West Greene set for first-ever PIAA playoff game
For the first time in school’s history, the West Greene girls’ basketball squad will compete in the PIAA playoffs and will start their run for a state title this Saturday against Otto-Eldred High School.
The site for the Lady Pioneers’ opening round contest is Bradford Area High School on Saturday. Tipoff is at 3 p.m.
“We have been using the extended season to get better in all areas of the game,” West Greene coach Jordan Watson said. “Our half-court defense has been a point of emphasis during the playoffs and it is really improving. We are still a very young team, so I think the extra game experience will really pay off in the future in the next couple of years.”
West Greene and its fans will once again have to travel far (231 miles/4 hours), while their opponent will be gifted a short commute (12 miles/21 minutes) to the first round contest.
This is truly a historic season for West Greene, who comes into their first round contest with a 19-5 overall record. The 19 wins in a season ties a school-record set by the 1998-1999 squad.
Since Winchester Thurston, who beats Cornell in the Class A title game last Friday, is the top team in the WPIAL (District 7), West Greene is seeded as the number three team in the district.
The Lady Terrors of Otto-Eldred come into the first round affair as the District 9 runner-up. They hold a 17-8 overall record with a 12-4 mark in league play.
O-E defeated Elk County Catholic 52-46 in the district quarterfinals and upset two-seed Northern Porter 52-45 in the semifinals. The Lady Terrors fell to North Clarion 53-37 in the title game.
O-E is anchored offensively by forward Camryn Thomas. Thomas averages about 15.8 points per game and scored a team-high 21 points in the championship game loss.
“Me and (assistant coach) Justin (Allen) went up to there to watch their championship game and we were both impressed with their depth,” Watson said. “They run several different defenses and at times they sub five at a time and had no drop off in production. Their big girl (Thomas) is very skilled and they have a couple of good shooters in Allison Cousins and Alyssa Shelander.”
“They are young like us, so we are going to have to switch defenses and put constant pressure on them. We have to put a body on their big girl and box her out. We must guard the outside shot and locate their shooters. We will try a variety of different presses and look to pressure them into turnovers.”
West Greene will once again be led by twin sisters Madison and McKenna Lampe. During their two playoff games, the sophomore guards have totaled 74 of West Greene’s 101 points.
“We have come to expect great things from them and our entire sophomore class,” Watson said. “Madison and McKenna compete every play. They are both in unbelievable shape and can run for days. They hold themselves and the team to a very high standard. They are very special athletes that don’t come around all that often. Both are on pace to hit the 1,000 point club next year as juniors.”
Sophomore guard Kaitlyn Rizor and senior forward Marissa Rode are also probable starters for the Lady Pioneers, while sophomore forwards Savannah Pettit, Brianna Goodwin and Ashley Cumberledge are key contributors.
Coming into the PIAA playoffs, West Greene is the highest scoring offense (64.1 points per game) in the WPIAL Class A ranks and is the second highest scoring offense in all classifications in the WPIAL behind Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (65.0 points per game).
Defensively, the Lady Pioneers allow 34.7 points per game, third best in the WPIAL Class A ranks and ninth overall in all classifications in the WPIAL.
The West Greene girls’ basketball squad is the first Greene County basketball team to make it to the PIAA playoffs since the Jefferson-Morgan boys did it in 1999-2000.
The Rockets defeated Forbes Road 65-47 in the first round of the PIAA playoffs. J-M’s season ended in the second round with a 77-54 loss to Kennedy Christian.
That team was coached by current West Greene boys’ basketball coach Jim Romanus.
The second round of the PIAA playoffs for Class A girls is March 15, followed by the quarterfinals (March 18), the semifinals (March 21) and the finals (March 24) at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Most of the girls on the Lady Pioneers’ basketball team were key members of West Greene’s softball team last spring that won a WPIAL title and were PIAA runners-up.
“I think six of our nine girls played softball last spring, so they are used to the big stage,” Watson said. “Our young team has played in a lot of big games since they were freshmen. We threw them right into the fire and they had to grow up fast. We know they can handle the pressure and will be ready for the moment. I think this group thrives on pressure and expectations.”