PIAA girls basketball season preview 2024-25: Meet the Top 8 players to watch in Butler County
The graduation of two of the best players to come through Butler County in recent years — North Catholic’s Alayna Rocco, now at Harvard, and Moniteau’s Catherine Kelly, now at Thiel — has left an opening.
Which players will step up this season as must-see talent when PIAA girls basketball games begin Friday?
Here are eight of the top players in the county this season you don’t want to miss in a gym near you, listed alphabetically:
Buterbaugh’s collegiate future will be at Marshall throwing a javelin, but she can make an impact for one more season with a Knights team trying to extend its playoff streak to eight seasons. Buterbaugh, a 6-foot wing, averaged 10 points and six rebounds last season.
Planets fans already know how good Christy can be in a gym with a volleyball in her hands. She’s equally impressive with a basketball. A 6-1 wing, Christy was a first-team All-Big 56 selection who was second on the team with 10.7 points and 4.1 rebounds last season.
Fritch was one of the better players in the county last season before an ACL tear cut things short. She was averaging 13 points at the time, coach Steve Andreassi said. Fritch is now healthy, as evident by her excellent golf season in the fall, and should be the focal point of the Gremlins’ offense.
Hambly, an All-Big 56 first team selection last year, will be a pivotal piece for a Raiders team that will be more guard-centric than previous years. She averaged 15.8 points per game. She has at least one offer to play D-II at Chestnut Hill.
Another D-II recruit in the area — with offers from Slippery Rock and Malone — Loughry will be integral for the Trojanettes’ post-Alayna Rocco era. She’s still rounding into shape after an injury, but expect her to make an impact once she’s back to 100%. She averaged 5.6 points, 4.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds last year.
McMichael, committed to West Chester next year, is back for her third year as a starter for the Golden Tornado. She was the team’s leading scorer a year ago, averaging 16 points and eight rebounds per game. She’s capable of scoring at multiple levels and made 37 3-pointers last season.
The Golden Tornado have high hopes this season. While McMichael is the best player on the team, Patterson is possibly the most valuable as the quarterback of the offense. Patterson, an Edinboro soccer commit, averaged 10 points, four assists and four rebounds last season.
Vargo has some interest from Pitt-Johnstown, Baldwin Wallace and Mt. Union, her coach, Zach Stitt, said. She could open up some more recruits’ eyes with another big season. Vargo has won WPIAL postseason awards twice and led the Planets in scoring with 12.7 points while also being their primary playmaker.
