JACKSON TWP — The tune-ups are over for Seneca Valley.

Moving forward, section results will affect the Raiders' girls basketball team's chances of making the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

SV dominated visiting New Castle Monday, 69-30, and will carry a 2-1 record into Thursday's Section 1-6A opener at North Hills.

“A lot of the girls playing for us didn't get much playing time last year,” said Raiders' first-year coach Dorothea Epps. “We're growing. They are starting to understand what I expect out of them.”

So far, the offense has been led by junior guard Jaden Davinsizer, who scored a game-high 18 Monday and now has 51 points through three games.

She saw limited time as a reserve last year, but prepared for an expanded role.

“I played AAU over the summer and got a lot of workouts in,” Davinsizer said. “I feel like I have to be a leader to help control things on the court with my teammates. I'm ready for it.”

“She has played well,” Epps said of Davinsizer. “I talk to her about mixing up her game, getting to the basket, but also shooting from the outside. She will be tough to guard if she continues to do that.”

Senior Maddie Karchut, who averaged nine points per game as a junior, scored 16 against New Castle. Olivia West added 12 and Jess Bickart 10.

Bickart estimates that she has run the point 90 percent of the time through the first three games. She played as a shooting guard last year.

“At first, it was tough because I didn't know how to approach it,” said Bickart. “But my coaches have helped, telling me what I need to do.

“I do like when I get to play off the ball,” she added. “It allows me to do other things.”

Though three games is a small sample size, Bickart sees a trend that the Raiders hope to continue.

“We've improved at getting the ball into the post, into Maddie,” she said. “We want to take advantage of her height (6-foot-1).”

Epps said prior to the season that the Raiders must turn defense into offense. They forced the Red Hurricane (2-1) into 26 turnovers, many of them leading to SV layups at the other end.

“We have to play like that,” she said. “Some nights, we're going to struggle on offense. We are playing more up-tempo and the girls are beginning to understand when to go and when not to go.”

NEW CASTLE 30

Mia Graham 1 0-0 2, Alaya Respress 1 2-2 4, Armani Walker 1 3-4 5, Dashonna Drew 1 0-0 2, Raquel Rivera 0 1-2 1, Aayanni Hudson 7 0-0 16, Deja Drew 0 0-2 0, Neena Flora 0 0-0 0, Kayah Waller 0 0-0 0, Diamond Richardson 0 0-0 0, Navaeh Elias 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 6-10 30.

SENECA VALLEY 69

Emily Lopez 1 0-0 2, Haley Cramer 1 4-4 6, Maddie Karchut 7 2-7 16, Olivia West 5 2-3 12, Sydney Ring 1 0-0 3, Anna Sikora 1 0-0 2, Jaden Davinsizer 6 4-4 18, Jess Bickart 5 0-0 10, Macy McMullen 0 0-1 0, Morgan Sinan 0 0-0 0, Kaitlyn Wolfe 0 0-0 0. Totals: 27 12-19 69.

New Castle 1 12 8 9 — 30

Seneca Valley25 16 11 17 — 69

3-point goals: New Castle 2 (Hudson 2); Seneca Valley 3 (Davinsizer 2, Ring).

Thursday: Seneca Valley at North Hills