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Thursday, March 22, 2001

By Mike White and Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writers

SCHOOL: Pine-Richland

WHO IS HE? A senior on the Rams hockey team who is regarded as one of the best players in the state. He has signed with the new Pittsburgh Forge Junior 'A' team that will begin play in the 2001-02 season.

THIS WEEK: Trombetta had an assist and the winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Peters Township Tuesday in the Class AA semifinals of the PIHL Penguin Cup. It puts Pine-Richland into the championship game Sunday against Beaver. The Penguin Cup winner will play the Flyer Cup champion for the state title April 1.

BIG-GAME PLAYER: Trombetta (6 feet, 185 pounds) has been one of the main reasons Pine-Richland has made it to the Penguin Cup final. He had three goals in a first-round victory against Carrick and two goals and four assists against Keystone Oaks in the second round.

PLAYING FOR TWO TEAMS: Besides Pine-Richland, Trombetta also played this season for the Pittsburgh Hornets, the top Class AAA Major Midget amateur team in the district. Trombetta missed about half of Pine-Richland's games because he played for the Hornets. Some Hornets choose not to play for their high school team, but Trombetta made it a priority.

"I knew I'd miss some high school games, but Coach [George Reed] has been great about it and the guys on the team have been great," Trombetta said. "The playoffs are definitely a huge thing to me. This is basically the whole reason I wanted to play high school this year. The last three years, we've been shut down in the [Penguin Cup] semifinals all the time. This year, I feel like it's on my shoulders to get the job done."

FORGING AHEAD: Trombetta was the first player signed by Forge General Manager Kevin Constantine, a former Penguins' coach.

"We wanted our first player to be from Pittsburgh," Constantine said. "He's got a lot of what you look for when you're trying to build a team. He's a good skater. He's quick. He's more than that. He has good rink sense and is a good skilled forward."

Trombetta said, "Had it not been for this team in Pittsburgh, I would have had to go away next year to play."

HE'S NO. 1: Trombetta hopes to play junior hockey for a year or two then land a college scholarship. He is the No. 1 student in Pine-Richland's senior class with a 4.37 grade-point average.

"I'm going to take a year or two and concentrate on hockey, but I'm definitely going to college after that," Trombetta said. "Playing juniors can open some pretty big doors for you."

-- By Mike White

	Oakland Catholic senior Meredith McDonough. (Matt Freed, Post-Gazette)

SCHOOL: Oakland Catholic

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-11 senior forward on the Eagles girls' basketball team.

PAST WEEK: In Oakland Catholic's past three games, she has scored 37 points and grabbed 26 rebounds and is a big reason the Eagles are in the PIAA Class AAAA championship game against Council Rock tomorrow.

THIS SEASON: McDonough has averaged 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and helped her team win the WPIAL Class AAAA championship. In the WPIAL championship game, a 66-48 victory against Ambridge, McDonough had18 points and 18 rebounds.

CAREER: A three-year starter, McDonough has been a key member on three WPIAL championship teams. With McDonough starting at forward, the Eagles are 88-5. Last year, she averaged 10 points per game as the Eagles advanced to the PIAA final.

UNSUNG HERO: Because Oakland Catholic has had several outstanding players the past three years, McDonough hasn't received a lot of recognition. But Eagles Coach Suzie McConnell Serio said McDonough is one of the main reasons the team has had so much success.

"She has been very vital to what we do because of all of the things she brings to the table," McConnell Serio said. "She is a great rebounder, which is key to our transition game -- and she runs the floor extremely well and finishes plays as well as anyone I've seen. She's such a hard worker, has a good jumper to about 15 feet and she is a great post defender. She will be an excellent power forward for someone at the next level because of all the things she can do."

STEPPING UP: McDonough is averaging 12.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game during the playoffs.

"As a senior on the team, I feel like I need to be a leader in more than just words," McDonough said. "This is my last chance at a state championship, so I've tried to step up and play at a higher level so that there are no regrets. I don't worry too much about numbers, I just want us to win. I think there is certain approach you take to playoff games that I've learned from some of the other seniors over the years, and now I am just trying to pass it on."

THE FUTURE: McDonough is being recruited by Division I schools Rider University (Lawrenceville, N.J.) and Loyola (Chicago), but hasn't made a decision.

-- By Paul Zeise