Penn-Trafford girls basketball team hopes close games pay off

By: Nathan Smith
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 | 6:39 PM

Purchase Photo Options

The Penn-Trafford girls basketball team has been living on the edge this season.

The Warriors have played in eight games decided by single digits, four of which decided by three points or fewer.

P-T has won about half of the battles, but despite the setbacks, the Warriors enter their final Section 3-5A game in contention for a WPIAL playoff berth. P-T will meet Latrobe on Thursday night, with the winner claiming a spot in the postseason.

“I really like this team,” Penn-Trafford coach John Giannikas said. “We’ve been in every game we’ve played. We’ve won some close ones and lost some close games.

Penn-Trafford (13-7, 7-6) has missed the playoffs only once during the past decade.

One of the challenges the Warriors are facing is overcoming inconsistent shooting. The Warriors are averaging 55 points, but since the start of the calendar year, Penn-Trafford has scored below that seven times in 12 games.

“It’s a 22-game season, and you obviously won’t shoot well every night,” Giannikas said. “We need to find ways to win ugly. We’ve done that pretty well. My job is to find ways to put us in position to be successful.”

Senior Bella Long has been a leader throughout the season. She leads the team in points per game (14.6) and rebounds per game (5.2).

“She’s a winner,” Giannikas said. “She is a tremendous shooter and has such a sweet stroke. It’s almost effortless. She is such a hard worker. She is usually the first one on the court and the last one to leave practice.

“When one of your main guys does that, it is something you love.”

A pair of juniors have provided offensive sparks in Allie Prady and Kenzie Powell. Prady is averaging 10.9 points and 3.5 rebounds, and Powell is averaging 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds.

Prady is second on the team in made 3-pointers with 23.

Despite being a sophomore, Maura Suman is playing like a veteran. The point guard is averaging 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.2 steals.

“She started every game as a freshman,” Giannikas said. “She expanded her scoring game more this season. When she’s not scoring, she is a lockdown defender and gets her hands on a lot of pass deflections.”

As the season has progressed, Penn-Trafford’s bench has grown. Freshman Maddie Setzenfand has developed as a presence inside, and freshman Lillian Palladino has become a regular contributor.

“Senior Morgan Hilty does the dirty work for us,” Giannikas said. “Without her playing those minutes, we don’t win some of our games.”

Giannikas hopes all the tight games give his squad a boost.

“In the playoffs, there are a lot of close games,” Giannikas said. “If you’re not used to that, it can be tough. We can take those experiences and make them a positive.”

Tags: Penn-Trafford