On Monday, Jan. 28, the girls basketball team won big against West Allegheny. During that game, senior captain Sadie Orie put up 35 points for the Lady Hawks that night.
Orie is the first player in Bethel Park girls basketball history to put up 35 or more points in a game since Liv Westphal had 45 points against Mars in 2021 and former girls basketball coach Jonna Burke had 42 points in 1990.
Orie has been playing basketball for 10 years and has been a three-year varsity starter for the Hawks.
Before the big game, Orie went to USC’s rec department and got some shots up and dribbled for about 40 minutes. She also went to Dunkin and got a Mango Pineapple Refresher.
When asked about how she felt, Orie said, “It felt really good because I have been in a bit of a drought scoring-wise. The last couple of games, I was putting up lower numbers than I knew I could perform so it felt good to break that drought. It was in a packed gym with quite a bit of people there so it was a cool environment to do it in.”
“Sadie’s passion in the weight room is one of the biggest differentiators between her and other players. You can see in her game how strong she is and it’s going to make a big difference for her at the next level. She’s a great finisher and a big part of that is her ability to go through contact when driving to the hoop. She’s a good shooter late in games too because of the muscle she’s built,” said Head Coach Steve Norman.
“I knew by halftime I was gonna score my highest in this game, going into the second half of the game I already had 21 points so I only need five more to break my career high,” mentioned Orie.
“Honestly, I don’t really remember when I did; at that point, I was just focused on winning,” said Orie. “I really only remember when I broke into the 30s after I hit three in the fourth quarter.”
When asked what role her teammates had in this accomplishment, she said, “They are just great supporters (teammates), and they knew I wanted this game for me and they knew I wanted this game more than anyone else,” claimed Orie. “They were just as excited as I was to get it at the end of the day.”
“The most rewarding part of coaching Sadie has been her genuine emotion. Last year we were struggling, losing a lot of close games,” said Norman. “We beat Chartiers Valley in a tough game, and as I ran into the court to high-five everyone, Sadie gave me a huge hug. It’s a moment that has really defined our relationship. She’s a competitor and she loves acknowledging the assist or cheering for a great basket by a teammate. Seeing her authentic passion for the game is always a great feeling.”
