‘Young, smart’ Penn Hills girls lineup looks to grow in 2nd half of season

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, January 22, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Adding skills to the Penn Hills’ girls basketball team is a gradual progress.

Indians coach Robert Cash said the Indians have been working throughout the season to become a team that is suited to match up with any team they come across. Penn Hills has limited their opponents to 47.5 points per game during their 5-8 overall and 2-4 start in Section 1-5A.

“We have players who are young, smart and intelligent,” Cash said. “When they figure out one defense, we start adding on another one. We are always looking to put another jewel into our jewel box.”

For a program that is trying to dig out from the worst season in program history, the Indians have demonstrated they can be successful. Penn Hills has beaten Gateway and Plum in section and is a game behind the Mustangs for the final playoff spot.

“I think we are learning and are improving,” junior guard Hannah Pugliese said. “Our section is even and we have seen whatever team has their players show up on certain nights wins. We are improving in close games.”

Pugliese leads the team in scoring by putting in around 15 points per game. Egypt Coleman leads the Indians in rebounding.

Playing an aggressive style of defense is something that Penn Hills still needs to be careful with. Switching between playing man-to-man and a variety of zone defenses means the Indians have to be constantly focused on communication.

The Indians aren’t as shorthanded as they were last season, but Penn Hills still has a short bench. Penn Hill isn’t a team, Cash stresses, that can afford to be overly aggressive.

“We need to stay out of foul trouble,” Cash said. “We’re not going to look to get steals every time up the floor, but we want to be opportunistic and pick our spots to create a few extra possessions every game.”

Where Penn Hills still has its share of difficulties is scoring. The Indians have only been averaging 43.8 points per game.

“We have been good about getting defensive stops,” Pugliese said. “We’re just not able to finish it off. We need to figure out how to put more points on the board.”

A lack of offense hurt the Indians during their 38-33 loss to Kiski on Jan. 17. For Penn Hills to make a serious run at the playoffs, it will need to find a way to grind out a few more section victories.

“We just need to focus on our energy and how we respond,” Pugliese said. “We need to be strong in crunch time and protect the ball.”

Tags: Penn Hills