Andreassi

JEFFERSON TWP — The first playoff win since 2009.

The first winning season since 2009.

The most wins since 2003.

Those were some of the accomplishments of the Knoch girls basketball team this winter.

The Knights had a breakthrough season and came an overtime loss to Central Valley away from making the state playoffs for the first time in school history.

This was four years in the making for coach Chris Andreassi, who said the seeds for this season were actually sowed two years ago.

“They really started the turnaround,” Andreassi said. “We finished 11-11 and then gave Belle Vernon all they could handle.”

Andreassi was blessed this season with five players who made the Butler County honor roll, as voted on by the Butler Eagle sports staff.

But he was able to guide and galvanize that talent after an up-and-down start.

For his efforts, Andreassi was a unanimous pick for Butler County Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.

“The fact that there are five players on the (honor roll) team, that definitely helps the coach out a lot,” Andreassi said. “I'm pretty humbled.”

Knoch was 8-5 after back-to-back losses to Freeport and North Catholic in mid-January. But the Knights rolled off eight straight wins before closing the regular season with another setback to North Catholic.

Knoch beat New Castle, 43-35, for its first playoff win in a decade and nearly knocked off Central Valley, which lost in the WPIAL semifinals to Southmoreland.

“We didn't have a bad practice,” Andreassi said. “It just all came together. We had great senior leadership. The young girls blended in with the older girls and it was a great season. A disappointing end, but overall a great season.”

Senior Lauren Cihonski said Andreassi had a knack of saying the right thing to the team at the right time.

“He always said little quotes and stuff like that, but two things that will stay with me are, 'Be quick, but don't hurry,' and 'WIN — what's important now,'” Cihonski said.

“Some of the girls on the team, including me, would always worry about games to come instead of the game we had that day,” the forward added. “He would always say that I had to worry and focus about the game today and right now. He taught us to make the most of the moment and not spend all of our time stressing about other things.”

Cihonski said Andreassi's impact was felt in another important way.

He showed up.

Every day.

“I've had a lot of coaches since I started playing in the seventh grade and he was the one who never left,” Cihonski said. “Overall, he was an amazing coach and I know he is going to push Knoch girls basketball to do amazing things in years to come.”

Andreassi thanked his assistant coaches, Shane McGraw and Wess Brahler, for the team's success.

And, of course, he thanked his players.

“Team success brings individual awards,” Andreassi said. “The girls worked real hard and achieved some milestones.”