Lady Pioneers turn the page, seek first PIAA victory

West Greene will look to make more school history on Saturday when it opens up the PIAA Class A girls basketball playoffs against Farrell at Peters Township High School.
Tip-off was initially slated for 3 p.m. but has been moved to 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Pioneers (22-3) are searching for the program’s first ever state playoff win a year after qualifying for the PIAA postseason for the first time. West Greene lost to Otto-Eldred, 61-57, in the first round last year.
The Lady Pioneers led 40-35 at the end of three quarters, but Otto-Eldred got back into the game with a 26-17 scoring advantage in the final eight minutes. Then sophomore guard McKenna Lampe was the offensive catalyst for West Greene with a game-high 34 points and made five 3-pointers in the loss.
“These kids are not afraid of the big stage,” West Greene coach Jordan Watson said. “Whether it’s on the basketball court or the softball diamond, they don’t shy away from the big games. We have six juniors and they have a ton of playoff experience. Last year we were a little disappointed in losing in the first round of states, and we have been waiting to get back there ever since.”
After finishing the regular season with an overall record of 20-2, plus winning their second straight Section 2-A crown with a 10-0 mark, West Greene defeated Rochester, 73-43, in the quarterfinals and got past Quigley Catholic, 66-59, in the semifinals.
The Lady Pioneers were denied a WPIAL title last Friday at the Peterson Events Center after a 76-57 loss to two-time District 7 champion Winchester Thurston.
Over the last two seasons, West Greene is 0-4 versus Winchester, but 41-4 against everyone else.
“Winchester gives us problems on the floor,” Watson said. “They are hard to defend and they have a ton of athletes. It always comes down to defense and rebounding for us, and in that game we didn’t win in any of those areas. We aren’t going to beat a lot of teams when they score 70 points.”
As a team, West Greene has scored 64.6 points per game and has allowed 32.5 with their ferocious “Press Greene” pressure defense that has forced around 35 turnovers per game.
Juniors McKenna Lampe, Madison Lampe and Kaitlyn Rizor have impressive stat lines heading into the opening round showdown versus the Lady Steelers.
McKenna is averaging 14.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 6.3 steals per game this season.
Madison’s stat line includes 13.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 5.7 steals per game, while Rizor is averaging 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 3.2 steals per game.
The freshman duo of Elizabeth Brudnock and Jersey Wise has been a critical force for the Lady Pioneers the last couple of weeks. Both freshmen scored 10 points apiece in the title game loss to Winchester.
Rounding out the rotation for West Greene are juniors Brianna Goodwin, Savannah Pettit and Ashley Cumberledge.
Farrell comes into Saturday’s match-up with an overall record of 12-11 and is the District 10 runner-up after suffering a 62-49 loss to Kennedy Catholic in the finals last weekend.
The Lady Steelers qualified for the state playoffs last year, but suffered a first-round defeat against Cornell, 61-49.
Farrell, which averages 55.3 points for and 47.6 against this year, ended its regular season on Feb. 16 and has played just one game, the title game loss to Kennedy Catholic, since then.
“Throughout the years, District 10 has always been a tough district,” Watson said. “Especially this season, there are a lot of quality teams. When you get this far in the playoffs, especially in the state playoffs, there are no easy games. Every team presents a challenge to you.”
Offensively, the Lady Steelers are led by senior guard Marissa Hopson, who averages a team-high 16.7 points per game and is the eighth-highest scorer this season in District 10.
Hopson is the team’s lone 3-point threat, connecting on 51 of the team’s 67 treys this season. The senior also leads the team in free throws made (54), free throws attempts (70) and free throw percentage (70).
Farrell’s other leading scorers are sophomore guard Kyra Crosby (12.7 points per game) and senior guard Mar’Nae Otis (11.6 points per game). Other key role players for the Lady Steelers are senior forward Jasmyn Russell, senior guard Malaysia Gregory and senior guard Rukaiah Pierce.
The winner of Saturday’s first round match-up will play the winner between District 9 champion North Clarion (24-0) and District 7 fifth-place team Cornell (8-16) in the second round on Wednesday, March 14, with a site and time to be determined.
For the Class A girls basketball bracket, the quarterfinals are March 17, the semifinals are March 20 and the finals are March 23 (at the GIANT Center in Hershey).
“We took a couple days off (after the championship game loss),” Watson said. “We just need a week of practice and just kind of refocus on our game plan. These girls are always focused and ready for the next challenge. I think we can regroup and we will be ready for states.”