North Hills girls gain experience during rebuilding year

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 23, 2018 | 11:00 PM

Lauren Wilmus has seen growth during her five years at the helm of the North Hills girls basketball program.

The Indians haven't quite reached their full progression yet. North Hills is still looking for the mental aspect to lock into place.

After starting the season 3-2, the Indians (6-16, 1-9) struggled in Section 1-6A. North Hills lost six of its section contests by 10 points or more, while having two close calls in losses to Seneca Valley (51-50) and Pine-Richland (49-46).

“We want to be tough to play against,” Wilmus said. “Our culture and mindsets need to continue to change, though. Most of our players have never experienced the playoffs or a winning season. It's not something they know.”

Part of that is because of the number of young players who saw significant time. Freshmen Sydney Ryan, Lexi Kotwica and Abbey McElhaney all played key roles.

Kotwica, who averaged 7 points, received an honorable mention all-section honor, while Ryan led the Indians with 6.7 rebounds per game. McElhaney returned from a torn PCL in November and made an impact by shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc.

“The three of them have met expectations on the court and off,” Wilmus said. “They embraced the daily grind and hard work. It will be exciting to see how they keep improving over the next few years.”

Jordan O'Malley — who was the lone returning starter and a senior — led the team in scoring by averaging 13.6 points and also contributed six assists per contest. She was asked to take on the leadership role to help along a roster of fresh faces.

“Our chemistry really improved throughout the season,” Wilmus said. “With only one starter returning, we knew going into the year we would be young and inexperienced, and this would be more of a rebuilding year. Our play was up and down this season, but I saw a lot of improvement with how we stuck together as a team.”

North Hills did have one shining moment in section play. The Indians put eventual playoff-bound Shaler's postseason hopes on life support with a 44-42 win on the road Jan. 29.

While the Titans would later knock off Pine-Richland to advance, it did wonders for North Hills.

Wilmus hopes this experience may be a mental edge going forward.

“That was a huge win for us,” Wilmus said. “A great confidence boost. With the struggles that we had this year, for our kids to show up and play the way they did was exciting and showed a level of maturity. At one point during the game, we had three freshmen, a sophomore and senior on the floor.”

Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.

Tags: North Hills