams over those years.”

The current section streak is not North Catholic’s school record. The Trojanettes won 162 consecutive section games from 1984 through 1998. That mark is a WPIAL record.

North has compiled this streak with all types of different players. Rottmann estimates the program has sent more than 40 girls on to college basketball during her coaching tenure.

“That number is probably higher,” the coach said. “We’ve gotten our share of good players, for sure, but we’ve also had girls who had never played basketball before. You have to develop players no matter what level they’re at.

“We’re always going to come across people with a negative look toward our program, the private school thing and all. We just try to do a good job with the girls and continue with the tradition of the program.”

That tradition goes back a long way.

Rottmann played at North Catholic and was coached by legendary Trojanette basketball mentor Don Barth. Her father, Bill Larkin, was on that staff and now serves as one of his daughter’s assistant coaches.

Other assistant coaches include Kate Lewandowski, now in her 17th year, and Lauren Wilosek, now in her fourth season. Both played for Rottmann. Lewandowski was a Trojanette from 1999 through 2003 while Wolosik played from 2009 through 2013. Both were on WPIAL championship teams at North.

“(Rottmann’s) dad is like the godfather of basketball,” Lewandowski said. “Everybody listens when he has something to say. There is definitely a family setting here. And Molly listens to everybody’s ideas.

“She is unmistakenly the leader of this program, but we all feel like we have a say in what’s going on and that’s to her credit.”

Lynn Roman, who played college basketball at Penn State, is also on North’s coaching staff.

“There’s so much tradition and knowledge with our coaching group,” Rottmann said. “We’ve got chemistry as a staff. We all believe in the program. We’ve all been part of the tradition of the program.”

As for the streak itself, Rottmann said the seniors are partially aware of it “because they know they’ve never lost a section game here.”

Otherwise, not much is said.

“It’s not something we talk about. I mean, there’s no need for added pressure by worrying about it,” Lewandowski said.

Lewandowski serves as the team’s trainer in addition to her longtime duties as an assistant coach.

“North Catholic and Allegheny Health Network allow me to do that,” she said. “It’s a unique role, but it’s the best of both worlds for me.”

Wolosik went on to play basketball at Indiana (Pa.) University after graduating from high school.

“Once I was done with college, I missed basketball,” Wolosik said. “I had interest in getting into coaching and my No. 1 choice was North Catholic. I loved the coaches there and wanted to work with them.

“Coach Rottmann has continued this legacy. She just knows how to win. She studies film, breaks things down, does a fabulous job of preparing game-plans for each opponent. And she gets the players to buy in.”

How much longer this section streak lasts is anybody’s guess.

“All I know is everything starts with hard work,” Rottmann said. “Not all of these wins have been blowouts. We’ve had some tight games and the girls have responded in those situations.

“It’s a big honor coaching here. Players come in, they learn the history and the way we do things. I have a tremendous support staff and work with great kids. We’ve shown the ability to adapt and adjust through the years as the game has changed.

“Just focus on the task at hand,” Rottmann added.