Mercury All-Area: Anna Azzara leads Spring-Ford from overlooked to state final spotlight in fitting final season

Anna Azzara doesn’t give anything away on the basketball court.

From the time she stepped onto the court as a freshman starting guard for Spring-Ford, she’s cast a stoic figure. Throughout her four-year career with the Rams, opponents could expect two things from Azzara: 100-percent effort and 0 percent emotional ammunition.

“When I was younger, I would show my emotions more, and I feel like that doesn’t work to my advantage,” Azzara said. “I feel like playing other people, the best people you play, you don’t know what they’re thinking. You don’t know their emotions. I feel like I try to work on that.”

At the finish line of Azzara’s high school career, it is clear how emotional maturity played a role in leading the Spring-Ford girls basketball program through the peaks and valleys of another four-year boom period for District 1’s most successful program of the past two decades.

Spring-Ford’s Anna Azzara, 21, looks to put up a shot as Peters Township’s Natalie Wetzel, 14, contests during their PIAA-6A second round game on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at Bald Eagle Area High School. (Mike Cabrey/MediaNews Group)

The 5-8 point guard was a leveling and high-scoring presence throughout a Spring-Ford career where she scored 1,641 points — sixth-best all-time in the PAC’s 37-year history — and a 101-20 record (third-most for any SF class).

In her senior season, Azzara averaged 15.6 points and better than three assists and rebounds per game while pushing the Rams to a 27-7 record and championship game appearances in every postseason phase: PAC, District 1 and PIAA 6A.

Her steadying presence on and off the court allowed Spring-Ford to rebound from losses in the PAC and District 1 finals to be one of the last two teams standing in Pa. on March 22, deservedly placing the spotlight on the Rams.

Now, the spotlight is appropriately placed on Azzara as the 2023-24 Mercury All-Area Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year.

Azzara and the Class of 2024 that also featured All-Area first team picks Mackenzie Pettinelli and Katie Tiffan experienced success that included two Pioneer Athletic Conference championships, one District 1 title and three finals appearances, four trips to the PIAA tournament with two resulting in a spot in the championship game in Hershey.

There was no learning curve for Azzara as a freshman starter for a Spring-Ford team that reached the PIAA championship, a team led by Lucy Olsen, the recent transfer to Iowa who was No. 3 in the NCAA Division I in scoring this year.

Azzara was the sophomore leader of a Ram team that made the district final a year later, never being overwhelmed by the expectations built from the past.

“I looked at it more as a great opportunity for me. I think growing up, I was always in that position. Being a point guard, you have to navigate the court, be a leader,” she said. “Growing up like that on the court, I feel like it was just natural to me.

“And then having great examples like Lucy; playing with Lucy freshman year, she was a great leader. You would always look up to her and be like, ‘I want to be like that.’”

The past two seasons, the rise of neighboring Perkiomen Valley — the back-to-back PAC and District 1 champions — pushed Spring-Ford out of the spotlight at times.

Azzara’s junior year in 2022-23 saw the Rams go 25-6 and reach the finals of the PAC, semifinals of districts and PIAA second round. A banner year for some, but a season of shortcomings in Azzara’s eyes.

“I think this year was about proving ourselves. We didn’t achieve as much as we could have last year,” she said. “I feel like we were kind of overlooked in a way. Having that spark and urge from last year that we didn’t achieve that much just really got under our skin, and especially my skin, too.

“I think that definitely gave us more determination that we don’t want to be overlooked. We want to prove to ourselves and other people that we’re meant to be there.”

Spring-Ford’s Anna Azzara dribbles into the frontcourt during the District 1-6A final on March 2. (Austin Hertzog – MNG)

That was only extra fuel for a naturally competitive person, according to S-F head coach Mickey McDaniel.

“What stands out is her competitive nature. She’s a competitor and she truly wants to be the best she can be,” McDaniel said. “And she has worked hard to be that person.”

Azzara doesn’t immediately profile as a high scorer. She spent most of her high school career undersized (she listed at 5-8 as a senior) but was fearless in her willingness to attack and get to the rim.

Not being the most physically imposing player on the floor became a benefit. It made her think two steps ahead while developing her offensive game and pushed her to be a better defender and rebounder than might meet the eye.

“I definitely had my challenges, but I think I needed to use other things like my quickness to my advantage,” Azzara said, “I definitely had to think about my opponent and what they were going to do. I think that gave me an advantage too.”

“She could see potentially what was going to happen two passes later, whether it be on offense or defense,” McDaniel said. “The little things make a big difference with Anna.”

She closed her Spring-Ford career second all-time in points (1,641) and assists (393), third in steals (279) and third in rebounds by a guard (574). Classmate Pettinelli, Azzara’s ever-present partner of the last four seasons, topped the career charts in assists (496) and rebounds by a guard (649).

Azzara was able to make an impact from day one thanks to her falling in love with basketball from the beginning.

“Growing up, it was always my first option. I played other sports, too, but it was never like I wanted to go practice those or do them on my own,” she said. “I would pick up a basketball randomly. I would dribble around the house. My mom would be yelling at me to stop dribbling in the house. It was really just something I just love to do.”

She recalls emotional outbursts on the court in those earlier years, which dad Joe would harp on. Improvement in that area turned her into a mentally strong player.

That toughness was essential the last two seasons when the Rams’ sizable win total was tempered by having a foil in neighboring Perk Valley.

The Rams couldn’t quite solve the Vikings — they went 0-4 — but kept bringing their best every time, twice playing into overtime. That included the district final when Azzara was the best player of the floor, scoring a game-high 24.

“We’re all fighters, my team, myself. We’re all going to give 100 percent each time,” Azzara said. “We knew we couldn’t back down. We had close games, we had fair shots. We didn’t end out on top, but I think we all gave it our all.”

The Rams’ resilience shone through in a state tournament run that included double-digit wins over Northeastern, Peters Township, Norwin and Garnet Valley in the leadup to the final in Hershey. Azzara scored 10 or better in each outing, including a team-high 17 versus Garnet in the semifinals.

It was Spring-Ford’s fourth trip to the PIAA championship game. While the outcome, a 42-26 defeat to Cardinal O’Hara, didn’t offer Azzara and the Rams the fully redemptive finish, they got the recognition they deserved.

“I’m proud of my team and of how far we got,” Azzara said. “I feel like we’re not overlooked anymore.

“We proved it to ourselves. We proved it to other people. And I think we had a great season.”