Lizzy Groetsch
North Allegheny
North Allegheny junior guard Lizzy Groetsch has truly displayed the heart of a champion. The first player in the gym at 5:30 a.m. and typically the last to leave after practice, Groetsch’s desire and determination led North Allegheny to a WPIAL Class 6A championship in 2020. The Tigers defeated Bethel Park 54-50 in overtime in the title tilt. Groetsch tallied a team-high 19 points against a Black Hawks defense designed to stop her and netted the go-ahead basket with 25 seconds to play in the extra session to give NA a 51-50 lead.
An impact player since her freshman season, Groetsch has helped North Allegheny to three WPIAL Class 6A title game appearances and two District 7 crowns. The University of Pennsylvania commit has racked up 1,051 points in her three-year career and tallied her 1,000th-career point during NA’s championship victory against Bethel Park.
For the 2019-2020 campaign, Groetsch led the Tigers with 17.4 points per game, also averaging 7.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest. With the ability to slash to the rim and knock down the 3-pointer, the talented guard also poured in 41-percent of her shots from beyond the arc and had a 78-percent success rate at the free-throw line. For her efforts this season, Groetsch was named First-Team All-Section by the Big 56 Conference for the second straight season and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette girls’ basketball Player of the Year. Additionally, Groetsch was selected to the PG’s Fab Five team and the Trib Live High School Sports Network’s Trib 10 all-star team.
With the help of Groetsch, North Allegheny reached the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals before the season was halted due to COVID-19
