Four SOL Players Named 6A All-State with CB West's Burke Player of Year

Four SOL girls’ basketball players were named to the 2020 PA Sports Writers All-State Baseball team. Central Bucks West senior Maddie Burke was named the Class 6A Player of the Year.

 

 

2020 PENNSYLVANIA SPORTS WRITERS ALL-STATE BASKETBALL (CLASS 6A)

 

Class 6A Player of the Year, First Team

Maddie Burke, Central Bucks West, 6-0, Senior Guard

The Penn State University recruit is a three-time all-state pick, earning second team honors as both a sophomore and junior. Burke averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and two steals a game for a West squad that captured the District One 6A title as well as the SOL Continental Conference and SOL Tournament titles. The senior captain posted 1,340 points, 660 rebounds, 231 steals, 155 assists and 218 blocks in a four-year varsity career. An excellent long-range shooter, Burke connected on 44 percent of her shots from three-point range. A three-time All-SOL Continental selection, her impact on the game extended well beyond her statistics.

Coach Zach Sibel says:  "She's unbelievable. I watched her the last couple of years. I saw the potential and I saw the greatness she had, but when I got the job and we got rolling in May of last year, it was like having another coach. She was locked in - it was full buy-in, and that's what winners do. They buy in and they get other people to buy in. It was the equivalent of having another coach.

"Maddie can beat you in so many different ways, she provides a spark at both ends of the floor and provides a confidence for everybody. There’s something to be said for a level of confidence that makes everybody else confident – it’s a contagious confidence, and it made me more confident as a coach, and it made me a better coach. It’s nice to be able to trust a player like that when you know they trust you.”

“You talk about the best player in the state – you’re talking about a person that not only can shoot the three, can play defense, can block shots, can rebound and is an unbelievable passer but a person that’s also willing to dive on loose balls, a person that’s willing to sacrifice herself. That’s what we needed from Maddie Burke this year. We’re not district champions without her on our team.”

“Without her making those plays and showing that selflessness - when you’re the best player in the state and you’re willing to do those things, it’s such an unbelievable message to the rest of this program, the rest of this community and every girl coming up. This is an unbelievable honor, and it’s such a well-deserved accomplishment.”

 

First Team

Jackie Vargas, Upper Dublin, 6-3, Senior Center

A Lehigh University recruit, Vargas is a three-time first team all-state selection. The senior center averaged 12.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks for a Cardinal squad that placed fifth in District One and reached the second round of the state tournament. A four-year varsity starter, Vargas was a three-time first team All-SOL American Conference selection and was an integral part of Upper Dublin’s state title run as a sophomore. She finished her four-year varsity career with 1,273 points, 819 rebounds and 379 blocks.

Coach Morgan Funsten says:  “The four games Jackie missed this year were a little bit of a reminder how special she is. To be a three-time first team all-state player is something that is very rarely accomplished in any sport. It’s the highest level you can possibly make. We’re not talking all-league here – we’re talking all-state. To do it three years in a row speaks to her talent level and how important she was to us. When you’re selected to a team like this, most of the time you’re selected off a team that’s had some success, and our team’s success over her career had something to do with her being selected. I think she would credit her teammates for helping her get the recognition she’s gotten.

“What’s exciting is – I think she still has a higher ceiling. She still has some untapped potential, and I’m really looking forward to watching her progress as a college player. She has a team-first mentality, and I think it always showed in our games and the sacrifices she made. You’re looking at a high level college player who will do what’s best for the team and has a big upside. Some players reach their maximum potential during high school and don’t have quite as much room to grow at the college level. I think she has the combination you need to be a successful college player.”

 

Second Team

Emily Chmiel, Central Bucks East, 6-0, Junior Center

A first team All-SOL Continental selection, the junior center had a breakout season, averaging 18 points and 13 rebounds for a young Patriot squad that advanced to the second round of the state tournament. Chmiel, who is receiving Division I interest, scored 504 points and pulled down 123 offensive rebounds (4.6 per game) as well as 181 defensive boards (6.7). She connected on 54 percent of her shots from the field (188-of-348) and 70 percent of her foul shots (128-of-182).

Coach Liz Potash says:  “Emily had a great season for us. She was really efficient around the basket – she shot at a really high percentage, and she’s strong, so she was able to get to the line and finish at the line. It was tough to stop her down low, and even when she was fouled, she was still able to contribute. On the second time around when there were teams that were really focusing in on her, instead of scoring 28 a game, she was scoring 18, and now other kids were open because she was drawing two defenders. She was able to do a lot for us and create a lot for the other kids.

“She really made huge strides from her sophomore to her junior year. She didn’t even start for us at the start of her sophomore year, and coming into the season, she had really lofty goals for the team and for herself. She achieved them all and set really high standards for herself. For her to achieve this as a junior is huge. She wants to play at the next level, and we’re just so excited to have her back again next year.”

 

Ava Sciolla, Pennsbury, 5-11, Sophomore Guard

A first team All-SOL National selection, the sophomore guard was the catalyst for the turnaround of a District One 6A runner-up Falcon squad that won just four games four years ago and this winter captured a share of the conference title. The Falcons advanced to the state quarterfinals when the season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sciolla, who already has several Division I offers, averaged 14.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals.

Coach Frank Sciolla says:  “Ava had her biggest games in our biggest games. When you’re talking about a kid in 10th grade, that’s not normal. The other piece she had to do – because of the way things were tilted on their head for us before the start of the season (with the loss of Cami Wiegand), she really had to step up, and she was able to do that. She was able to change how she played a little bit. When you look at the Archbishop Carroll and Neshaminy games and Plymouth Whitemarsh and (Central Bucks) West and games like that, she played really well. The other thing about her that makes her a little bit different – she does have the ability to still control the game even when she’s not scoring because she does so many other things statistically. That’s been a recurring thing we’ve been hearing from college coaches over the last month and a half – we know how she passes the ball and what she does defensively. The scoring obviously is the thing that gets noticed and gets you on teams like this, but she has been so good all around and stepped up in our biggest games.”

 

2020 PENNSYLVANIA SPORTS WRITERS CLASS 6A AND CLASS 5A ALL-STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM

The 2019-20 Pennsylvania Sports Writers Class 6A and Class 5A All-State Girls Basketball teams, including each player’s school, height, class and scoring average.

 

CLASS 6A

First team

Maya Bokunewicz, State College, 6-1, Sr., 20.8

Lizzy Groetsch, North Allegheny, 5-8, Sr., 17.3

Maddie Burke, Central Bucks West, 6-0, Sr., 12.4

Lucy Olsen, Spring-Ford, 5-9, Jr., 19.3

Bella Smuda, Downingtown East, 6-5, Sr., 18.9

Jackie Vargas, Upper Dublin, 6-3, Sr., 12.7

Second team

Talya Brugler, Nazareth, 6-0, Jr., 19.1

Emily Chmiel, Central Bucks East, 6-0, Jr., 18.0

Maddie Dziezgowski, Bethel Park, 5-11, Sr., 15.9

Caranda Perea, Altoona, 6-2, Sr., 15.1

Olivia Westphal, Bethel Park, 5-9, Jr., 14.8

Third team

Ashleigh Connor, Mount Lebanon, 5-10, So., 22.0

Olivia Gribble, Norwin, 5-8, Sr., 16.1

Julie Jekot, Cumberland Valley, 5-10, Jr., 12.0

Colette Mulderig, Scranton, 6-3, Sr., 16.7

Ava Sciolla, Pennsbury, 5-11, So., 14.5

Sydni Scott, Cardinal O'Hara, 5-7, So., 12.0

Makiah Shaw, Red Lion, 6-0, Jr., 16.0

Player of the year -- Maddie Burke, Central Bucks West

Coach of the year -- Spencer Stefko, North Allegheny

 

CLASS 5A

First team

Lexi Jackson, Gateway, 6-4, Sr., 15.1

Aislin Malcolm, Chartiers Valley, 5-10, So., 16.7

Megan McConnell, Chartiers Valley, 5-7, Sr., 14.3

Peyton McDaniel, Twin Valley, 6-0, Sr., 23.0

Kaitlyn Orihel, Archbishop Wood, 5-9, Jr., 15.1

Erin Sweeney, Archbishop Carroll, 5-10, Sr., 15.4

Second team

Ryanne Allen, Archbishop Wood, 6-1, So., 15.3

Kiera Baughman, Donegal, 5-6, Sr., 23.7

Talia Gilliard, Mechanicsburg, 5-8, Jr., 19.0

Kennedie Montue, Plum, 5-11, Jr., 22.1

Mya Murray, Uniontown, 6-3, Sr., 23.4

Peyton Pinkney, Woodland Hills, 6-0, Jr., 13.7

Third team

Anne Bair, Gettysburg, 5-6, So., 10.1

Riley DeRubbo, Washington Trinity, 5-9, Sr., 16.7

Tamaiah Glover, Nueva Esperanza, 6-3, Sr., 28.3

Grace Niekelski, Mount St. Joseph, 6-0, Jr., 15.6

Emma Ruhlman, Warren, 5-8, So., 14.9

Reilly Sunday, Moon, 5-10, So., 21.5

Player of the year -- Kaitlyn Orihel, Archbishop Wood

Coach of the year -- Tim McConnell, Chartiers Valley

 

 

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