High-scoring Freeport girls set sights on contending for section title

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, December 26, 2018 | 6:15 PM

The Freeport girls basketball team surged to a 76-44 victory last week over Section 1-4A rival Burrell.

The Yellowjackets scored 32 points in the first quarter and held the Bucs to seven with a pressing defense that forced 11 Burrell turnovers and led to multiple transition points.

The offense and defense working in tandem has created headaches for Freeport opponents this season. It’s a game plan rooted in preseason preparation, and it has delivered a 5-1 overall record and a 3-0 mark in Section 1-4A.

“We don’t really have set plays like most teams might have,” said junior guard/forward Sidney Shemanski, who leads the team in points (19.5), rebounds (10.2), assists (4.2) and steals (4.7) per game.

“It’s an offense where the ball creates the movement. We know what to do and where to go off of that.”

Freeport forced Burrell into 24 turnovers.

The 76-point output was a season high — junior guard Madeline Clark, who averages 16.2 points, led four players in double figures with a personal-best 31 — but the 32 over the first eight minutes was only second best. Freeport scored 35 in the first quarter of a 74-41 win over Albert Gallatin in the season-opening Southmoreland tournament.

“The offense comes down to finding the open person whether it’s in the half court or in transition off of a turnover,” said junior guard Samantha Clark, who averages 11.7 points. “We all want to be unselfish with the ball and make sure someone is taking the best possible shot.”

Freeport coach Fred Soilis said with returning talent such as Shemanski, the Clark twins, senior Haley Graham (7.2 ppg) and others, along with the addition of junior guard Harley Holloway, who transferred from Kiski Area, he felt the team had the ability to score at this pace. The Yellowjackets are averaging 70.2 points.

“It’s what I hoped for with their development and experience,” he said. “Everyone has stepped up and produced. They always are working on avoiding forced shots and finding better shots for their teammates.”

Limiting turnovers has helped, as well.

“We give them a list of goals per game, and turnovers are set at a certain number, usually between 10 and 12,” he said. “They are being smart with where they are passing the ball and how they are protecting possessions.”

The New Year opens against the top-ranked team in WPIAL 4A, North Catholic. The Trojans, the defending WPIAL Class 4A champions and last year’s PIAA runners-up, are 5-0 overall and join Freeport at the head of the class in Section 1 at 3-0.

North Catholic and Freeport sit one game ahead of Apollo-Ridge and Knoch, both 2-1.

“Every season, we go in excited to face North Catholic with the talent they have,” Shemanski said.

Last season, North Catholic outscored its 12 section opponents by an average of 36.6 points. Knoch came the closest, losing by 11 at home. Freeport was second with a 14-point margin at North Catholic in late January.

“They’re excited to have that game against North Catholic coming up,” Soilis said. “There hasn’t been too much discussion about it yet. They know what is in front of them this week. I don’t want them to put any more pressure on themselves other than preparing for another section game.”

Soilis said he is happy several players are reaching double figures each game, but he hopes to see his team tighten up a few things and continue to be consistent at both ends of the court.

Freeport travels to the West Shamokin tournament Thursday and will take on Ligonier Valley at 3 p.m. The host Wolves will meet Redbank Valley at 6. Thursday’s winners and losers will meet Friday.

The Yellowjackets hope to snap a five-game losing streak in holiday tournament games.

“After the opener (a loss to West Greene), I told them the next goal is to be 7-1 through December and work to get better each game,” Soilis said.

Holloway, who averaged 12.8 points over four games this month, missed two games last week as she battled a knee injury. Against Highlands the day before, she sat out for the first time, she scored a team-best 17.

She said she hopes to return to the lineup for the tournament games.

“It’s exciting to see what this team can do with everyone working together,” Holloway said. “We know what has to be done to be successful.”

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-388-5825, mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MLove_Trib.

Tags: Freeport