The Shaler Area girls basketball team earned a section title for the first time since 2011, finishing the season with a 20-3 record.
One of the most notable changes was a new head coach. Mr. Tony Grenek was hired to lead the team after coaching at North Hills last season.
“I think my biggest challenge was trying to get to know the girls on the team, the support staff, and the school district,” Mr. Grenek said. “I also needed to learn the mindset of the girls on the team. Each year I just try to implement a system that fits with my current team the best I can.”
After last year’s misfortune of finishing one spot out of the playoffs, the team was motivated to improve. A 20-win season and the #4 seed in the WPIAL playoffs showed that they did improve. Despite that, the Lady Titans season ended in the first round of the playoffs where they lost to the Mars Fightin’ Planets, 44-23.
“We battled some illnesses the days leading up to the game. I also think we had what I call the “Section Championship Hangover” where we put so much emphasis on winning the section that when we accomplished this goal, we may have lost some focus,” first year head coach Mr. Tony Grenek said.
There are many different factors which may have contributed to the Lady Titans final loss but Coach Grenek ultimately said, “We may have just had a bad game, which happens in sports.”
Overall, this season was very successful with the first section title win in over a decade.
“I am happy for the girls because they were able to cut the nets down. It’s a memory I hope they never forget. Our seniors are fantastic kids who deserve to have a title,” Mr. Grenek said.
The team’s dynamic was very strong. From seniors to freshman they all worked hard in the gym and contributed to the team’s success. This success can be traced back to the work done in the off-season.
“The girls did strength training, had open gyms, and played in a fall league to prepare for the season,” Mr. Grenek said. “We do several up-tempo drills to keep us moving and in shape. I try to make it as fun as possible.”
The leading scorers this year were seniors Bailey Perez and Jorja Bernesser and sophomore Reese Smentanka.
“It felt really good to win especially after all the seasons we had before. It was a good way to end high school basketball. We were able to actually enjoy playing basketball and we could play to our strengths that we had as a team,” Perez said. “We enjoyed basketball this year as compared to last year when we were happy the season finally ended.”
On the defensive line senior Noelle Roth, sophomore Olivia Gieraltowski, and freshman Allison Gregor were all great defenders for the Lady Titans.
“The upperclassmen were very welcoming and made coming to high school much easier,” Gregor said, “I look forward to spending time with the team and having another great year.”
