A cut above
Five 1,000-point scorers headline H-S All-Area Girls Basketball Team
Scoring 1,000 career points is a goal of most high school basketball players, a milestone that is noted and celebrated.
To reach that lofty level a player has to be talented, have good teammates and be a multi-year starter.
The 2024-25 Herald-Standard All-Area Girls Basketball Team is well represented by such players.
In fact, all five H-S First Team members are in the 1,000-point club, led by Player of the Year Emma Larkin of Geibel Catholic.
Larkin, who reached the 1K mark last year as a sophomore, poured in exactly 700 more points this season to up her career total to 1,909, leaving her just 68 points shy of Shelley Bortz’s program record of 1,977 heading into her senior campaign.
The four other members of the H-S First Team, who each scored their 1,000th point this past season, are Brownsville junior Skyler Gates, Albert Gallatin senior Mya Glisan and Laurel Highlands seniors Miya Harris and Ayrianna Sumpter.
Larkin was the top scorer among local players and second in the WPIAL at 26.9 points per game. The junior, who was named to the All-State Class A First Team for the second year in a row, did much more than score. She also averaged 5.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 4.2 steals and 0.5 blocked shots per game.
Larkin led the way for the Lady Gators’ run to the Section 2-A championship, the WPIAL Final Four and the PIAA playoffs.
Larkin’s career numbers are also impressive. In 72 games, she’s averaged 26.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.0 steals, 3.8 assists and 0.5 blocked shots per game.
The Player of the Year Runner-up is Gates, who scored 451 points this season to up her career total to 1,042. The 6-foot-4 center, who is a Virginia volleyball recruit, averaged 21.5 points, 16.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game while helping the Lady Falcons reach the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs.
Harris and Sumpter, who topped the 1,000 mark within a week of each other, spurred on the Lady Mustangs to a WPIAL playoff win and a spot in the PIAA playoffs for the second year in a row, the first time the program has accomplished those feats in back-to-back seasons.
Glisan picked the perfect time to score her 1,000th point, pouring in a career-high 31 points in a victory over rival Uniontown in front of a packed house at Albert Gallatin during a girls-boys doubleheader.
The H-S Coach of the Year is Sara Larkin of Geibel, who, with a big boost from her daughter, guided the Lady Gators to a 22-4 record, including 13-1 in section play.
Laurel Highlands’ Stewart Davis is the Coach of the Year runner-up, as LH went 19-7 overall and 13-3 in Section 3-4A.
West Greene’s Ben Brudnock had a strong debut with the Lady Pioneers, who were 16-9 overall, 8-6 in Section 2-A and extended their amazing streak of winning at least one playoff game to nine consecutive years.
Brownsville, Belle Vernon, California and Beth-Center also qualified for the postseason.
The H-S Second Team includes Geibel 6-1 center Mallory Clemmer, who is the Freshman of the Year. She is joined by Laurel HIghlands junior Aierra Jenkins, California sophomore Hayley Gibson, West Greene junior Kendra Tharp and Albert Gallatin senior Grayce Panos.
The Third Team includes Beth-Center senior Callie Dorsey, Brownsville junior Ava Clark, Frazier junior Allie Yauch, Belle Vernon freshman Aubrey Brown and West Greene sophomore Madelyn Roberts.
Following is the complete Herald-Standard All-Area Girls Basketball Team:
Player of the Year: Emma Larkin, Geibel Catholic
Player of the Year Runner-up: Skyler Gates, Brownsville
Coach of the Year: Sara Larkin, Geibel Catholic
Coach of the Year Runner-up: Stewart Davis, Laurel Highlands
Freshman of the Year: Mallory Clemmer, Geibel Catholic
First Team
Emma Larkin, Geibel Catholic
Skyler Gates, Brownsville
Miya Harris, Laurel Highlands
Ayrianna Sumpter, Laurel Highlands
Mya Glisan, Albert Gallatin
Second Team
Aierra Jenkins, Laurel Highlands; Kendra Tharp, West Greene; Grayce Panos, Albert Gallatin; Mallory Clemmer, Geibel Catholic; Hayley Gibson, California.
Third Team
Callie Dorsey, Beth-Center; Allie Yaugh, Frazier; Ava Clark, Brownsville; Madelyn Roberts, West Greene; Aubrey Brown, Belle Vernon.
Honorable Mention
Elizabeth Painter, Maggie Orndorff, Connellsville; Marissa Tharp, West Greene; Emily Meyers, M’Kinli Baker, Tessa Nicholson, Lyric McLee, Uniontown; Taylor Schwertfeger, Taylor Irwin, Righteous Richardson, Laurel Highlands; Ava Wood, Jefferson-Morgan; Avery Voithofer, Carmichaels; Nicole Barrera, Mapletown; Peyton Cowell, Mya Smith, Waynesburg Central; Zhariah Reed, Brownsville; Janiah Darnell, Ava Henderson, Geibel Catholic; Morgan Gesinski, Mount Pleasant; Olivia Aumer, Southmoreland; Malana Burton, Frazier.