Lady Raiders look to get back on playoff track
Uniontown girls basketball player Essence Cooper passes the ball to a teammate during a recent practice.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Uniontown girls head coach Jason Winfrey watches as Kierra McCargo goes to the basket for two.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Kierra McCargo looks to pass the ball with pressure from Arielle Winfrey while running a defensive drill during a Uniontown girls basketball team practice.
Uniontown's Miranda Stevens dribbles to the basket during team drills.
Uniontown's Abby Marcinko passes the ball to a teammate during a practice.
Anei Toaisi (right) holds the ball while Arielle Winfrey applies defensive pressure during a practice session.
Kierra Rose (left) looks for an opening around Yolanda Jackson during practice for the Uniontown girls basketball team.
Winfrey
Uniontown girls basketball coach Jason Winfrey is hoping a key player’s return this year can help get his team back to where it was two seasons ago.
That player is 5-10 senior forward Halley Farrell, who was out for all of the 2014-15 campaign.
“Not having her last year made it difficult for us,” said Winfrey, who is entering his 15th year at the helm of the Lady Raiders. “We missed her a lot. That forced us to alter our lineup.
“Halley is very athletic and was really coming on.”
Farrell will be one of three seniors Winfrey will be depending on to help Uniontown rebound from a 10-11 season that saw it miss the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Lady Raiders finished fifth with a 6-8 record in Section 3-AAA and fell one win short of the postseason.
The other two, both guards, are returning starters Arielle Winfrey (5-8) and Khai Harris (5-6).
“I’m real comfortable with those three seniors,” coach Winfrey said. “They’ve been playing for me since they were freshmen and they have a lot of experience playing in tough situations. All three of them have different personalities but as a group I need them to fill that leadership role, not just in games but with practice habits and things like that, too.
“I think they can help get us back to where we were a couple years ago.”
Before last season, Winfrey had guided Uniontown into the WPIAL playoffs for a school-record seven consecutive years.
That tremendous run included two outright section championships, two second-place finishes and three third-place finishes. In a four-year stretch from 2009-10 to 2012-13 the Lady Raiders went a combined 60-18 and won four playoff games.
Winfrey wants more than just a return to the postseason, though.
“Our goal is always to win the section,” Winfrey said.
Yolanda Jackson, a 5-10 junior, will likely play forward alongside Farrell.
Several other players Winfrey will be depending on to either start or play key minutes are sophomore guards Malaysia Ellis (5-5), Kierra McCargo (5-6) and Abby Marcinko (5-6), freshman guard Kierra Rose (5-7) and senior center Miranda Stevens (6-0).
Winfrey expects to use more full-court pressure this season.
“We’re definitely going to have to get it done on the defensive end of the floor,” he said. “Last year we didn’t have the numbers to press as much, but this year we’re going to extend our defensive pressure early and often. I’d like that to be our identity.”
Winfrey is also looking for more consistency in 2015-16.
“We beat some good teams but then we lost to Derry twice, who I thought we were better than,” said Winfrey, who is assisted by Vince Winfrey Jr. “But they played harder than us in certain stretches of the game and that was the difference. Hopefully, that showed our girls that you have to play hard for a full four quarters for good things to happen.
“I’d like to show some consistency on both ends of the court, and to me that’s about leadership. You want your leaders to make sure that is done.”
Winfrey takes blame himself for last season.
“I have to look at what I did, too, and do a better job,” he said. “I think I could’ve done a little better scheme-wise and with preparation last year.”
Winfrey is confident this squad can bounce back strong.
“I’m excited to coach this team,” he said.
(See more photos with story on our website)