Norwin senior guard Magen Polczynski is about 5 feet 5.
But, if you were at Norwin’s 62-30 win against Erie McDowell Feb. 2, you likely heard her height announced as 5-10.
It’s an inside joke among the smaller-sized, less-experienced team, which has won four consecutive games after starting out the season 1-5, that she grows a half an inch each home game. The reality is, though, Polczynski is small and so are the Knights — but recently it hasn’t been holding them back.
The first two weeks of the season were a challenge for the Knights, who returned one starter from last year in Polczynski and have one player, senior Mia Nicholes, listed at 5-11. They lost four games at the North Allegheny tournament to Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Chartiers Valley and Abington, with a 15-point section loss to Latrobe Dec. 22. Norwin lost to Chartiers Valley and Abington by three points each.
“I definitely think it was frustrating, and it takes a toll on everyone when you’re so close every time,” said Polczynski, who averages 12.4 points and 3.3 assists per game. “But we have a good dynamic on our team. Everything we did will push us in playoffs.”
The goal wasn’t to dominate at the beginning of the year, but play their best basketball come the last stretch of the season and playoffs.
“I think the competition and strength of our schedule we played at the beginning of the year was key,” Norwin coach Brian Brozeski, in his seventh year as coach, said. “We knew it was going to be tough start… We wanted to challenge ourselves at the beginning and see what areas we needed to improve upon.”
Youth may have showed during that stretch, but Brozeski looks at it as a learning experience instead of a slump.
“We never classified it as a slump,” Brozeski said. “We knew what we were going into... There are times you’re looking at a loss and you played well but it didn't go your way. On the flip side, there are times you won but played like crap.
“Everything is gearing us up to play our best basketball at the end of the year.”
The Knights get solid guard play and perimeter shooting from Polczynski as well as 5-7 sophomore Olivia Gribble and 5-8 junior Jess Kolesar. Gribble averages 11.6 points per game and Kolesar averages 4.8. Sophomore guard Jayla Wehner averages 10.1 points and 3.1 assists.
Norwin, which won back-to-back WPIAL titles in 2014 and 2015, avenged its loss to Latrobe with a 58-54 win Jan. 24 and would be the WPIAL Class 6A Section 2 champion if it beats Hempfield Friday. A loss would tie it with Hempfield at 7-3 and potentially with Latrobe, if Latrobe beats Penn Hills to move to 7-3, for a co-championship.
The Knights weren’t section champions last year and are motivated for the game, as well as a postseason run, Polczynski said.
“That bond that we have really helps us push each other further,” Polczynski said. “We know we can trust each other. We’re smaller, and we know that we’re the underdog, but I think if we push each other we can go far.”
Sarah K. Spencer: sspencer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @sarah_k_spence.
First Published: February 8, 2018, 12:00 p.m.
