When Bishop Canevin coach Scott Dibble watches his team play, he sees quite a bit of talent.
It starts with Brionna Allen, the team’s top scorer who Dibble said would be coveted by many of the country’s top college programs if she were only a few inches taller.
There’s Shamyjha Price, who Dibble said has that “wow” factor.
Outstanding shooters? Canevin has two in Gillan Gustine and Kasey Kaczorowski.
And then there’s Lauren Gamble and Diajha Allen. Dibble said his team would be lost without Gamble’s smarts and leadership. Allen is Brionna’s little sister and as a sophomore is the team’s starting point guard.
Add them all up and sprinkle in some valuable role players, and this Canevin team could be destined to win a third consecutive WPIAL championship.
“This group is pretty special. It’s going to be a great ride,” said Dibble, who is in his first season as head coach.
Dibble was an assistant the past two seasons under Tim Joyce, who was fired after last season despite winning two consecutive WPIAL titles and three over a five-year span. Dibble has had a lot of success as a head coach in the past. He won two PIAA titles as head coach of Villa Maria in Erie and coached at New Castle for three seasons before joining Joyce’s staff.
Brionna Allen, a 5-foot-7 senior guard, was named Class 3A second-team all-state as a junior when she averaged 14 points per game. She’s averaging 20 points a game this season. Dibble said Allen is receiving interest from several Division II schools.
“Brionna can do it all,” said Dibble. “She’s a tremendous defender. She’s crafty. She can flat out get to the rim.”
Like Allen, Price was an all-section choice last season. A 5-9 junior guard, she scored a game-high 21 points in Canevin’s WPIAL championship win against Neshannock. Price’s father, Kevin, was a star basketball and football player at Duquesne High School and played basketball at Duquesne University.
“She gets it done. When the ball is in her hands, get out of the way,” Dibble said.
Canevin (2-1 entering the week) is headed to Florida next week for the Holiday Basketball Classic of the Palm Beaches. Its first-round opponent is Montverde Academy, which is ranked No. 21 in the country by USA Today.
“I think the sky’s the limit with this team,” Dibble said. “We have some things to improve on. I don’t want anyone to play their best at the beginning of the season, but we need to play our best at the end.”
Bethel Park
Olivia Westphal came into the season heralded as the WPIAL’s top freshman, and so far she has done nothing to disappoint.
Westphal, a 5-foot-9 guard, has been outstanding for a Bethel Park team that is among the best in Class 6A. Westphal earned MVP honors at the season-opening Bethel Park tournament after scoring 26 points in the championship win against Beaver. She then quickly set a new career high the next game when she scored 32 points, including six 3-pointers, against Montour.
“I think she certainly has lived up to her reputation, coming in as being somebody who was going to make an immediate impact,” Bethel Park coach Jonna Burke said. “The thing that’s remarkable about her to me is for as good as she is right now, she still has so much room to get better.”
Westphal had a Division I offer before she even played her first high school game. Duquesne extended her an offer over the summer after watching her play with her AAU team, the Western Pa. Bruins.
Oakland Catholic
A year after having the best scoring defense among teams in the WPIAL’s three largest classes, Oakland Catholic is bringing the heat on the defensive end once again.
Oakland Catholic gave up 66 points combined its first three games. That stingy defense (22 points per game) was by far the best of any 6A, 5A or 4A team coming into the week. The Eagles gave up 13 points to Greensburg Central Catholic, 34 in their lone loss against Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, and 19 to Moon.
Oakland Catholic allowed 34.9 points a game last season when it went 24-5 and was the WPIAL Class 5A runner-up.
First Published: December 21, 2017, 12:00 p.m.
