Site last updated: Saturday, March 15, 2025

Log In

Reset Password
MENU
Butler County's great daily newspaper

PIAA basketball: North Catholic girls make semis after comeback win vs defending champ Blackhawk

HAMPTON — The heat was on for North Catholic.

Down by a dozen nearly midway through the second quarter in a stuffy Hampton High School gym, the Trojanettes weren’t sweating — figuratively speaking.

Coach Molly Rottmann’s crew powered back to grab a 51-44 PIAA Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinal win over defending state champion Blackhawk on Saturday afternoon.

“Defensively, we were happy,” Rottmann said. “We were in the gaps. We were sort of limiting (Cougars post player Aubree) Hupp to not totally dominating. I thought that we were doing a nice job. We were just struggling to score initially. ... We relaxed. We realized that (if) we got Hupp away from the hoop a little bit, the driving lanes were open.

“Our kids kept persevering, and they kept defending.”

Related Article: PIAA basketball: Jude Rottman, North Catholic boys stun Cathedral Prep in OT to make semifinals
North Catholic's Lauren Reitz (33) celebrates the team’s win over Blackhawk in a PIAA Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinal at Hampton High School on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Over a seven-minute span bridging the halves, the Trojanettes (24-4) enjoyed a 15-2 surge, scoring eight straight to kick off that run.

“We missed a layup in there, and it was kind of a momentum swing,” Cougars coach Greg Huston said. “They took advantage of it, got a couple quick shots and got a little bit closer to the half.”

Sophomore Brady Wehner nailed a 3-pointer with 1:54 remaining in the second frame, stole the ball on the other end and dished it past Hupp to Anna Lazzara to cut the Blackhawk’s lead to 23-18.

“The coaches were harping on defense, defense, defense,” said Wehner, who finished with a team-high 17 points. “Once I hit that 3, I knew I needed to get back on defense and do the same thing and get another stop.”

Related Article: PIAA basketball: North Catholic girls, led by Sarah Loughry, blast Penn Cambria in 4A first round Related Article: PIAA girls basketball playoffs: North Catholic marches on with win over Harbor Creek
North Catholic's Brady Wehner (2) attempts to reach the net in a PIAA Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinal against Blackhawk at Hampton High School on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

North scored on each of its first four possessions in the third quarter. Sam Weir’s left-wing trey gave the Trojanettes their first lead of the day at 26-25. The Cougars (25-4) went 2 for 9 (22.2%) from the field in that stanza and turned it over five times.

“I don’t think anything changed,” Huston said. “It being a thousand degrees in there probably didn’t help a whole lot, but but both teams had to deal with it. ... They did a nice job defending us.

“They plug the paint up, and when they do that, you’ve got to knock some outside shots down. We did a little bit in the first half, and then we kind of went cold a little bit in the second half.”

Rottmann exaggerated the same temperature Huston mentioned during a conversation with an official before the start of the second half. Her team’s defense forced Blackhawk into being one-dimensional, primarily trying to use Hupp in the post for layups or to draw fouls.

Hupp — who already has 1,000 career points and led Blackhawk to gold last year with a 21-point performance in Hershey — bucketed all but five of her team’s 21 second-half points. The junior finished with a game-best 23.

The Cougars started the game on a 10-2 run.

North Catholic's Sam Weir (14) defends Blackhawk's Mia Sheesley (22) in a PIAA Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinal at Hampton High School on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
Related Article: North Catholic girls basketball can’t figure out Oakland Catholic defense in WPIAL semifinal loss

“I mean, warmups was so odd,” Wehner said. “We were all dripping sweat. Me and (Sarah) were touching our undershirts, and we were like, ‘It literally feels like we just got out of a pool.’ It was so hot.”

North will face the winner of Oakland Catholic vs. Lansdale Catholic in the state semifinals at a time and location to be determined March 22.

NORTH CATHOLIC 51

Brady Wehner 5 4-4 17, Sam Weir 4 2-2 13, Sarah Loughry 2 6-6 10, Anna Lazzara 4 0-2 8, Lauren Reitz 1 1-2 3. Totals: 16 13-16 51.

BLACKHAWK 44

Aubree Hupp 4 15-19 23, Mia Sheesley 4 1-3 13, Alivia Rabick 2 0-0 6, Andrea Kinger 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 16-22 44.

North Catholic 7 11 15 18 — 51

Blackhawk 12 11 9 12 — 44

3-point goals: North Catholic 6 (Wehner 3, Weir 3); Blackhawk 4 (Rabick 2, Sheesley 2)

Next: North Catholic vs. Oakland Catholic/Lansdale Catholic

More in Sports

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

* indicates required
TODAY'S PHOTOS