Pushing it forward

From staff reports

December 09, 2020 Last Updated: December 09, 2020 08:45 AM High School

Butler's Makenna Maier is a returning double-digit scorer for the Golden Tornado.Eagle File Photo

County teams set to begin season of uncertainty

Different teams, different challenges.

Knoch brings back plenty of starters from one of the best seasons in program history. Defending WPIAL champion North Catholic has no starters coming back.

Butler, Moniteau and Karns City are looking for turn-around seasons. Seneca Valley is counting on veteran leaders to elevate its program. Mars hopes to maintain its consistent level of success.

All are dealing with COVID-19 restrictions and the uncertainty of scheduled games that comes with it.

Welcome to the 2020-21 girls basketball season.

Here is a look at area teams' prospects:

Coach: Mark MaierLast Year: 8-14Three starters return for the Golden Tornado, who are losing outside scoring threat Jordan Kauffman (Slippery Rock University) and point guard Emma Monteleone.But Maier is optimistic Butler will improve on an injury-plagued 2019-20 campaign.“We will be competitive. Playoffs are a realistic goal for us,” the fourth-year coach said.Senior center Alison Altman, junior guard-forward Makenna Maier and senior guard Sarayne Forbes are returning starters. Maier averaged 12 points per game, Forbes eight points and Altman eight rebounds per contest.Junior point guard Aubree Tack and junior guard Max Hanley will most likely round out the starting five. Four sophomores — guards Justine Forbes, Hannah Aldridge and Sam Miller, along with forward Maisy Gibson — provide depth off the bench.Senior guard-forward Sarah Fiorina, senior center Kate Ogin and junior forward Piper Geibel will contribute as well.“I feel like we're pretty deep,” Coach Maier said. “Some of these girls played on our successful soccer team in the fall and I'm hopeful they carry over that winning edge.”

Coach: Steve AndreassiLast Year: 7-15The Gremlins have plenty of experience — and youth — on the roster.“We have no seniors and no freshmen,” third-year coach Andreassi said. “Yet all of our starters are back.”Lizzy DeRose, a would-be starter last year who missed the season with an injury, is now at Butler County Community College.Junior guard Emma Johns led KC with 12 points per game last season. She led the team in 3-point field goals as well. Junior guard-forward Rossi McMillen, junior point guard Alyson Fennell and junior center-forward Brooke Manuel are also back as starters. A number of players shared the fifth starter's spot last year.Junior guard Abbey Callihan and junior guard-forward Julia Andreassi figure to see plenty of time as well.“Our strength is we have a number of juniors who are two-year starters already,” Andreassi said. “Our concern is numbers. We only have 14 players comprising our varsity and junior varsity.“We need some girls to become more productive offensively. We've spent a lot of time working on our ball handling and shooting, so I think that will happen.”Sophomore soccer standouts Emma Dailey and McKenna Martin joined the basketball team this season. Rosie Carden and Jordan Macurak add depth at guard.“Our goal is to return this program to being a District 9 championship contender,” Andreassi said.

Coach: Chris AndreassiLast Year: 17-7The Knights won their first playoff game in 11 years last season. Now they're hungry for more.“We finally won a playoff game. This year, we want to win a few more,” fifth-year coach Andreassi said. “I don't believe Knoch's girls have ever been to the state playoffs. These girls want to get there.”Knoch graduated four players from last year, including starters Abby Shearer and Lauren Cihonski. But the Knights have plenty coming back, including senior guard Navaeh Ewing and junior guard Madilyn Boyer, their top two scorers.Boyer averaged 13.6 points per game with 41 treys, Ewing 13.3 points per game and 61 treys. Sophomore point guard Nina Shaw (7.5 ppg.) returns as well.“Nina dealt with some injuries last year and missed a lot of time,” Andreassi said. “She is a very good player.”Also contending for starting roles are sophomore forward Megan Vasas, sophomore guard Hattie McGraw, senior guards Amanda Huckestein and Sami Archer, and junior guard Mackenzie McGraw. CeCe Kosecki, a freshman guard, could see action as well.“We start four guards and our roster is guard-heavy,” Andreassi said. “Ball handling and shooting will be our strengths. Rebounding is an issue. All of our guards have to contribute in that regard.“Having our top scorers back is a good place to start. We're pretty excited about the potential of this group.”

Coach: Dana PetruskaLast year: 15-8What kind of season the Planets turn in on the court this season remains to be seen, but Petruska sees a collective attitude that can pave the way to success.“I like how the kids are coming into practice and working their butts off,” she said. “They're really receptive to constructive criticism.“Some of them have put a tremendous amount of time into the game.”The Planets' only senior last year, Bella Pelaia, leaves big shoes to fill after averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds as a senior.Pelaia was one of several players who played point guard in 2019-20. Another was Alek Johnson, a senior this year who averaged 11 points and hit 58 three-pointers.“Alek is more valuable to us as a (shooting guard) and she's looked really good in practice,” said Petruska, who is eyeing sophomore Alexa McDole as the point this season.Petruska has high hopes for junior forward Ava Black. She put up 11 points and nine boards last year and seems primed to take the next step in her game.“She looks tremendous,” Petruska said. “Everything she's doing in practice is impressive.”Kaitlyn Pelaia, Bella's sister, returns to the starting lineup as a junior swing player. Kylee Fredericks and Jess Winters will also be in the mix.Sophomore forward Lauren Atwell is 6-foot-1 and could add another dimension for the Planets at both ends of the floor.The injury bug has already bit the Planets. Three guards — senior Carly Kern, junior Allie Rice and sophomore Olivia Donnelly — are all on the mend as the season draws near.“The injuries are a concern,” said Petruska. “We'll take who we have and stick the best offensive and defensive team out there.”

Coach: Dee ArblasterLast year: 10-12Aslyn Pry is a pretty good piece for Arblaster to build around.The senior center/forward averaged 14.6 points and 13.5 rebounds per game last year and worked on her outside shooting touch in the offseason to become even more dangerous.Good thing. The Warriors will look to Pry.A lot.“She's definitely going to be our go-to girl,” Arblaster said. “We're going to rely on her a great deal because we are very young.”Four freshmen will be counted on to contribute right away this season for Moniteau, which reached the District 9 2A championship game last season, falling to Brookville, 64-58.Catherine Kelly (5-foot-7 guard) and Kendall Sankey (5-9 forward) will start as ninth-graders.“We're going to rely a lot on our freshmen,” Arblaster said. “These girls have had success at the junior high level.”Davina Pry, Aslyn Pry's 5-8 sister, and Camryn Fallen, a 5-11 forward who will be back in January following shoulder surgery, will also see significant playing time as freshmen.Seniors Abby Rottman and Zoey Hillwig will round out the starting lineup.That lineup, though, could change nightly.“We could have a different starting five every game,” Arblaster said. “It depends on who we play.”Juniors Victoria Pry and Brynne Barger will also see minutes.“They'll have to help us, too,” Arblaster said. “We're going to have a lot of different looks.”Moniteau is one of a few Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference schools that will tip-off Friday.The Warriors will participate in the Brockway Tip-off Tournament.Arblaster said she is well aware that things could change in an instant because of the coronavirus pandemic that is still raging.“It could be day-to-day,” Arblaster said. “It absolutely is a challenge. We're going to teach all the girls everything because you never know who is going to play and where.”

Coach: Molly RottmannLast year: 26-1Dacia Lewandowski is only a sophomore, yet she has the most experience on the team as the four-time defending WPIAL champion Trojanettes prepare to take another run at more hardware.But Rottmann believes the talent and intangibles Lewandowski possesses make her a legitimate player to build around.“We graduated eight of our top nine players from last year, including all five starters,” said Rottmann. “Dacia is (5-foot-11), but is a point guard. She sees the floor and shoots the ball well.“She's always communicating with her teammates and encouraging them. She's much more mature than you would think from a sophomore. Had she come in during any other year, she would have started for us as a freshman.”Lewandowski is the one definite when it comes to North's starting lineup.Two players looking to bring energy to the floor are senior guards Tara Lucot and Mel Cortez, who both enrolled at North Catholic after the closing of Vincentian Academy.“They both played a lot at Vincentian,” Rottmann added. “They'll contribute as they pick things up.”Sophomores Tori Drevna and Anna Waskiewicz and freshmen Alayna Rocco and Ava Walker, all guards, will also be in the mix for starting roles or at the very least, significant playing time.“(Walker) has a nice frame and sometimes, we'll put her inside,” Rottmann said.“We have talent, we're just really young. With COVID, these kids weren't able to get the same work in over the offseason. In the current environment, we have to have a lot of people ready and will keep it fairly simple for them.”North reached the state quarterfinals in March before the shutdown due to the coronavirus.

Coach: Dorothea EppsLast year: 15-8Leadership is a necessity on high school sports teams, especially for a squad needing largely inexperienced players to move into more prominent roles.Epps believes her trio of returning starters — Jess Bickart, Jaden Davinsizer and Olivia West — are primed to lead the way.Davinsizer is a senior shooting guard who averaged 12.4 points per game last year. Bickart returns at point guard and West, at 5-foot-11, provides size as a swing player.Bickart and West are both juniors. The former averaged 6.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game as a sophomore.“Having our point guard back will make things easer on us,” said Epps. “All three of those girls have remained steady for us. They all want to win and we will be relying on their leadership. Most of our other players don't have varsity experience.“We were allowed to get back in the gym over the summer and since then, the girls have worked hard. I'm pleased with their progress.”The other two starting spots remain undecided and Epps did not single out any other player, saying: “With the way things are this year with COVID, we don't know who's going to be able to play and when. We need to make sure we get as many players ready as possible.“We can see good things in practice, but it's so different in an actual game. That's when we'll find out how deep we are.”Epps commended the Seneca Valley School District for its support of winter sports teams.“The school board and administration have gone way above to make sure we can play,” she said. “We're enforcing all the rules that are in place, but it still would have been easy for them to shut us down here.“I think they recognize that from a mental and emotional state, the kids need this.”Editor's Note: Freeport, Slippery Rock, A-C Valley and Union have delayed the start of their seasons until a later date. They will be previewed in the coming weeks.