St. Alphonsus Junior Varsity Girls’ Basketball Ends Season with 25-3 record

St. Alphonsus junior varsity girls’ basketball team won the 2011-2012 Pittsburgh diocesan championship March 6 at Oakland Catholic, defeating , 28-19.  

The team ended the season with a 25-3 overall record. The team was the 2011 Sacred Heart Christmas tournament champion and won the 2011-2012 North 1A section championship with a record of 12-2 in that section.

The first round of the playoffs was against St. Bede, whom the girls defeated, 40-10. Next, the 11-girl team went on to defeat St. Bernadette, 22-5, in the quarterfinals. St. Alexis lost to St. Alphonsus, 17-14, in the semi-finals of the diocesan tournament.

“These girls came together from three different teams last year to become one incredible team," said head coach Doug Robbins. "They played winning team basketball this season and earned every bit of that championship.” 

Robbins’ daughter, Ashley, played on the team, which also included Kamaria Carioto, Hannah Cottrill, Mary Grace DiDonato, Olivia Kaminski, Rylee Kopchak, Madison McDonough, Alexis Sestric, Hannah Sturgis, Lawren Szilagy and Lauren Wasylson.

Four of the girls’ fathers helped Robbins coach the team this year: Pete Carioto, Jim McDonough, Jerry Sestric and Doug Sturgis.

There are 155 St. Alphonsus School students playing on 14 school basketball teams this year, according the St. Alphonsus School Athletic Association.  

The school has 35 teams spread over five no-cut sports this year: spring and fall soccer, cross country, volleyball, basketball and track and field. Many students participate in more than one sport per year; the pre-k through grade eight school’s enrollment is 461, and sports enrollment is 514 this year.  

Junior varsity sports participation begins in the fifth grade; however, younger students may compete in cross country and participate on developmental basketball and soccer teams. This spring, the SAAA added boys’ junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams for the first time in the school’s history. 

- Submitted by Jill Taylor Spero, on behalf of St. Alphonsus School. Have news you'd like to share with Cranberry Patch readers? Email information and photos to Editor Jessica Sinichak at jessica.sinichak@patch.com.

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