Over their heads
SLIPPERY ROCK — It isn't supposed to happen.
A team that relies so much on so many freshmen isn't supposed to win a district championship.
The SlipperyRock HighSchool girls basketball team didn't get that memo.
"It definitely adds to the accomplishment of it," said senior point guard Jence Rhoads, who helped guide the youthful Rockets to the District 10 Class AAA title Saturday.
"I don't know if they quite understand what they've accomplished. I don't know if they know they weren't supposed to win it. Being a senior, I know a team of freshmen isn't supposed to do that."
But they did.
It helps to have a senior like Rhoads running the show.
She has averaged 26.8 points per game during Slippery Rock's 10-game winning streak and scored 88 points in the three playoff wins.
Her legend continues to grow. She hit a desperation 3-point heave — left-handed — to help the Rockets win the district title game against Sharon, 51-39.
"I don't know how it went in," Rhoads said. "Pure luck, maybe."
How about a little bit of fate?
"Yeah," she says, smiling. "Maybe."
Fans almost expect her to walk on water for the Rockets, who are ranked No. 5 in the state in Class AAA.
But even Rhoads admits winning that elusive district title — the Rockets lost it last year to Franklin — wouldn't have been possible without the kiddie corps around her.
Rhoads' twin sisters, freshmen Karly and Kourtney, play a pivotal role as outside sharpshooters. Sarah Cessar, another freshman, has started most of the season and does the dirty work inside.
Freshman Ali Doyle has seen her playing time increase during the playoffs, and sophomore Jenna Rinker has provided a spark off the bench.
All the freshmen point to one thing as their prime motivation for winning the district crown.
Jence Rhoads.
"I think since it was Jence's senior year, she
really wanted it and she really motivated all of us to get the job done," Doyle said.Three quarters of the way through the season, things looked bleak for the Rockets. Slippery Rock was 8-9 and struggling. The freshmen were playing like, well, freshmen.They weren't used to losing. As eighth-graders, they went undefeated.But as if a switch was flicked on, the freshmen started playing like seasoned veterans and Slippery Rock began what has become a 10-game winning streak."I never questioned their abilities," said Slippery Rock coach Adrienne Orris. "I knew they would come around."At what point would they come around? We didn't really know. We were just hoping it would be in time, and it was in time."Part of the reason for their success has been ignorant bliss.They simply don't know any better."We've always played together — the five freshmen who are on varsity," Doyle said. "We just go out there like it's one of our eighth-grade games.""They're playing without pressure," Orris said. "They're playing like they have nothing to lose. You can only have that with freshmen."That's what has made this season an enjoyable one for Orris. She's had to be a teacher first and a coach second."This year is a year that will never be repeated again — the mix of experience and inexperience," Orris said. "It's been a total teaching experience for me, and I love the teaching part of the game more than I love being successful."The freshmen said they didn't realize they would be playing such pivotal roles this season."It's real big because we can say we're freshmen and we play a lot," Kourtney Rhoads said. "A lot of the other freshmen can't say that. We've grown up a whole lot this season. A whole lot."Now, the stakes are even higher. Slippery Rock will take on Mars at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Morrow Field House in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs."I understand the magnitude of it," Jence Rhoads said. "I don't know if the younger girls do. I think it's probably better for them to have the blinds down."
The young players on the Slippery Rock High School girls basketball team have been pivotal to the Rockets' success this season.<b>Name..............Year..................Ppg</b>Karly Rhoads.............Freshman.............9.7Kourtney Rhoads.............Freshman.............7.6Sarah Cessar.............Freshman.............6.4Jenna Rinker.............Sophomore.............6.0Ali Doyle.............Freshman.............2.1
