One of the WPIAL’s most experienced and decorated coaches, Shady Side Academy’s Jonna Burke has pretty much seen it all.
After taking home another signature win on Monday night, though, Burke and her Bulldogs might soon be entering uncharted waters.
In a marquee matchup between reigning WPIAL champions and two of the leading title contenders in Class 3A, Shady Side broke open a tie game going into the fourth quarter and pulled away late for a 59-48 road win at Greensburg Central Catholic. The win sweeps the season series against the Centurions for the Bulldogs (20-0, 13-0), who won the first meeting at home by 29 points back on Jan. 9.
“We definitely knew it was going to be a different game this time,” Burke said. “It was pretty packed. It was very loud, and they had a great student section. It was kind of a difficult environment to play in, which was good for us. I was proud of the girls.”
Along with clinching the Section 2 title outright, Monday’s win also puts Shady Side in prime position to secure the No. 1 seed in Class 3A for the WPIAL playoffs when brackets are released next week. And if they can avoid a setback in the final week of the season, the Bulldogs could be Burke’s first team to finish the regular season without a loss. But along with their pursuit of perfection comes the added pressure of preserving their undefeated record — a burden that has come back to bite numerous teams in past postseason defeats.
Just don’t expect Burke to lose much sleep over it.
“Honestly, I’ve never had a season go this quickly in my life,” Burke said. “It has just gone so fast, because it’s been so enjoyable.”
After finishing with only nine points in the first meeting between the teams last month, Richmond recruit Erica Gribble led all scorers with 26 points on Monday. But it wasn’t enough for Greensburg Central (15-4, 10-2) to turn the tables against Shady Side, despite producing a much more competitive effort in the rematch.
“That kid is great,” Burke said about Gribble. “She took over in the third quarter. She was hitting tough shots. We were trying everything we could. She is just really, really good. You can try to slow her down some, but you’re never going to stop her.”
One of the premier point guards in the area, heralded junior Karis Thomas tallied a team-high 23 points for the Bulldogs in the win. Cassie Sauer added 15 points in what Burke called a “quiet” offensive performance for Shady Side’s 6-2 junior forward.
“It was a little bit of a blur. I know that Kiyah Mitchell hit two big 3s in that [fourth] quarter,” Burke said. “Kids key on [Thomas and Sauer], but other kids will step up and hit shots when they need to.”
Despite going into the final quarter in enemy territory with the score tied and the outcome hanging in the balance — not to mention their undefeated record — the Bulldogs never flinched. Burke said that is a direct result of their selfless attitudes combined with their previous big-game experience — and having a steady, reliable floor general in Thomas surely doesn’t hurt.
“This group is experienced,” Burke said. “With our playoff run last year, I just kept telling them, ‘You’ve been in these situations before. You’ve been in big games.’ I don’t think that [they were nervous].
“When Karis is out there with the ball, she is our calming presence. I’m biased, but I’m not sure there is a better point guard in the WPIAL. … If we can get a lead, and we can get the ball in her hands, I feel pretty good about it.”

Other girls games
• In another anticipated rematch with a section title on the line, Peters Township (17-2, 10-0) swept the season series against Thomas Jefferson and all but wrapped up the Class 5A Section 4 title with a hotly contested 58-49 home win. Miami recruit Natalie Wetzel led the way once again for the Indians with a game-high 23 points, aided by 11 from Taylor McCullough and 10 from Bri Morreale. Maggie Spell led three players in double figures for the Jaguars (17-3, 9-2) with 15 points in the loss.
• Emma Reynolds led all scorers with 18 points for Chartiers Valley (14-7, 9-2), but it wasn’t enough to offset a balanced offensive attack for three-time defending WPIAL champion South Fayette in a 69-43 blowout win for the visiting Lions in Class 5A Section 3. Ryan Oldaker scored a team-leading 16 points for scorching-hot South Fayette (20-1, 12-0), followed by 14 from Haylie Lamonde and 12 from Lailah Wright.
• Fueled by a career-high 28 points from Kendra Tharp, West Greene outlasted Serra Catholic for a pivotal 67-61 overtime victory in Class 1A Section 2. Sammi Zimmerman added 15 points for the Pioneers (12-7, 6-6) to go with 10 from Kylee Davis, overcoming a pair of high-scoring efforts for the Eagles (12-8, 10-3), who received 28 points from Bella Dumbroski (28 points) and 21 from Abby Genes.
• Two-time defending WPIAL champion Union kept its perfect record intact with a lopsided 74-27 win at Leechburg (2-15, 2-10), its 10th time holding an opponent under 30 points in its last 11 games. Kylie Fruehstrofer led the way with 21 points for the Scotties (20-0, 13-0), while Olivia Benedict posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
• Kent State recruit Rylee Kalocay poured in a game-high 30 points for Upper St. Clair (14-5, 7-2), leading the visiting Panthers to a 66-43 win at Hempfield in Class 6A Section 2. Meredith Huzjak tacked on 15 points in the win, while Allie Cervola finished with 13 points for the Spartans (10-10, 2-7).
• Hannah York knocked down four 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 18 points for Keystone Oaks (16-1, 9-1), which picked up its 13th consecutive win with a 54-24 rout against visiting Waynesburg (8-11, 3-8) in Class 3A Section 3. Lainey Wagner added 12 points in the victory for the Golden Eagles.
• Sophia Bonner led a trio of double-digit scorers for Neshannock with 23 points in a 66-51 triumph over visiting Rochester (9-10, 5-4) in Class 2A Section 1. Payton Newman tacked on 12 points for the Lancers (19-2, 8-1) to go with 11 from Jaidon Nogay, while Tia Yellock led the Rams with 16 points along with 14 from Marque Taylor.
• Emma Larkin kept up her high-scoring ways for Geibel Catholic with a game-high 37 points in a 65-39 win against visiting Monessen in Class 1A Section 2. Mallory Clemmer added 19 points for Geibel (20-1, 12-1), which has now won 13 consecutive games. Madison Johnson finished with a team-high 30 points for the Greyhounds (5-13, 2-11).
• Michelle Jellison posted a game-high 31 points for Elizabeth Forward, which stretched its winning streak to 15 games in a row with a 62-33 victory against visiting Yough (11-10, 5-8) in Class 4A Section 3. Kaelynn Settles chipped in with 14 points in the win for the Warriors (16-3, 12-0).

Boys games
• The WPIAL’s newest member of the 2,000-point club, senior guard Jayden Davis turned in another stellar performance for Chartiers Valley with a game-high 30 points in an 85-61 win against visiting Blackhawk in Class 5A Section 4. Julian Semplice contributed 18 points for the Colts (18-3, 9-2) along with 13 from Danny Slizik, while Tyler Heckathorn finished with a team-leading 24 points for the Cougars (6-13, 3-9) along with 15 from Justin Shaner and 10 from Carter Davis.
• Despite trailing by nine points going into halftime, Thomas Jefferson dominated the second half en route to a 73-59 come-from-behind win at Ringgold in Class 5A Section 3. Noah Kaszer led the Jaguars (10-10, 5-6) with 19 points on the evening to go with 13 from Kane Eggerton, while Demitri finished with 19 points for the Rams (4-15, 0-10).
Three stars
*** — Olivia Woods, Washington. Woods racked up a game-high 21 points while surpassing 1,000 points for her career, but the Little Prexies came up short in a 48-40 defeat at McGuffey in Class 3A Section 3.
** — Payton Collins, Mt. Lebanon. The sharp-shooting senior drained five 3-pointers while pouring in 27 points for the host Blue Devils in a 57-24 win over Connellsville in Class 6A Section 2.
* — Aubree Hupp, Blackhawk. The Cougars’ talented junior tallied a game-high 30 points to power defending PIAA champion Blackhawk to a 62-25 blowout at Hampton in Class 4A Section 2.
Hot from deep
Players with 3 or more 3-pointers: Payton Collins, Mt. Lebanon, 5; Noah Kaszer, Thomas Jefferson, 5; Sophia Bonner, Neshannock, 4; Kylie Fruehstorfer, Union, 4; Erica Gribble, Greensburg C.C., 4; Gabby Rieg, Trinity, 4; Hannah York, Keystone Oaks, 4; Rihanna Boice, New Castle, 3; Nina Deweese, Keystone Oaks, 3; Vitt Emerich, Trinity, 3; Emma Obersteiner, Avonworth, 3; Greta O’Brien, Avonworth, 3.

Scoreboard
Boys scores
WPIAL Class 5A
Section 3
Thomas Jefferson 73, Ringgold 59
Section 4
Chartiers Valley 85, Blackhawk 61
WPIAL Class 3A
Section 1
Beaver Falls 67, Freedom 33
WPIAL Class 1A
Section 1
Summit Academy 64, Beaver County Christian 30
City League
Carrick 69, Perry 34
Non-section
Frazier 53, Brownsville 45
Girls scores
WPIAL Class 6A
Section 1
Butler 40, Pine-Richland 37
Seneca Valley 65, Woodland Hills 29
Section 2
Mt. Lebanon 57, Connellsville 24
Upper St. Clair 66, Hempfield 43
WPIAL Class 5A
Section 1
Franklin Regional 57, Armstrong 17
Plum 48, Gateway 17
Section 2
Greensburg Salem 48, Latrobe 46
Indiana 60, West Mifflin 28
Penn-Trafford 63, Kiski Area 41
Section 3
Mars 49, New Castle 30
Moon 53, West Allegheny 49
South Fayette 69, Chartiers Valley 43
Section 4
Peters Township 58, Thomas Jefferson 49
Trinity 61, Albert Gallatin 36
WPIAL Class 4A
Section 1
Burrell 70, Valley 30
Freeport 49, Highlands 29
Oakland Catholic 49, Derry 19
Section 2
Beaver 58, Lincoln Park 29
Blackhawk 62, Hampton 25
Central Valley 66, Ambridge 14
Section 3
Belle Vernon 37, Mount Pleasant 18
Elizabeth Forward 62, Yough 33
Laurel Highlands 73, Ringgold 25
South Park 62, Southmoreland 10
WPIAL Class 3A
Section 1
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 64, New Brighton 4
Quaker Valley 43, Mohawk 14
Riverside 54, Sto-Rox 34
Section 2
Avonworth 66, South Allegheny 19
Deer Lakes 54, Steel Valley 24
Ligonier Valley 47, East Allegheny 19
Shady Side Academy 59, Greensburg C.C. 48
Section 3
Brownsville 59, Charleroi 24
Keystone Oaks 54, Waynesburg 24
McGuffey 48, Washington 40
WPIAL Class 2A
Section 1
Aliquippa 59, Freedom 17
Laurel 51, Shenango 29
Neshannock 66, Rochester 51
Section 2
Brentwood 41, Burgettstown 30
Fort Cherry 74, Northgate 12
South Side 42, Carlynton 8
Section 3
Beth-Center 45, Bentworth 28
California 54, Jefferson-Morgan 26
Chartiers-Houston 59, Carmichaels 20
Section 4
Apollo-Ridge 41, Frazier 29
Riverview 49, Ellis School 34
Winchester Thurston 63, Jeannette 20
WPIAL Class 1A
Section 1
Aquinas Academy 51, Eden Christian 31
Springdale 42, Western Beaver 39
St. Joseph 61, Sewickley Academy 18
Union 74, Leechburg 27
Section 2
Avella 45, Bishop Canevin 39
Clairton 74, Mapletown 24
Geibel Catholic 65, Monessen 39
West Greene 67, Serra Catholic 61 (OT)
Non-section
Penn Hills 42, Obama Academy 35
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.