Sensational scorers
Trio of local players among WPIAL leaders in girls basketball
You can call them Fayette County’s finest or the terrific trio, but what you can’t call Geibel Catholic’s Emma Larkin and Mallory Clemmer, and Uniontown’s Aierra Jenkins are average basketball players, as the group makes up 30% of the top 10 scorers in the WPIAL.
Larkin, a senior, has surpassed 2,000 points in her career, and although her scoring is down from last season, she is ecstatic about how the Lady Gators have played, as Geibel Catholic is 16-0 as of Jan. 22.
“This year, the most important thing for me is winning,” Larkin said. “It’s nice to see my teammates put points up, especially Mallory. We have been sharing the ball and done so much better as a team in decision making. We have been crisp with our passes and patient in our offensive sets.”
Larkin is fourth in the district in scoring with 365 points for an average of 22.8 points per game (ppg).
The Belmont Abbey College commit was pleased to see three Fayette County players in the top 10 in the WPIAL in scoring.
“It is nice to see three players from Fayette County in the top 10 in scoring in the WPIAL,” Larkin said. “It’s even cooler that it’s one of my teammates, and I am glad to see AJ (Jenkins) doing so well because she is a great player.”
Jenkins is fifth in the WPIAL in scoring with 359 points in 16 contests. She has an average of 22.4 ppg and has pulled down over 750 rebounds in her career.
Jenkins, who is a 1,000-point scorer, plays against some of the toughest teams in Class 5A, as the Lady Red Raiders compete against the likes of Peters Township, Thomas Jefferson and Trinity in Section 4.
“I credit all the work I put in over the summer that helped me to improve,” Jenkins said. “I knew I had to step up my game to be a leader for this team. Most teams know about me playing in the paint, so I had to work out my outside game. Athletics are part of my family, as both of my parents were athletes.”
Jenkins, who will continue her academic, basketball and flag football careers at PennWest California, hopes she can help steer Uniontown into the postseason.
“It would be a huge accomplishment for our program to make it to the playoffs,” Jenkins said. “It would be nice for the girls and something I can take with me to college. The coaches at California said they are looking at playing me at the three or four.”
Clemmer, a sophomore, is sixth in the WPIAL in scoring with 355 points in 16 games for an average of 22.2 ppg. She is pleased to share the load with Larkin and her other teammates. Clemmer is one of the top rebounders in the WPIAL, which is not an official statistic that is reported to the league, but she averages a double-double a game.
“I don’t really care that much about the points,” Clemmer said. “I am excited for our team, and it goes beyond myself and Emma. It is nice to have other players contributing, and whenever I am in the high post, Janiah (Darnell) is down low and we feed each other.”
Clemmer takes pride in seeing herself and two other Fayette County players in the top 10 in scoring in the WPIAL.
“It is great to see other girls from the area doing great things,” Clemmer said. “It is nice to represent Fayette County in something that we can all be proud of.”
The Lady Gators had a scrimmage with Uniontown prior to the season starting, and Clemmer was able to see Jenkins up close and personal.
“It was really nice to play against her (Jenkins),” Clemmer said. “She is a great player and it was tough to go against her, but it helped me get some experience against one of the top players in Class 5A, who will also play in college. She plays different roles for her team, but I still went against her.”
Just outside the top 10 in scoring is Connellsville ninth grader Saige Mickens, who sits in 12th place with 313 points in 16 games (19.6 ppg).