SHAWNIECE JOHNSON

SCHOOL: Allderdice.

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-6 junior and standout guard on the Allderdice girls' basketball team.

THE PAST WEEK: Johnson had 22 points in a 67-48 victory against Peabody Tuesday, and 16 in a 60-58 victory against Ambridge last Saturday.

SEASON: Johnson averages 17 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 4.1 steals a game. She has helped turn Allderdice into one of the top teams in the City League. The Dragons are 16-3 overall and 9-2 in league play.

ALWAYS GOING: Johnson is a sparkplug for the Dragons. "She can run and run and run," said Allderdice coach Janet Davis. "She's like the Energizer bunny. But with the way she gets knocked down sometimes and still gets up, she can also take a licking and keep on ticking."

WHERE THE BOYS ARE: When Johnson first started playing basketball in grade school, there was no girls' team. So, she had to play on the boys' team. She lives in the Lincoln-Lemington area and always played sports with boys in her neighborhood.

"I was pretty much the only girl in my neighborhood," Johnson said. "All the boys were playing football, baseball and basketball, so I just eventually joined in. I think that helped because I guess I started to get good in basketball."

BREAKING THROUGH: Schenley and Westinghouse have played in the City League girls' championship eight years in a row. Johnson believes this is the year you will see a changing of the guard in the City. Allderdice hasn't been to the title game since 1994.

"I think we're going to the championship this year," Johnson said. "We're just playing so well as a team. ... I know personally I'd like to win it for coach Davis. She might be retiring after this year and I want her to go out as a championship coach."

-- By Mike White

ROB WALTKO

SCHOOL: North Allegheny.

WHO IS HE? The top 171-pound wrestler in the Post-Gazette's WPIAL Class AAA rankings.

THE PAST WEEK: Waltko was the champion of his weight class at the Allegheny County tournament last weekend at Fox Chapel. He won all five of his matches by pin, including the final against Paul DeLuca of Fox Chapel. Waltko won an award for registering all pins in the least amount of time: 13 minutes, 9 seconds.

Waltko also registered a pin Wednesday in a 50-21 victory against Shaler. That gave the Tigers (11-3, 7-1) a share of the Section 3-AAA championship with Pine-Richland.

CAREER: A junior, Waltko has a 28-1 record this season and a 98-13 mark over three years. He was a WPIAL champ and a PIAA runner-up last year at 160. As a 145-pound freshman, he finished fourth in the WPIAL but failed to qualify for the PIAA tournament.

KEEPING COOL: Weight class isn't the only change Waltko has made the past three seasons. His maturity, according to Tigers coach Jamie Kyriazis, isn't limited to the physical.

"Technique-wise, Rob has constantly tried to better himself," Kyriazis said. "The big thing, though, is his maturity. He doesn't let himself get upset as easily. He is much more composed."

KID BROTHER ON RISE: Wrestling success is relative at North Allegheny. Joe Waltko, Rob's brother, is ranked No. 3 as a 103-pound freshman. He finished second in the county tournament.

FUTURE: Rob Waltko wants to wrestle in college, and he is attracting interest from Division I programs. He has a 3.1 grade point average and a score of 1,100 on his Scholastic Aptitude Test.

-- By Rick Shrum