No seniors, no problems for Slippery Rock
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — No seniors, no problem.
Leadership on Slippery Rock High School’s girls basketball team is well defined and it wears jersey No. 11.
Junior Marissa Siebka leads by example both on and off the court. She was impressive in the latter Friday night, scoring a game-high 24 points and adding eight steals and five rebounds to lead the Rockets to a convincing 54-33 victory over Beaver Falls in the opening round of the Slippery Rock Christmas Tournament.
The win sends Slippery Rock (4-2) to Saturday’s championship game against Seneca Valley.
On Slippery Rock’s roster, Siebka is listed as a point guard, shooting guard and small forward.
“I like playing all of those positions,” she said. “It doesn’t matter to me, I’ll play whatever Coach (John) Tabisz needs me to play. He’s the boss.”
It was natural for Siebka to slide into a leadership role. After all, she was the Rockets’ lone returning starter. Siebka averages 16.7 points and 8.7 boards per contest.
But for Tabisz, Siebka’s attitude is just as important as her talent.
“I’ve never seen her turn the ball over and not get back on defense,” he said. “My expectations of Marissa are so high and I’m tougher on her than any other player.
“She began starting halfway through her freshman year and that experience helps immensely,” he added. “It’s like having a senior on the floor and she has accepted that role.”
Siebka handles the ball very well and that is a rarity for a player her size (5-foot-10).
“She’s a really good player,” said Beaver Falls coach Brad Vaughn, who watched Siebka score 11 first-quarter points. “She can handle and shoot the ball, but we knew that coming in.”
The team continues to evolve with so many young players on the roster — 12 of the team’s 15 players are freshmen or sophomores.
“We knew we wouldn’t have any seniors on this year’s team and we worked on things all summer,” Siebka said. “Age doesn’t matter. It just comes down to how you play the game. We want to be the best and we’re doing whatever we can.”
BEAVER FALLS 33
TreAuna Slappy 3 3-6 11, Kashius Harris 6 1-2 13, Island Bradley 1 0-0 2, Arianna Harper 3 1-2 7, Olivia Presecan 0 0-0 0, Madison Mussey 0 0-0 0, Sidney Farmer 0 0-0 0, Asia Cottrill 0 0-0 0, Julie River 0 0-0 0. Totals: 13 5-10 33.
SLIPPERY ROCK 54
Jenna Whitmer 1 7-8 9, Marissa Siebka 8 6-8 24, Lily Weitzel 0 1-2 1, Bailey Boyd 4 0-0 9, Macy McCall 2 2-6 6, Steph Croll 2 0-0 5, Hannah Willison 0 0-0 0, Elena McDermott 0 0-0 0, Brynn Horner 0 0-0 0, JoElla Neal 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 16-24 54.
Beaver Falls 9 3 14 7 — 33
Slippery Rock15 9 18 12 — 54
3-point goals: Beaver Falls 2 (Slappy 2); Slippery Rock 4 (Siebka 2, Boyd, Croll).
Saturday: Seneca Valley vs. Slippery Rock, championship, 5:30 p.m.
